Thanusha Govender’s appointment is effective from 1 February and she replaces Hymie Marnewick.
Launched in 2004, XLink is a wholly owned subsidiary of Vodacom and describes itself as a leading provider of secure communications and payment solutions, facilitating more than one billion transactions per year, while maintaining an average uptime of more than 98%.
In addition, XLink, it is explained, provides businesses with the high level of reliable and secure connectivity required for payment processing and plays an important role in the growth of business in South Africa. XLink also has a contact centre and offers field support and logistics services wherever secure connectivity is required.
Business strategist
Thanusha Govender, says XLink, has innovatively applied fundamental and data-driven principles to optimise and grow several large companies over the past two decades. Her roles have included corporate strategist, management consultant and operations director.
Prior to joining XLink, Thanusha Govender spent five years as Head of Corporate Strategy and Planning at Absa (formerly Barclays) Banking Group in South Africa. Prior to that, she was Head of Strategy, Business Performance and COO (Corporate and Investment Banking Operations across Africa) at Absa. Prior to that, she was Senior Manager, Client Operations for the Absa Group.
Thanusha Govender also worked for 5 years at Accenture as an Executive Manager, where she was responsible for business development and project delivery for blue chip companies globally.
Strategy development and execution, research and development (R&D), data analytics and culture transformation, it says, are some of the areas of expertise that Thanusha Govender will bring to XLink’s management. “As a specialist in all areas and industries, she will leverage her professional knowledge in the financial services and retail sectors, in particular, to continue to drive XLink forward,” the company says.
Making a difference
Thanusha Govender said, “My personal philosophy is that making a difference is making a difference. As managing director of XLink, it says, Thanusha Govender will ensure that continuous learning drives improved performance, which is essential in today’s ever-changing technology landscape. “This, in turn, will propel XLink’s capabilities forward, which ultimately adds new value to our customers.” The new CEO also said she is excited about creating relevant adjacent capabilities that complement XLink’s core offering. “This will enable us to deliver an integrated value chain offering that integrates our business into the moments that matter to our customers,” she said.
Thanusha Govender holds a PhD in Strategy and Entrepreneurship from the University of the Witwatersrand (nicknamed “Wits”), Johannesburg, South Africa; a Masters in Management, Entrepreneurship and Value Creation from the same university; and a BSc in Chemical Engineering from the University of Natal, South Africa. She has also completed leadership training programmes at Duke University, USA; London Business School, England; and the University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa.
