Newly appointed SLG Group CEO Mzi Tyhokolo has a 20 year track record in the gas industry, with 14 of those years being at SLG and six at Sasol Gas. Mzi has been a member of the SLG executive team in charge of various functions in the business for the last five years contributing to the strategic management of the organisation and supporting the two previous chief executive officers in the implementation of the business strategy.
Mzi has a proven track record in organisational strategy development and implementation, business development and sales, managing customer and stakeholder relationships, contract negotiations, implementation of key accounts management strategies, market development, formulating marketing and sales strategies, Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) operations management and managing strategic projects.
One of his notable achievements in SLG was the successful implementation and completion of the CNG project in 2016. Mzi led the development of the CNG concept, the development of the project to financial close, and subsequently managed the project to completion and commissioning, ultimately becoming the new business’s first general manager.
This is now the largest CNG operation in southern Africa by volume compressed. Mzi is a motivated, driven and independent professional with strong relationship management, analytical, negotiation, decision making, problem-solving, communication and leadership skills.
His leadership philosophy is firmly grounded on the premise that leaders need to achieve results through others and as such need to focus on developing people to realise their full potential. One of his favourite quotes is from Zig Ziglar who says, “You don’t build business, you build people, and then the people build the business.” He explains that this is one of the surest ways to create a sustainable business that has excellence in every aspect, every level and every function and most importantly, can continue to thrive long after its CEO or leader is gone.
His academic qualifications include an MBA degree (UNISA), Chartered Industrial Gas Consultant (GTI, Chicago, USA), Post Graduate Diploma in Marketing ´ (UNISA),and BSc Honours (Chemistry), Rhodes University.
Mzi has an interesting view about SLG and the leadership that the business needs to realise its vision “To be a first choice energy partner”. He wants to bring this vision into reality by turning SLG into the country’s leading commercial natural gas trader by 2025. He believes that SLG’s current track record, its entrepreneurial culture and the combined industry experience of its people are the three main assets to be leveraged to create this leading company. He also believes that galvanising SLG’s position in the natural gas space will create the foundation for the company to be a true energy partner and a significant one at that in the South African energy landscape.
So in essence, his main objective is to lead SLG from good to great, and great companies are built mainly through people. The first order of this great mission is to build a culture of excellence such that the people in SLG become leaders in their respective functional areas of expertise.
T: +27 (0)31 812 0555