Completing his MBA at the age of 29 was something that Joe Mushwana promised his greatest role model and motivator he would do. She happens to be his mother. While he racked up three degrees, he worked his way up to his current position as head of Barloworld Equipment’s sale and business development, where he and his team are building and maintaining the company’s financial wellbeing. Joe says that artificial intelligence has transformed the mining industry, and will continue to increasingly do so in all of its key areas — from exploration to extraction and processing. For example, it is enabling drilling and blasting operations that don’t require human supervision on a continuous basis, which increases productivity and reduces the risk of injuries. He says that public-private collaborations, especially those that foster entrepreneurship, are essential for combating youth unemployment. Companies that hire young people and develop them not only build a secure and sustainable future workforce, they also help to grow the talent pipeline and the local economy. Joe, who encountered many obstacles along his own path to corporate success, is registering an NGO to help disadvantaged children.
BA (Corporate and Marketing Communications)
BCom Honours (Marketing)
Master’s of Business Administration
Completing my MBA at 29. Business is a continual exploration of ways of thinking, not just doing and executing. Great people are the source of your greatest learnings. Fun breeds success. Network, network, network! Start building relationships outside of your industry — the connections are invaluable.
If we aim to sustain a preferred future, humanism and economics should go together when prioritising strategy. EQ is 100 times more important than IQ. “I don’t know” is a perfectly acceptable response, as long as it is followed by “I will find out”. We must move away from being sales driven/target driven to being solutions oriented in order to build sustainable businesses. Understand the story behind the numbers. Luck is a dividend of sweat: the more you sweat, the luckier you get.
Yes, my previous manager, who gave me exposure, coached me, mentored and helped me believe in myself when I was starting my career.