Unathi Kildase has spent six years at Massmart moving between retail operations, supply chain and customer experience – the functions that keep a retailer standing up, and the ones shoppers never see. She sits as a Non-Executive Director at RISA, represented the Massmart team at Walmart Associates Week in Bentonville, and is now pursuing a doctorate on waste reduction in omni supply chains while holding down both roles.
She spoke to Business Explainer about servant leadership, the discipline outsiders misread most, and what still has not changed for women in operations.
1. You’ve spent six years at Massmart across retail operations, and supply chain- what’s the one lesson from that journey that still shapes how you lead today?
The biggest lesson has been that strong execution starts with people. Strategy matters, but it only becomes meaningful when teams understand the objective, feel empowered to contribute and are accountable for the outcome. Working across different parts of the business has also taught me the value of staying close to the customer and being willing to continuously improve. That combination – empowered people, customer focus and disciplined execution – continues to shape how I lead.
Transferability of skills being able to transfer your skills from one position to another is important.
2. Representing the Massmart Team at Walmart Associates Week in Bentonville, USA must have been a formative experience – what did you bring back from that exposure to global best practice that you’ve applied locally?
Travelling across markets is so valuable because it shows you that, while we may operate in very different contexts, in many ways people are still the same. At the same time it also exposes you to different ways of thinking and working. What stood out most from Walmart Associates Week was the opportunity to learn from colleagues across the global organisation, exchange ideas and understand how best practices can be adapted for local realities. I came back with an even stronger appreciation for collaboration, continuous learning and sharing practical ideas across teams, rather than assuming that any one market has all the answers.
3. You’re pursuing a doctorate while holding down executive and board responsibilities – what pulled you toward research at this stage of your career, and what question are you trying to answer?
I believe there is still a need for greater access to education and stronger research voices from a South African perspective, particularly in supply chain and operations. I want to play my part in contributing to that body of knowledge and showing that it is possible to do meaningful research in this space at scale. I have always believed that effective leadership should combine practical experience with evidence-based thinking. After building experience across operations and supply chain, I wanted to examine the challenges we face every day at a deeper level. My doctoral research focuses on waste reduction in omni supply chains, connecting academic rigour with a practical business question: how can increasingly complex and interconnected supply chains operate more efficiently while reducing waste?
4. As a Non-Executive Director at RISA, what’s the biggest governance or transformation gap you see in South Africa’s retail sector right now?
A key opportunity is to continue strengthening the professionalisation of retail through consistent governance, accountability and transformation. Retail is a major employer and a complex profession, but strong professional standards need to be supported by governance structures, compliance oversight, ethical accountability and inclusive sector development. That is an important part of RISA’s work and of my role as a Non-Executive Director: helping to strengthen the frameworks that support trust, professionalism and accountability across the sector.
5. You’ve built your career across operations, supply chain and customer experience – which of those disciplines do you think is most misunderstood by people outside retail?
Supply chain is probably the most misunderstood. From the outside, it can look like a largely logistical function concerned with moving products from one point to another. In reality, it connects sourcing, transport, inventory, stores, digital channels, customer experience and commercial performance. Decisions made in the supply chain can ultimately affect availability, cost, service and the customer’s experience. It is both an operational discipline and a strategic business capability.
6. What does “ethical leadership” actually look like in practice for you, in a high-pressure retail environment where the numbers are always being watched?
For me, ethical leadership means that how you achieve the result matters as much as the result itself. In a high-pressure environment, it means being clear about expectations, making decisions responsibly, maintaining accountability and not compromising integrity for a short-term number. It also means creating an environment where people can raise concerns, where standards are applied consistently and where leaders are prepared to take responsibility for their decisions. Sustainable performance depends on trust as well as execution.
7. You describe your leadership style as a servant leadership approach – has that always come naturally to you?
I have always believed in the value of servant leadership, and that it should never be mistaken for weakness. My experience across different functions has shown me that you can lead with kindness while still being firm, decisive and able to execute in a complex environment. In operations, there can sometimes be an expectation that leadership must look a certain way, but I believe effective leadership is about balancing empathy with accountability.
8. What’s a moment in your career when you had to make an unpopular operational decision, and how did you bring your team along with you?
There was a period when we had to restructure parts of the team to better align with the needs of the business. It was not an easy transition, especially because people were used to working within their own areas and understandably wanted autonomy over how their teams were structured. My role was to help them see the bigger picture — why the change was necessary, what it meant for the organisation, and how it would ultimately support the business. Although it was difficult at first, the team gradually came to understand the rationale behind the decision. In many ways, it also helped them grow as leaders by recognising that, at times, leadership requires making unpopular decisions in the best interests of the business.
9. What’s a barrier you faced as a woman moving into senior retail and governance roles that you don’t think has fully gone away, even now?
One barrier has been the perception of how women are expected to lead in corporate environments. Operations remains a predominantly male space, and leadership styles have historically leaned toward a more male-centred approach. That perception has improved over time, but it has not disappeared completely and still exists in some spaces. The challenge has often been proving that you can be feminine, kind and authentic while still being an effective leader. I have always believed that you do not have to separate yourself from your personality in order to lead well.
10. What would you tell a young woman starting out in retail operations today who assumes the industry is just about stores and stock, not strategy and leadership
I would tell her that career growth is not always linear, and that she should not underestimate the breadth of the retail industry. Retail may be most visible through stores and products, but behind that is a highly connected system of supply chain, operations, customer experience, data, technology, governance and strategy. Stay curious about how the whole business works, build strong operational fundamentals and never stop learning, in whatever form that takes. It will not always be easy, but it will be worth it. My own journey has reinforced the value of combining practical experience with continued education. Retail can give you the opportunity not only to run an operation, but to lead people, solve complex problems, travel the world and, most importantly, learn from people.