Lerato Makwela

HR Strategist & Consultant

Performance ManagementTalent AcquistionCompensation & BenefitsEmployee RelationsOrganizational DevelopmentHR TransformationEvent ProducerCommunications ManagerSoft Skills TrainerLecturerHR DirectorEducationHRBusiness OwnerMarketing

Lerato brings over 18 years of extensive experience in the private sector, with a career spanning across the Mining, Telecommunications, FMCG, and Production industries. Her regional expertise includes the AMEI (Africa, Middle East, India) region, with a strong focus on Southern Africa and the United Arab Emirates. Her professional background encompasses both transformational and transactional Human Resources practices, demonstrating a deep understanding of strategic HR leadership as well as operational execution. Lerato has successfully led initiatives in B-BBEE compliance, Employment Equity (EE), Enterprise and Supplier Development (ESD), and Socio-Economic Development (SED)—aligning people practices with regulatory requirements and sustainability goals. She is highly skilled in employee relations, employee experience design, and organisational culture development, and has played a critical leadership role in post-merger and acquisition (M&A) integration. Lerato is particularly effective in navigating the complexities of change management, consistently fostering inclusive and resilient workplace cultures during periods of transformation. With strong interpersonal and intercultural competence, Lerato provides clear and contextually relevant HR guidance to leadership and operational teams. She is a strategic thinker with robust project management capabilities, known for delivering outcomes that align with both business objectives and employee wellbeing. A champion of human rights and social responsibility initiatives, Lerato is widely respected for her empathy, fairness, and consistency. She builds strong, trust-based relationships at all organisational levels and is especially effective in environments requiring cultural sensitivity, transformation leadership, and stakeholder alignment.