Bongani

Bongani Mthombeni-Möller has been with Royal HaskoningDHV for 11 months, a time she describes as incredibly rewarding, challenging and interesting.

She’s the Director of the Advisory Group for Smart Mobility, looking after 90 staff who deal with all things mobility – getting goods, services and people from points A to B. “It’s a whole array of services,” she says, “ranging from traditional engineering to transport consultancy.”

Bongani says her role is interesting because South Africa is still relatively young when it comes to things like e-mobility, electric vehicles, and hydrogen-fuelled cars and buses. “It's quite nice to be part of the wave that will change the future of what mobility will look like in Southern Africa. I'm excited about what’s to come,” she says.

Bongani’s greatest passion is in leadership and leading people. “I love that I can lead the team to achieve great things. We’re at a turnaround at this point – the company went through a challenging and tumultuous time about two years ago – business was not doing well and we lost a lot of colleagues. I’m enjoying the journey of taking the team with me to really show the industry that we are a force to be reckoned with, that we can get mobility profitable once again, to build a legacy and Enhance Society Together in the process.”

Bongani has had an interesting career to date and says that the culture and spirit of RHDHV are unlike anything she’s experienced before.

“I came from another global, multidisciplinary firm, and there are so many distinct differences. RHDHV stands out above the rest because everyone embraces and practices the passion and purpose to Enhance Society Together. The reason we do engineering projects (and this should be everyone's reason) is to enhance society. We’re a company that’s reflective of society and its diverse cultures, people, and races. We really live and breathe enhancing society together. And what's nice is that it’s something that is measured and, as such, quantifiable on a project. I'm proud to be part of a progressive, efficient, and flexible organisation that allows me to thrive as a leader, as a woman in leadership, and to be part of a transformational executive team.”

“I’m an open book,” laughs Bongani when I ask her if there is something her colleagues don’t know about her. “I'm big into fitness, but everyone in the company knows that. I love travelling. I've got two boys, so I'm big on family. I love to cook. I love eating out. I love the outdoors. I'm a musician as well. I play the piano, I sing, and I’ve also played the flute. Perhaps one thing they didn't know is that I used to be a fashion model in my younger days, so I'm big on fashion too.”

Through working at RHDHV, Bongani feels that she has become more aware of when to take risks in her personal life.

“It's opened my eyes to the importance of analysing risks, especially in projects. RHDHV is extremely risk averse and has got a very project-centric approach that takes into consideration every possible eventuality. It’s helped me on a personal level as well, with some of the decisions that I make, whether it's buying a new property or embarking on a project at home, for example, I think think about putting measures in place in the eventuality that something goes wrong. So, it’s not just from a professional point of view that I can apply this, but also in my personal financial decision-making.”

With such a passion for her job and lust for life, I ask Bongani to let us in on her secret. “I think it’s important to remember that your job does not define you and that you should never lose your passion or what makes you happy. You need to know why you’re doing something. Why am I doing engineering? If it’s just for the money, okay, that's your reason. If it's because you’re passionate about planes and want to be an aeronautical engineer, fantastic. It’s also important to remember that if something doesn’t go your way or on the envisaged path you have for life– which happens because life events often intervene – don’t give up. If your career path meanders on a different path that’s ok too, cause life is still beautiful. Live it!”