Johannesburg, South Africa, April 2026 – Vanessa Goonahsylin has joined NTT DATA Middle East and Africa as Executive, Head of People & Culture, South Africa, bringing over two decades of HR leadership experience to support the organization’s people and transformation agenda in the region.
With a strong track record of building high-performing, people-centric organizations, Vanessa will lead initiatives across HR strategy, talent management, and organizational transformation, aligning people priorities with business outcomes as NTT DATA continues its growth across Africa.
Prior to joining NTT DATA Middle East and Africa, Vanessa spent over 13 years with Accenture, where she most recently served as Human Resources Director. In this role, she played a critical part in shaping HR strategy, talent development, and workforce transformation initiatives across the region.
During her tenure at Accenture, she also held the role of Africa Talent Lead & Talent Futurist, where she led large-scale initiatives in headcount planning, succession planning, talent forecasting, and workforce optimization. She was instrumental in aligning talent strategy with business growth, addressing skills gaps, and driving transformational workforce outcomes across Africa.
Earlier at Accenture, she worked as an HR Business Partner and Talent Planning & Operations Lead, focusing on resource planning, workforce deployment, productivity optimization, and strategic staffing decisions, ensuring alignment between talent supply and business demand.
Before Accenture, Vanessa spent over eight years at Gijima, where she held roles including Capability and Capacity Planning Consultant and Human Capital Manager – Staffing Services. During this period, she built deep expertise in workforce planning, talent acquisition, organizational development, and HR strategy execution, supporting complex IT and business environments.
She holds a Post Graduate qualification in Management Practice from Henley Business School, further strengthening her strategic and leadership capabilities.
With more than 20 years of experience, Vanessa brings deep expertise in talent strategy, workforce planning, HR transformation, and organizational effectiveness, making her well-positioned to drive NTT DATA’s people agenda in South Africa.
About NTT DATA Middle East and Africa
NTT DATA Middle East and Africa is part of NTT DATA, Inc., a global leader in business and technology services, operating in more than 50 countries worldwide.
The organization focuses on helping clients innovate, optimize, and transform through services spanning business and technology consulting, data and artificial intelligence, industry solutions, and digital infrastructure. With strong R&D investments and a robust partner ecosystem, NTT DATA continues to enable organizations to move confidently into a sustainable digital future.
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