Fostering Workplace Diversity and Inclusion: An Interview with Africa HR Solutions

To better understand the importance of fostering diversity and inclusion in the workplace, Invest Africa spoke with Kevina Takoordyal, Head of Operations at Africa HR Solutions.  

Kevina is a Growth Strategist with a diverse European and pan-African footprint. Her cumulative experience spans over 25 years spent on Operations, Business Development, People Management, and Corporate Governance in Financial Services, among others. 

Currently the Head of Operations at Africa HR Solutions. An EXCO member, Kevina has a BA Hons Business Management from the University of Glamorgan, UK, as well as an MBA in leadership and Innovation, an MBA General, and a PMP Certification. She serves on several boards as a Non-Independent Executive Director, coach, and mentor. Kevina also chairs Board Committees at the Mauritius Institute of Directors, and the Africa Corporate Governance Network among others. 

In your experience, what strategies have proven effective in fostering diversity and inclusion throughout the organisation? 

I think the best D&I strategy is leadership commitment to values of equality. 

At Africa HR Solutions, we have adopted a top-down approach that begins with seeing beyond gender and embracing meritocracy. 

It is not about being a man or a woman, but about being capable and willing. It’s this idea that trickles down to our D&I strategies, starting with our diverse hiring practices which enable us to adapt to different people’s strengths and personalities. We also have a diverse recruitment panel to prevent biases during the hiring process. Afterwards, it’s about celebrating that same diversity we have worked hard to foster.  

What challenges do women in Mauritius and Africa face in the workplace?  

I think the issue that women face in workplaces across Mauritius and Africa is mainly cultural. There’s this difficulty to see beyond gender in local companies that you don’t necessarily find in international ones. This has been my experience as well. This conservative approach isn’t only about society’s perception and treatment of women in the workplace. It’s also about a woman’s conservative perceptions of themselves. This causes them to take the backseat often, to not take initiative or speak their minds. 

If women feel comfortable with that glass ceiling, they will never grow and may look at outside factors to point out inequality, when actually, there’s a lot of self-work that needs to be done.  

How can women overcome these challenges?  

Like I said, it starts with a lot of self-work. Women must eliminate the cultural barriers within themselves and believe in their potential.  

In my position at Africa HR Solutions, I hold individual coaching sessions with our new employees once a month to help them unleash their potential. It is a leader’s responsibility to bring out the best in others. As such, the task of overcoming gender inequality is shared by all, across all positions.  

And the willingness is there: there are many highly qualified women at the Mauritius Institute of Directors, for example, devoting their time to helping others through business or even personal advice.   

What does a workplace where women can thrive, regardless of gender, look like? 

A workplace should not be somewhere one comes in with a mask that they take off afterwards. We should be able to consistently bring our authentic selves without fear.  

And as leaders, encouraging this authenticity is part of nurturing talent and bringing out the best of them. We understand, for example, that everyone is different and learns at different speeds, so the point is to work on each person’s individual strengths. The team at Africa HR Solutions and I do that through a training needs analysis over 3 months to better understand new hires’ individual strengths – and determine how to maximize them.  

Africa HR Solutions is the leading Employer of Record (EOR) and Payroll Outsourcing provider in Africa. For the last 14 years, they have been enabling organizations to onboard employees in 46 African countries compliantly, without the need for a registered in-country entity. Africa HR Solutions prioritizes its EOR and Payroll clients' needs by providing a range of additional services, including medical and life insurance, immigration support, equipment procurement, and more.