Phyllis Mothiba, IT Leader: Africa and Middle East, Corteva Agriscience.

Phyllis Mothiba, IT Leader for Africa and the Middle East at Corteva Agriscience, has been deeply passionate about information technology throughout her career.

At the age of 20, Phyllis graduated with a degree in industrial engineering, which unlocked numerous opportunities across her career. She has held a range of roles, from engineering to project management and business process management, with her experience in business process management ultimately leading her to the field of IT “Throughout my career, I’ve been tasked with putting IT turnaround strategies in place,” she says. “There was frustration around the efforts of IT and limited understanding of how to match IT with the needs of the business.

This is where I bring my mix of IT knowledge and business requirements to add value, simultaneously creating high functioning teams and understanding the voice of the customer in order to deliver their needs against the expectations of the business strategy.

“It’s very rewarding being able to implement cool technologies that generate revenue and improve productivity across the commercial and operations teams. Plus, with Corteva’s presence across the African continent, I have regional exposure to the unique requirements of each country. I report into the European office, and I have gained additional experience working with and being a lead for the South Europe team.”

Mothiba, consistently at the forefront of innovative and transformational projects, regards this as her area of expertise. She highlights that the current IT focus is on AI, machine learning, and data analytics — technologies that, among their many benefits, have the potential to significantly enhance business performance. Customercentric tools for internal and external customers and cybersecurity are the other focus areas.

A collaborative leader, Mothiba leads by example and has an open door policy, always trying to encourage, empower and use consultation to build trust in what IT is doing and the changes it is making.

Employ the inexperienced “Over the years, I’ve learned the importance of adapting quickly and having to be tough at times, but my stance is always to resolve the issue without undermining or embarrassing teams. I don’t micro-manage but, instead, empower and make people accountable.

At the core of Corteva’s value system is the necessity for ongoing training and development.

Mothiba is also passionate about mentoring young professionals and is confident to employ individuals with no prior experience.

“As long as the person has the right attitude and the ability to communicate well, give them an opportunity. I love to see people flourish and make their own contribution to the overall business.

“We’ve made many strides in ICT for the inclusion of women, but there is more that can be done to get more women in IT roles. Profiling women in ICT in Brainstorm is a great initiative of MTN and kudos to them for helping push us and our efforts to progress in the tech field.

“My advice to young women is to work hard, be confident and be mindful that each woman’s progress starts when they believe in themselves and not feel the need to have others believe in them. What keeps me awake at night is that I study because there is always something new to learn and adapt to. Be curious and have a thirst for knowledge,” concludes Mothiba.

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