A great leader has the capability to motivate employees, help others see and believe in an idea, and lead innovation in the company. Having a great leader at the front is something that all investors, consumers, and employees want. In its upcoming edition “The 10 Most Influential Business Leader of 2020,” Insights Success is bringing success stories of such leaders who are influential business leaders that are changing the world.
Meet Louisa Maliako Mojela Founder of Bophelo Bio-Science & Wellness Pty Ltd, an avid woman business leader, and South Africa’s most accomplished black women leaders in business. She asserts “Our mission is to leverage the natural purity of the Kingdom of Lesotho’s Lowlands and climate to produce medicinal cannabis of the highest quality.” Her vision is to become producer of medicinal cannabis products in the continent of Africa. The company’s values are integrity, community upliftment and good citizenship, common purpose, team spirit and harmony. She wants Bophelo to be a company that is committed to the empowerment and upliftment specifically of women and the youth residing near where the company operations are.
“It is my wish and that of the company that this ground breaking opportunity created by the Government of Lesotho by legalizing the growing and cultivation of medicinal cannabis will bring meaningful change to the communities and contribute to the economy of the country.”
Below are the highlights of the interview conducted between Insights Success and Louisa Maliako Mojela:
What led to an inception of the company?
The opportunity arose following the legalization of medicinal cannabis by the Government of Lesotho and its being proven that cannabis if properly used for medical purposes has many benefits that can save lives, I decided to take advantage of the opportunity. Furthermore it is estimated that the cannabis industry is poised to grow around $57 billion by 2027 according to various market researchers.
Describe your company and its cutting-edge (domain of the respective project) solutions which addresses all the needs of your customers.
We hope to create an economically sustainable company with upstream and downstream value chain, become a leading medicinal cannabis cultivator, manufacturer and exporter in the region, maintain international standard especially the Good Agricultural Collection Practices (GACP), create the much needed jobs to communities especially the youth, contribute to skills and enterprise development above all maintaining the quality of our products.
Give a detailed description of the featured person’s influence over the company and the industry.
As the founder of the company first and foremost I have to ensure the company is successful and achieves its stated objectives. The policies of the company must be attractive to make the company the best employer and the employer of choice. I must also attract and retain young professionals and talent to ensure the sustainability and continuity of the company in the foreseeable future. More importantly we must identify credible partners with expertise, track record in the cannabis industry as we did by partnering with Halo Labs which is a leader in cannabis growing, cultivation, manufacturing and distributing as well as extraction and processing of oils and concentrate.
Describe in detail about the work culture and the values that drive your company.
Our culture is based on equal employment opportunity in order to provide equal employment and opportunities to all individuals based on merit, qualifications and individual abilities without discriminating race, gender, religion, or any characteristic prohibited by law. Our goal is to attract formidable team of professionals and reputable institutions in the industry. We strive for honesty and respect in our dealings and accountable to all our stakeholders. Lastly we strive to be good corporate citizens by giving back to communities.
What are your company’s future aspirations?
Our future aspirations are to become a leading producer and exporter of quality medicinal cannabis products that comply with international standards and becoming a trailblazer to other women to venture in the cannabis industry. Maintain the wellbeing of our employees and investing in social projects and projects that can bring about meaningful change to those in need.
What is your idea of Corporate Social Responsibility?
Corporate Social Responsibility is part of our culture and values. The success of the company must be measured by the development of the community around it. It can’t be that communities are left impoverished whilst companies are thriving at the exclusion of communities especially the youth as they are the future.
What strategies are you undertaking to achieve those goals?
The first goal is to become a successful and profitable company and thus enable us to meaningfully have a social, transformative and impactful contribution to the greater communities and creating wealth for stakeholders.