What makes a perfect Chief Executive Officer? Understanding, defining, and leading the culture of an organisation; setting a short- and long-term strategy with measurable results, driving a performance and governance culture; enthusing accountability, commitment to excellence; tremendous energy, enthusiasm, charisma and ability to recognise talent in others and build a team around that talent. Dr Felleng Yende has it all, in abundance.
As an award-winning CEO of the Fibre Processing and Manufacturing Sector Education and Training Authority (FP&M SETA), Dr Yende has demonstrated that building a consistent, strong organisational culture is one of the most important contributions a leader can make.
Since taking over as CEO in 2013, she has a clearly articulated her sense of purpose and vision in the implementation of the National Skills Development Plan of the 13 FP&M SETA sectors – Clothing, Textiles, Footwear, Leather, Pulp and Paper, Wood & Wood Products, Furniture, Forestry, Printing, Packaging, Print Media, Publishing and General Goods.
A strategic and knowledgeable executive, Dr Yende works with the board and staff to shape the FP&M SETA’s performance culture to inculcate a set of values and capabilities, and continues to ensure legal compliance with relevant national legislation, including, the Public Finance Management Act and Treasury Regulations. This includes the monitoring and control of all SETA skills levy income & expenditure (SETA levy income in the region of R 500 million a year).
As a believer that fiscal prudence is an important element of running an organisation, Dr Yende has put measures in place to ensure optimal financial prudence and corporate governance procedures are followed at all times to guard against wasteful expenditure.
Dr Yende believes that the implementation of the design and strategy of an organisation is a process not an event, and must therefore be informed and underpinned by research – both locally and internationally to build, enhance and deliver quality results.
She believes gender discrimination must be addressed not just by having a policies in place, but by rigid implementation of such policies.
She holds a Master’s Degree in Public and Development Management and has completed a qualification in Digital
Business Strategy from the globally recognised Massachusetts Institute of Technology Sloan School of Management.
Dr Yende has a Doctor Of Philosophy In Management Of Technology And Innovation (PhD). The title of her dissertation -“ENHANCING PUBLIC SECTOR LEADERSHIP IN THE AGE OF THE 4IR”
Executive Experience
Dr Yende has extensive management and leadership experience including:
- Private Sector – ±7years
- Public Sector (FP&M SETA) – 8 years
Results Driven
In her 8 years as the CEO of FP&M SETA’s 13 sub- sectors, Dr Yende has achieved the following:
- 5 clean unqualified audit opinions in the last 7 years
- Re-engineered the entire business operations resulting in a marked turnaround of the organisation’s performance from 49% in 2011 to 100% in the last three financial years (AG audited)
- Developed a new business model
- Driven strategy execution
- Optimised operations and organisational performance and value adding community/training and development interventions.
Strategic Leadership
Her strategic leadership has resulted in the following:
- Execution of FP&M SETA results-driven turnaround strategy
- Transformational approach
- Increased organisational performance
- Facilitated community dialogues to develop policies
- Promoted partnerships and implemented innovative and cutting edge projects.
Adaptable Change Agent
As a change agent, Dr Yende has achieved the following:
- Researched best practices in identified fields and develop integrative strategies
- Translated integrative strategies into effective organisational strategies, with a focus on driving high level business objectives
- Researched international, national and regional government policy and legislation and how to translate these into empowerment and business opportunities.
Professional Experience and Expertise
Dr Yende compiled an innovative business model in 2013, which optimised organisational performance resulting in the overall audited SETA performance of 100% in the last three financial years. This was achieved through her results-driven methodology, meticulous planning and professional execution of
strategic projects including the requisite risk mitigation strategies.
She engineered strategy-driven services and partnerships, which created sector competitiveness, transformation and ultimately, economic growth.
Dr Yende’s strategic involvement with the sector delivered high impact results leveraging government relations and media management – the achievement of these outcomes ensured corporate brand positioning, strengthened government relations and strengthened business presence and sustainability.
African Market Access
Dr Yende introduced and spearheaded service and awareness expansion to Africa and worked with the following countries:
- North Africa: Egypt and Libya
- West Africa: Ghana, Liberia, Nigeria and Senegal
- East Africa: Kenya, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Mauritius, Rwanda, Seychelles and Somalia
- Southern Africa: Botswana, Lesotho, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Mozambique and Namibia.
Overall FP&M SETA Performance 2011/12 – 2020/21 – SETA Funded and Industry Funded Achievements
