Parmi Natesan is the Chief Executive Officer of the Institute of Directors in South Africa (IoDSA). She is the country’s premier corporate governance specialist, having written several articles and papers and speaking at various conferences and events. She has also earned the Chartered Director (SA) title.

She has been an Executive Director on the IoDSA Board for 7 years. She has also served on the board of PPS Holdings Trust and currently serves on the boards of Alviva Holdings as a non-executive director, lead independent director and chair of Audit and Risk Committee as well as St Peters College as a Council member, deputy-chair of Council and Chair of Finance Committee.

Parmi represents the IoDSA on a number of forums and committees, including the King Committee of South Africa, the Integrated Reporting Committee of South Africa, the Anti-intimidation and Ethical Practices Forum, the 30% Club (which advocates for gender diversity on boards) and the Global Network of Director Institutes. Parmi is a qualified Chartered Accountant, registered with the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants, with BCom (cum laude) and BCom (honours) degrees.

Journey

Parmi was raised in a small town with modest origins. Her parents did not have the opportunity to attend university or work in a professional capacity. They worked hard and placed a high value on education. Parmi excelled in school and was the first in her family to graduate from university. She completed her articles (in commerce), passed her board examinations, and became a Chartered Accountant. Parmi became interested in corporate governance while still working for an audit firm, and her passion increased from there – she immersed herself in the subject.

She joined the Institute of Directors in South Africa 11 years ago, which is the ideal employer for someone interested in corporate governance. This provided her with many opportunities to learn and grow in the field, from writing papers and articles, to speaking at conferences and events, to serving on high profile committees in South Africa, including the well-known King Committee on Corporate Governance in South Africa.

Parmi considers herself fortunate to be part of the team that drafted the latest King Report on Governance for South Africa, King IV. She joined the IoDSA as Senior Governance Specialist in 2020. She was promoted to Executive: Centre for Corporate Governance in 2015 and was promoted to Chief Executive Officer in 2019.

IoDSA

The Institute of Directors (IoDSA) is the only SAQA-registered professional body for directors in South Africa.  As the owners of the King Reports and the promoters of good corporate governance, the IoDSA is committed to the development of Better Directors, Better Board, Better Business.

Primary Company Offerings

The IoDSA is primarily a membership body, and also provides practical services to Boards, aimed at ensuring the development, understanding and application of good governance practices. Its corporate services are customised to the needs and objectives of its clients, to ensure the desired results are achieved.

The company has trained over 50 000 directors and professionals, facilitated over 300 board performance evaluations and has a proven track record of providing practical corporate governance advisory assistance.

Services include Membership, Events, Certifications, Individual Director Development, Customised Board Development, Governance Advisory, Board Performance Evaluations, Find the Right Director and Thought Leadership.

A little more on the following:

• Designations
  The IoDSA offers two designations, namely the Certified Director and Chartered Director (SA) designations. Each of these designations symbolises particular recognition given by the IoDSA to the person that qualifies for it and the assessment for both designations are based on the IoDSA Director Competency Framework.

• Individual Director Development
  Its individual focused programmes ensure that you have the knowledge you need to make the best decisions in an ever-changing world. They are interactive and focused on transferring knowledge and providing an opportunity for individuals to enhance their skills in relation to topics being addressed.

• Board Performance Evaluations
  Its experience-based board performance evaluations include qualitative and quantitative assessments of the board, committees, individual directors, the chair, and the company secretary. The IoDSA facilitators have extensive experience in conducting evaluations, and as directors themselves, they understand boardroom dynamics and the challenges your board members face.

• Customised Board Development
  Its customised programmes are closed, private and tackles specific focus areas, questions and/or recommendations for a specific corporate or organisation. The practical training ensures delegates walk away with understanding how to apply concepts in their roles.

• Governance Advisory Services
  Its customised corporate governance advisory services aim to develop organizations’ understanding of the application of King IV and improving overall implementation.
  The IoDSA lives by its slogan “For Directors, By Directors” by ensuring that its facilitators/governance specialists, who deliver its corporate services, are not only experts in corporate governance and their specific fields but are well seasoned and experienced directors which brings deep practical knowledge. Through this it has the ability to relate to any governing body in any governance related service we conduct.

Inspiration to Becoming a Corporate Governance Specialist

Corporate Governance, according to Parmi, is fundamentally about ethical and effective leadership. Many of the world’s problems are solvable through having ethical and effective leaders running our countries and our corporations. That is why it is so important not only for businesses/corporations, but also for governments.

In terms of technical expertise, everyone is (or should be) constantly learning. The world develops at such a rapid pace that individuals could rapidly become stagnant. This necessitates staying current with the newest trends and advancements. This may be accomplished via reading, following specific social media pages/channels, communicating with like-minded professionals, and so forth.

In terms of personal competence as a leader, it’s important that professionals constantly assess their leadership style and ability – especially as the world shifts – the generational shifts in workforces demands very different leadership capabilities now than before.

At IoDSA, Parmi’s role largely involves strategic thinking, driving company performance, stakeholder relations and reporting. She and her team have made great strides in the company’s strategy over the last few years. She says, “Our company performance has steadily increased, with last year’s financial and non-financial results being the highest it has ever been in the 60-year history of the company. This enables us to further our purpose”

In terms of stakeholder relations, Parmi has built solid relationships inside and outside of the organisation. With regard to reporting, the IoDSA has proudly won the Integrated Reporting Award in the NPO category for the last two years.

Work-home balance

Balancing her professional and personal life is one of biggest strengths Parmi considers she has. She is a very-involved mother, wife and home-maker, whilst still maintaining a successful executive career, and even serving in additional capacities on external boards and committees. She states, “The trick is to be extremely organized, but still flexible and agile. Everything finds its place.  I am also a very productive person, so I am able to fit in a lot into a day.”

She further adds that learning what to say yes to and what to say no to, without feeling guilty about it, is another important skill to learn.

Starting her morning off with a good exercise routine kick starts her energy and productivity for the day.  Parmi’s happiest part of her day is probably seeing one of her staff or one of her children achieve a success. She believes that her purpose if to leave behind better future generations.

Advice for Next Generation Leaders

Too often Parmi sees women trying to fit into what they think is a traditional man’s world.  She says that the feel that they need to behave/dress/speak in a certain way in order to be accepted and successful. She adds, “The reason that we need more women in leadership positions is for the very reason that women are so different to men.” She suggests that embrace this uniqueness and show the world the value that only a woman can add.

Recognitions

Parmi has received numerous accolades over her career, including a Rising Star alumni award from the Nelson Mandela University and was named one of Destiny magazine’s top 40 African women under the age of 40. More recently, she was a finalist for Businesswoman of the Year 2021 in the Top Women Awards, was awarded Global Woman Achiever at the 2022 World Women Leadership Congress and Ethical Leadership Difference Makers Award from the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants.

• Rising Star Alumni Award from Nelson Mandela University
• Destiny Magazine Top 40 under the age of 40 on the African continent
• Finalist for Businesswoman of the Year at the Top Women Awards
• Global Woman Achiever at the World Women Leadership Congress
• Ethical Leadership Difference Makers Award from the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants

Website: www.iodsa.co.za