1. Tell us a bit about yourself.
I’m a Christian woman who lives a prayerful and authentic life. I’m comfortable being perfectly imperfect and value what God and I think of myself above all else. Family is incredibly important to me, just below my faith. Providing for my family is how I show my love and commitment to them. I treat others the way I want to be treated and respect their needs through communication.
Different viewpoints help me grow. Maintaining a healthy work-life balance is crucial for my well-being and productivity. I believe in honesty, transparency, and ethics in all aspects of life. I’m always eager to learn, develop new skills, and grow personally and professionally. I believe in learning, unlearning, and relearning, and I value shared growth.
I strive to connect with others emotionally and be compassionate. My tough love approach might seem unempathetic, but I deeply care about people and their situations. I’m dedicated to delivering high-quality work and leaving things better than I found them. If I do something, I aim to do it excellently or not at all. I believe in teamwork and actively seek collaborative opportunities to achieve shared goals. I embrace creativity and enjoy exploring new ideas and approaches to problem-solving.
2. What work do you do?
I head up Randgo, a Rewards and Loyalty business, in the capacity of CEO. Together with a Team of high performers, I play an integral role in designing and providing end-to-end services in the creation of bespoke employee rewards, loyalty rewards, and incentivisation solutions to help corporate South Africa attract, retain and engage with their employees and members in a meaningful way. Our purpose is to help the Rands of South African consumers Go further.
3. How long have you been in the industry?
I’ve been working in the Sales and Marketing space for 17 years, and am seasoned in Rewards and Loyalty for the past circa 8 years.
4. Has your work always been your passion? Tell us why.
There is the adage that when you enjoy what you do, you never work a day in your life. I am passionate about designing new propositions, elevating the business for future competitiveness, learning and growing, and the value I contribute to the lives of members, and most especially the Team I get to work with at Randgo. I have always been passionate about whatever I am called to do – even if I do not enjoy it.
Work to me is a commandment set before I was born and I am conscious to always adopt a growth mindset, even when things don’t go as planned. What makes me passionate about work is that it is intrinsically linked to a part of my Ikigai. Ikigai is a Japanese idea about finding your purpose. It involves looking at what you love, what you’re good at, what the world needs, and what you can be paid for.
5. Being a woman in the industry – what does it take?
Being authentic. When you are authentic to yourself, you can lead and be led. It is also important to learn, unlearn relearn, and keep your fingers on the pulse, at all times. Most important to me is praying daily for the wisdom to make the right calls. I call it my superpower.
6. What has been the most difficult challenge of your career?
Promoting a healthy work-life balance as a single mom. I am often limited by the amount of time and energy I have to get to everything that I want to get to – remaining mindful that my first job and most important job is being a mom.
7. What advice do you have for other women in your industry?
Don’t be afraid to step up and step out. Surround yourself with ambitious, strong, authentic, and good-hearted women. Mentor and sponsor other women among you. Hold onto your core values, be respectful, stay authentic, and pray. And it’s okay to sometimes pull back, to propel yourself forward. And rule number 6 from the book, The Art of Possibility by Rosamund Stone Zander and Benjamin Zander, “Don’t take yourself so g—damn seriously”.
8. Plans for the future?
So many plans, so little time. Top of my list is empowering and equipping my daughter for success and making sure that she stays on the right track. Position Randgo for future competitiveness with differentiated and market-leading proposition designs. Kickstart my doctoral studies, merging my interest and passion for loyalty programmes in the segment of single-parent households. …and enjoying life with no regrets…
9. Any other comment?
Do to others whatever you would like them to do to you – Matthew 7:12 NIV. Choose to put yourself first and make yourself a priority. It’s not selfish. It’s necessary.
Biography
Kinola Pather is the newly appointed CEO of bespoke employee rewards, loyalty, and incentive
programme company Randgo. Pather brings a unique blend of expertise and passion and her ability
to leverage behavioural economic principles and trends that influence consumer spending behaviour,
enable her to transform data insights into strategies that drive growth for companies across different
sectors.
Her ultimate vision is to empower financial wellness for South African consumers by making the
value of every Rand earned by programme members… Go further. Pather’s passion for the consumer and employee benefits space stems from her firsthand experience of the real impact that loyalty and rewards programmes can make in consumers’ lives.
Before joining Randgo, her three-year strategic marketing tenure at employee benefits company, NMG Benefits, provided her with invaluable insights into the state of employee value propositions and the transformative potential of loyalty programmes. Now, she is committed to leveraging the rewards industry to maximise the value of consumers’ Rands, thus driving financial wellness and empowerment for all.
With 16 years of operation under its belt, Randgo has become a trusted partner for some of South Africa’s largest companies, enabling them to attract, retain, and engage employees and customers through customised incentive and rewards programmes. Pather’s vision for the future of Randgo is clear: to maintain relevance, competitiveness, and leadership in the field of employee rewards, and loyalty and incentive programmes; and to build a sustainable future in which both the business and its people thrive.
To get in touch with Kinola, please contact her at: Kinola@RANDGO.COM
