Kia South Africa begins 2023 with a vision to integrate and empower women in the automotive sector by actively hiring and promoting women for a variety of jobs. This is the next step for the brand to recruit more women to the automotive industry and is in line with Kia’s mission to become a leading gender-empowered employer.
“By making our staff more representative of our nation, Kia South Africa will achieve its goal of being in complete harmony with the South African way of life. Movement creates the space necessary to uncover inspiration and new views, which is essential for taking any step toward bettering the world. Our objective – to be loved by all South Africans – inspires us to be and do better, beginning with our own business, since we are devoted to change and specifically to change in South Africa.
In 2022, Kia sponsored the Top gender-empowered organization: Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Award at the annual Standard Bank Top Women Awards, establishing itself as a brand that takes female empowerment seriously in the broader corporate sector. Kia’s HR Executive, Latisha Naidu, who joined Kia’s executive management team in 2022, endorses this strategy. In 2023 and beyond, she intends to drive transformation and empowerment across all corporate departments and levels.
“We want to actively effect change in the industry, not only by shifting perceptions about women in the automotive industry, but also by creating multiple, tangible opportunities for women to enter and advance in the industry,” says Naidu. To this aim, we are employing a multifaceted strategy to ensure that women’s empowerment is not only maintained as a top priority but also implemented at all levels.
Kia is celebrating 25 years in South Africa, during which the brand has gone from obscurity to a top-ten sales brand with a 5% market share. A multitude of new model launches throughout the years, several accolades for automotive design, and a six-year run as the top-ranked brand for quality all contributed significantly to Kia’s success, which is supported by a robust national retail network. As part of a vertically integrated business strategy, about one-third of Kia’s national dealer network falls under Kia Retail Operations, which is managed by Kia South Africa.
“Over the past year, Kia has made great strides towards empowerment and transformation, and we’re proud that our head office operations include 66% women overall and 63% at the department head level,” says Naidu. “However, with such a vast retail network in our business, this is also an excellent opportunity for accelerated empowerment in the retail sector.”
To this purpose, Kia will immediately launch a nationwide initiative to hire at least 65 female sales professionals to join its exciting, rapidly expanding organization. “We seek individuals who embody our core values of fun, simplicity, dependability, consistency, and bravery,” says Naidu. “Joining the brand as a sales executive puts women at the forefront of our operations and provides excellent opportunities for training and career advancement, including training to become a sales manager and, eventually, dealer principals.”
The basic qualifications for interested individuals are a matriculation certificate, a valid South African driver’s license, and one year of sales experience in any field. Naidu comments, “We are extending this opportunity to women who may not have extensive experience in automotive sales.” “Our approach to development is holistic, with up to 70 percent of training occurring on the job, supplemented by online and classroom instruction on the Kia brand, its product lineup, and effective sales techniques.”
However, the opportunity is also open to female sales executives with greater experience, so that all levels can develop their abilities and capacities. Naidu adds, “We are especially excited about the prospect of empowering more women in the industry to advance into sales management and specialist roles, whether in new or used vehicle sales.”
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