Dirusha Ganapathy

Introduction

When I was awarded “100 Most Influential Global HR Professionals” by the World HRD Congress in Feb 2017, it helped me realise how far I had come in my journey towards success – overcoming my professional struggles, fears and challenges has all been a pertinent part of my achievements. It has certainly not been easy and those experiences taught me so much about myself – what I could’ve done better and the areas I needed to focus on that will eventually lead me to my success. I also learnt that when opportunity knocks, you need to learn to recognise it and that a successful career is largely influenced by one’s choices, openness to change and possibilities, perception, motivation levels, interactions and a deep understanding of self. It also takes determination, perseverance and great willpower to achieve great heights. In July 2017, I received a national award by Careers24 and Future of HR Awards for "HR Leader of the Year."

Motivation

I am inspired by transformation, change and development. My passion is influenced by my own personal struggles and challenges and in overcoming them, my aim is to live a purposeful life in giving back to this world by creating value and making a difference in others' lives in apply learnings from my own personal experiences and those from the corporate world.

Experience

As an HR professional, I have coached various levels of individuals across multiple cultures and countries. My methodology and approach is based on years of experience working with different types of individuals and groups within multi-national corporations.

My passion for People, Change, Development and Transformation culminated in 14 years of HR experience working across multiple cultures, countries, generations and professional levels, where I focused on aligning to Global HR Best practices, HR Transformation and Service Delivery Excellence.

I specialize in understanding of self in the identification and realisation of one's goals and in supporting positive change and development.

My training is based on my accreditations in working for multi-national corporations where I attained global exposure working with a diverse mix of groups and individuals.

My academic qualifications include an undergraduate degree specialising in Industrial Psychology and Public Administration as well as a post-graduate Honours Degree in Psychology.

Background

In my own personal career, I have progressed from working for free to gain relevant working experience after I graduated, to working in a Global HR transformation project several years later, for one of the largest multi-national IT and Consulting firms in the world – IBM, where I spent the majority of my career. I learnt how to build a career within an ever changing, challenging and high-performance driven environment where I had to understand the importance of adaptability, work-life integration, communication, networking, personal branding and leveraging opportunities, in order to succeed. In the face of adversity, I also learnt that with enough self-motivation, perseverance and confidence, I could get up from a fall and continue to strive towards my goals. Overcoming my struggles taught me so much about myself – my potential, development areas, personal determination and strength.

I have occupied several professional HR roles and spent half of my career heading up Recruitment, particularly at a regional level for large organisations. During this time, I noticed the challenges that employees face with regards to employability and in being able to build a sustainable career in an environment that is competitive, highly demanding and constantly changing.

I also spent a large portion of my time addressing one of the most critical challenges in SA – Unemployment, which sits at 27.1%, making it one of the worst in the world. In addressing this pervasive, socio-economic issue, I have worked tirelessly in the areas of Recruitment, Career Coaching, Mentoring & Planning, in developing solutions and programs that address employability and the ability to build a successful career amidst tough times.

I have done empowerment and self-motivation talks particularly with young individuals in supporting their journey towards personal and professional success.

I have a background in Clinical Psychology, Industrial Psychology, Human Resources, Coaching and Mentoring.

I am a member of Coaching and Mentors of South Africa, Institute of People Management and South African Career Development Association.

Achievements

During my career, I have been consistently recognised for my outstanding contributions. At IBM, I received an award for my contribution to the Global HR transformation project and was also awarded Group Services Excellence Award within African Bank for setting a standard of Excellence within HR and for my impact to the Recruitment environment. In Feb 2017, I was awarded "100 Most Influential Global HR Professionals" by the World HRD Congress and have also been a speaker at the Congress. I have been interviewed by the Economic Times and ABP News regarding my successes within my profession.

Coaching Approach and Expectations

As an HR professional and with a background in both Industrial and Clinical Psychology, I apply critical thinking and analyses and adopt a holistic approach to coaching and problem solving that encompasses all associated areas and various topics that may potentially have an impact on one’s career.

Some of my best strengths and attributes includes the ability to support individuals in establishing better understanding of self, to critically analyse in gaining depth of understanding, to apply conceptual thinking and a holistic view of situations, to apply empathy, understanding and the ability to build great relationships based on trust, respect and good communication.

As your coach, I will take the time to understand you, your values and your needs in supporting you to create solutions that maximises your potential in whatever the situation may be. As a client, you can expect guidance, expert knowledge and experience, insight, clarity, understanding and to have an open and transparent session that is based on honesty and trust.

It is likely that you will require more than one session before you can begin to see results and make reasonable changes. Based on this, the first session will be offered at a reduced rate and will be of an exploratory nature – to get to know you, understand where you’re at, your culture and values, explore challenges, career background and expectations. This will help us have a better understanding of the situation so that we can work together on mapping out a plan that is best aligned to your expectations.

You can also expect to receive support on your career progression, in making informed decisions about your career development, getting noticed in a competitive environment, achieving a better understanding of your situation, working on your limiting beliefs that may be restricting your career opportunities, reducing anxiety and fear and building confidence, to name a few.

I am interested in building a relationship with you and working together with you in agreeing on solutions that are designed to suit your needs. I apply a high degree of empathy, understanding and compassion during my sessions which I believe is vitally important in the coaching relationship.

My vision is to empower you to shape their future, to create shifts in your thinking (if required) and to support you to a deeper understanding of yourself in ensuring the achievement of your dreams in ultimately transforming and improving the quality of your life!