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“The Human Touch is an expression of my personal experience, upbringing, beliefs, and myself as a child raised by people who had nothing but made something,” says Maggie Mojapelo. “That inspires me; you don’t have to wait for someone to do something for you. You can do it, and you must enable others to make something out of something, too.” Read Maggie Mojapelo’s story as she takes us from her humble beginnings to running The Human Touch, a respected, innovative, end-to-end management consultancy in South Africa.

Where It All Began: Inspirations and Family

“It started with my father,” says Maggie Mojapelo. He was a man who’d faced hardship every day of his life, sacrificed his chance to attend school, and yet committed to providing for his family and their community in need. He pushed his children to be their best, which convinced Maggie Mojapelo that she had a responsibility to show her father that she could do what he did and do it even better. But the odds were stacked against Maggie. She lived in a small rural village without electricity or water, and her mother worked full-time while raising seven children. Despite her circumstances, Maggie showed her entrepreneurial spirit when, at just ten years old, she started selling tomatoes.

“I was raised by people that were hungry for something. So, I know nothing – I just know hunger, and I know follow-through. That has always made me ask: what can I do?” – Maggie Mojapelo.

Finding Her Calling: Education and Exploration

Maggie’s academic journey was far from straightforward. She began studying medicine to honour her father’s wishes, but it took teaching, pharmacy, and psychology for her to find her calling. Meanwhile, she earned an MBA from Henley Business School and completed several prestigious leadership programmes at institutions like Harvard and WITS Business School. In 1985, she met her husband-to-be. Soon afterwards, they got married and welcomed a daughter. Maggie smiles whenever she mentions her husband. “He’s my mentor to this very day,” she says. “He’s the one who told me that I should register for psychology. He knew it was what I’d always wanted to do.”

Even as she raised her children and cared for her home, Maggie worked full-time. Her inquisitive mind and impressive collection of credentials and qualifications led her into significant roles across different organisations, enabling her to drive high performance cultures and specialise in different aspects of businesses. She became a powerhouse transforming HR functions for major corporations such as IBM and Nedbank; a woman who was headhunted for her ability to align HR with business goals; and a woman who sat on board committees to provide much-needed expertise. Since the very beginning of her career, Maggie had embraced opportunities where she could design and deliver solutions. Her ability to excel in these areas created a foundation from which she now delivers the same value she has always delivered, but on a bigger scale and through her own company.

“At The Human Touch, we always start client engagements by considering how much value we can bring to your organisation. That dictates everything else.” – Maggie Mojapelo.

How The HR Touch Became The Human Touch

In 2011, Maggie Mojapelo took the next bold step in her journey. She decided to launch her own company, The HR Touch. This HR consultancy was, in her words, “an expression of herself” and an example of “a Black-owned company, a Women-owned company, that started by itself and continued to grow and lead by itself.” Under Maggie’s direction, The HR Touch was a formidable end-to-end management consultancy from day one, specialising in people performance. What Maggie was doing wasn’t HR; it was more than that. And 13 years later, it was time to remind the world. In 2024, The HR Touch rebranded as The Human Touch (THT).

“Our job as The Human Touch is to set up an organisation and facilitate a healthy environment that enables people to thrive as they become valued assets of the business.” – Maggie Mojapelo.

The Human Touch Advantage

At The Human Touch, we know that consulting requires more than simply smart thinking. “We bring the experience on the ground,” says Maggie Mojapelo. “We did not get into this because one day, we woke up and didn’t know what else to do. We filled ourselves with the right knowledge, experience, and thinking, which we now bring into organisations and show them the value we add. We understand you.” The unique advantage of THT is that we bring that thought leadership aspect to clients to help them understand the value of the human element in their business, before we set up the right infrastructure so they can sustain and drive the improvements themselves.

Looking Ahead: Celebrations

Maggie Mojapelo turns 60 this year, yet she shows no signs of slowing down. She’s looking forward to travelling, enjoying the rebrand celebrations, and continuing to partner with organisations to drive people performance. The journey ahead promises to be as inspiring as the story so far.

Please contact The Human Touch to learn more about the value Maggie Mojapelo and The Human Touch can bring to your organisation.