Page 47 - KZN Top Business Portfolio - EBOOK 2019

CEO of uShaka Marine World This is particularly pertinent as uShaka Marine
World finds itself at an important cross road – it is
r STELLA KHUMALO, CEO of uShaka integral to the city’s plans for further development
Marine World says making a difference of the Point Precinct and on the brink of a re-
is what drives her - not only at Africa’s capitalization phase that will significantly impact
Dlargest marine theme park but also tourism in the province.
within KZN.
But she’s more than up to the challenge, confident
A hard worker who walks her talk, she’s passionate that, together with her team, she can deliver on the
and determined. “I believe that, throughout my innovative solutions and good public private sector
career, I have always left an indelible mark. I drive a partnerships that will see the introduction of major
very hard bargain - but I am always at the forefront upgrades and new attractions.
and expect as much from others as I do from myself,” At the same time, both at her desk and at home,
she says.
Dr Khumalo is all too aware of the needs of her
Her career started with a Bachelor of Science at community. At uShaka, she values helping deliver
the University of Zululand after she matriculated tourism with a conscience and a strong conservation
from St. Francis College, Marianhill, in 1980. She message as well as social upliftment projects such as
went on to complete a Higher Education Diploma the annual Swiminathi which teaches disadvantaged
at the University of South Africa in 1989, a Bachelor children to swim.
of Education from the University of Zululand in She also founded the Stella Educational Foundation
1994, a Master’s in Business Administration (MBA) to empower, support and mentor youth, serves
specialising in Strategic Management from the then as mentor coordinator in the CDWL programme
University of Natal in 2004 and, more recently, run by Zen-Africa Academy, to empower potential
a Doctorate in Business Administration from the and current women leaders and is President of the
University of KwaZulu-Natal.
Catholic Women’s League at Mpumalanga Roman
She achieved the latter whilst firmly at the helm of Catholic Parish.
the award winning uShaka Marine World which she As a past recipient of the 2018 Annual Gagasi FM
joined in June 2014. As the first female leader of one Shero Awards in the Public Service Category, KZN
of the city’s more influential tourism attractions, she Top Business Awards (2017) as well as having won the
was again a trailblazer. 2016 Business Women’s Association (BWA) Regional
Even during the toughest of economic times when Business Achiever Award in the government category,
shrinking disposable incomes have impacted on Dr Khumalo believes that women can make a huge
visitor numbers and operational costs have escalated, contribution to the future of this province.
Dr Khumalo has run a tight and successful ship. “I am humbled by the fact that I was chosen together
One of her proudest achievements is that uShaka with two other nominees who are high-performers
Marine World has received clean audits for six years and whom I respect a lot. This acknowledgement of
in a row and continues to be a sustainable business our contribution in this province is very encouraging
in its own right. and gives us impetus to work even harder, as we
strive to smooth the path for future generations,” she
“Our focus as a business is continuous improvement,
differentiation and diversification. We play in a says.
highly competitive private sector environment and Dr Khumalo is a mother of two boys and a girl and
continuously look at new trends,” she explains. wife of Baba uKhumalo.

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