Jo Dalbock spent the first 15 years of her career in corporate human resources (HR) at Johnson & Johnson.
“I was the director of HR when the company relocated its head office to Cape Town, a move that was impossible for me because of my strong family commitments in East London.
“However, it was not all bad news.”
She used the opportunity to go into consulting with PwC and spent almost five years with the company and gained valuable skills in the industry and exposure to public sector projects.
“Fortunately, I saw a niche in the market, offering best practice HR at an affordable price to local small businesses which may not have an opportunity to have their own HR.
“So, I started consulting on my own in 2014.”
She joined a public sector entity in 2017.
However, in 2020, she decided to relaunch her consulting business under the brand Umoya Services.
“Arne Smit joined us and has helped to grow the business.
“We serve three clients with the full suite of HR services and at any one time we have a further five clients, with a variety of HR interventions ranging from HR administration and systems to talent and performance management.
“Our clients are represented across a number of sectors including manufacturing, engineering, agency and advertising. The service offerings all integrate.
“They can also be offered as stand-alone services.
“Our tag line for Umoya is ‘winds of change’ in that we aim to make a difference for the clients we serve.”
She said her biggest business victory was the trust which several successful small business placed in Umoya, evidenced by repeat business, as well as attracting business outside EL.
They operate in a complex space, working with different industries and meeting different HR service needs.
Yet each client is treated uniquely and with the same level of attention and high standards.
“We need to show up and do our best for them.
“Our business imperative is honesty, integrity and fairness.
“Finally, don’t create unrealistic expectations.”
Daily Dispatch
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