CEO’s technology company manages data value chain
Yashmita Bhana is CEO of the Nihka Technology Group
We are a technology company primarily focused on managing the data value chain. That means we have the technologies, processes and people that manage every step that information or data goes through. This is from transporting it across networks, backing it up, analysing it, putting down the hardware that houses it (enterprise architecture), ensuring it is secure (information security) and then providing insights off the data (analytics and big data). We have also developed many innovative solutions using Microsoft.
My job is to manage this dance so my people deliver to clients with excellence. How did you end up doing what you do today?
I studied engineering and business, and worked for a mining company, then a utility. While studying and working, I was exposed to intensive work environments. First, in mining, being the only woman on site, and, at the utility, one of very few female senior managers. I started my first company with a partner that failed after three years due to different value systems. In desperation, I started the company I am running today. Once again, I have been thrust into a maledominated industry, but my experience in engineering has been invaluable in knowing how to navigate.
At one point, you had to sell your car to keep your business afloat. Tell me about this.
After the first company failed, we had mounting debt and had to pay workers. We had lost almost everything. I could not let my failure affect the people who were working for me and decided the right thing to do was to sell the car to pay salaries. It didn’t keep the business afloat but it did feed families, which I am grateful for.
I never settled on one thing. I just knew that whatever it was, it had to make an impact on the lives of others. I chose engineering when I was in matric and thought I would end up doing environmental engineering to save the planet. I learnt, however, that impact means different things to different people. Providing employment, raising business consciousness, helping companies improve efficiencies, building and joining networks, building shared value — this is what I do now, so my dream has come true.
What do you love most about the work you do?
I love the uncertainty and variety. I can find myself negotiating a new contract with a new client and then the next day be presenting at a conference or mentoring a startup. I love innovating with the team and coming up with new solutions for clients. I’m a solutionist, and I thrive on finding answers. What part of your job would readers find most surprising?
That I don’t always have everything figured out. Entrepreneurship is not as glamorous as everyone makes it out to be.
What would you like young people to know about how to make it through the tough times?
You need to believe in your ability to find the right solution, people, resources, network and circumstances that will get you through. A tough time is a temporary situation that has been presented to teach you a lesson. These lessons are necessary for their growth. Mindset is crucial, and, as young people coming up through the ranks, they must invest time and effort to build a mindset that gets you through the tough times. On an emotional level, remember that tough times can make you feel stuck. Acknowledge the emotion and let go of that bad feeling.