As vice president of operations at Game (Massmart), Unathi Kildase has built her career across operations, supply chain, customer experience and other areas of the business.
Unathi Kildase, vice president of operations at Game (Massmart). Image supplied
What has kept her engaged is the pace and complexity of retail – an industry where commercial performance is closely connected to the people delivering the experience every day.
“Retail is ultimately about people, whether that is the customers we serve, the associates who make the business work every day, or the communities in which we operate,” she says.
That perspective has shaped how Kildase approaches leadership.
For her, hitting operational targets is only one part of the equation. The bigger question is whether teams understand why those targets matter and how their individual contribution connects to the broader purpose of the organisation.
Leading with purpose means balancing performance with people.
“Sustainable results come when teams feel empowered, accountable and clear about what they are working towards,” she says
Leadership is about creating clarity
Kildase's leadership style has evolved with experience.
While operational leadership requires decisiveness and accountability, she has increasingly embraced collaboration and the value of listening to the people closest to the customer and the operation.
“Leaders do not need to have every answer themselves,” she says. “Some of the best solutions come from the people who are closest to the customer and closest to the operation.”
Her role, therefore, is not simply to provide answers, but to create an environment where people feel comfortable contributing ideas, challenging established ways of working and taking ownership of solutions.
That collaborative approach, however, does not come at the expense of accountability.
“Ultimately, we still need to deliver measurable results for the business and our customers.”
Making leadership more visible for women
For Kildase, creating greater representation of women in senior leadership requires more than conversations about diversity.
Organisations need to identify talented women early, expose them to different areas of the business and give them opportunities to lead increasingly complex teams and operations.
This is particularly important in retail, where operational experience can be a critical stepping stone towards executive leadership.
Women need access to roles that give them responsibility for teams, customers, commercial outcomes and operational performance because those experiences build the capabilities required for executive leadership.
Visibility matters too.
When young women see women leading large teams and complex businesses, senior leadership becomes something they can realistically picture themselves achieving.
“Representation becomes sustainable when women are not simply entering leadership positions themselves but helping to build the pipeline behind them.”
The question of being ‘ready’
One of the challenges Kildase has encountered during her career is one that many ambitious women will recognise: wondering whether they are ready to take the next step.
“There are different perceptions of readiness for men and women, yet no one is ever fully prepared,” she says.
She describes readiness as something that can fluctuate. At one point, you might feel 75% ready; at another, only 45%. Waiting until every skill is perfectly developed can mean missing opportunities to learn and grow.
Kildase has had to learn to push through her own doubts and trust that she can develop along the way.
“Often, you may know you can do the job even if you do not yet have every technical skill listed on the organogram.”
For her, the answer is to step forward with confidence, keep learning and understand the environment and people around you.
“Recognise that a fresh perspective can be exactly what an organisation needs.”
The power of women who invest in women
Mentorship has played an important role in Kildase's own journey.
She believes women benefit from having different mentors at different stages of their careers, rather than relying on a single source of guidance.
One of her earliest mentors was her mother. Another has been her current supervisor, Dr Jessica Frasier, whom Kildase describes as someone whose commitment to learning and encouragement has had a lasting impact.
Kildase has also learned from people whose leadership styles challenged her.
Some showed her the kind of leader she wanted to become, while others demonstrated the kind of leader she did not want to be.
Both experiences, she says, have value.
We are shaped not only by our own experiences, but also by the people who invest their time, wisdom and belief in us.
That investment is something she hopes to pay forward as her own career develops.
A retail industry full of opportunity
As technology, data and changing consumer expectations reshape retail, Kildase believes women have an important role to play in defining what comes next.
The opportunities extend far beyond traditional retail functions, encompassing supply chain, technology, digital transformation, customer experience, strategy and executive decision-making.
“The future of the industry will require a much broader combination of skills,” she says.
The challenge is ensuring women are represented across those areas – particularly where important commercial and operational decisions are being made.
For women already in leadership, that means actively creating space for the next generation.
Resilience doesn't mean doing everything yourself
Working in a demanding leadership environment has also taught Kildase that resilience isn't necessarily about continuously pushing harder.
“Sustainable leadership requires self-awareness and understanding where your energy needs to be focused.”
For her, prioritisation and delegation are essential. In an environment where there will always be more work to do, leaders need to identify what genuinely requires their attention and empower those around them to take ownership.
Continuous learning has also remained important.
Her own commitment to development, including an MBA and doctoral studies, reflects her belief that leadership should remain a journey rather than a destination.
Creating room for ambitious women
Kildase believes organisations have a responsibility to create cultures where women can speak up, challenge conventional thinking and pursue ambitious career goals.
That starts with psychological safety – knowing that an idea can be questioned without the person behind it being dismissed.
But culture needs to be supported by tangible opportunities.
Businesses should identify high-potential women, provide stretch assignments, expose them to different areas of the organisation and give them opportunities to lead teams and deliver measurable business outcomes.
“Empowerment must translate into opportunity,” she says.
Don't wait until you're completely ready
For young women entering retail, Kildase's advice is to look beyond the obvious career paths.
“Retail is much more than stores and stock,” she says, pointing to opportunities across supply chain, technology, data, finance, operations, customer experience, strategy, property and marketing.
Her other advice is to remain curious and invest continuously in development.
That doesn't necessarily mean collecting qualifications. It can mean taking on challenging assignments, learning from colleagues or deliberately seeking experiences outside one's immediate area of expertise.
And perhaps most importantly, don't wait for complete certainty.
“Do not wait until you feel completely ready before putting yourself forward. Growth often happens when we accept opportunities that stretch us.”
A legacy measured in people
Ultimately, Kildase wants her leadership legacy to extend beyond the business results attached to any particular role.
“I would like my leadership legacy to be measured not only by the results achieved while I was in a particular position, but by the people who became stronger leaders because I was there.”
For her, that is the real opportunity that comes with leadership: opening doors, developing capable teams and creating environments where people can realise their potential.
If I can contribute to developing the next generation of women who lead with integrity, confidence and a strong sense of accountability, that would be a meaningful legacy.
And her message for women building their own careers is straightforward: keep learning, stay curious and don't place limits on where your career can take you.
“Your career does not have to follow a perfectly straight line. Different experiences can become part of your leadership toolkit.”
Because sometimes the next step isn't about being completely ready. It's about backing yourself enough to take it.
