By ZWELI MOKGATA

Business Correspondent

ONLY two months into her new job as Simba chief executive, Lauren Siebrits is already making some interesting, yet subtle changes at the company.

Siebrits was appointed as the first female and local CEO in June after serving five years in the company working in different roles, including her most recent one as commercial director.

“This is very different. What strikes me most about my new role is the amount of time I spend nourishing, encouraging and motivating people,” she says.

The company has a staff of about 1700 people, a large portion working in the packaging plants.

The company produces Doritos, Baked Simba, Sunbites and Lays, amongst other things. It is part of the global PepsiCo group.

She explains her added role as a motivator of staff rather than just running operations: “While it’s important for me to be visible and let people know I’m accessible, it’s difficult for me to connect with each individual. Some people are just intimidated.”

She opts rather to implement open-dialogue sessions, with managers collecting information from workers and passing it on to her.

“We’ve implemented a programme called Speak Up, where people internally and externally can complain about anything at all, and we give people permission to develop a healthier work-life balance,” she adds.

Siebrits is a single mother with two children, aged four and eight. While she has made some sacrifices to ensure that her career prospers, she still manages to stay connected with her family.

“I try to spend as much time with my children as possible, but if I’m not there I make sure that they stay with someone who loves them.

“I like to give my staff the same freedom, so that they work smarter rather than putting in longer hours,” she says.

Siebrits applies this principle to her staff: “When we do performance appraisals, our policy is to give 50percent of the points for output, and 50 percent for people skills.

“Personally, I would rather have someone with good people skills and technical weaknesses, because that person is more likely to look at their own flaws and learn quicker,” she explains.