Bongani Mgaga: from humble beginnings to CEO of a leading law firm
Bongani Mgaga is taking his new role as CEO of Garlicke & Bousfield – one of Durban’s leading law firms – in his stride. “I have been a member of Exco for some years now and we operate as a collective with the responsibility of the firm lying in many hands, not just the CEO’s. That’s how Brian Jennings, my predecessor, had been leading Exco – as a platform for sharing ideas, debating issues, coming to a conclusion and taking a decision – and that’s exactly how I want to approach it. I obviously have some ideas of my own, but I took the baton from Brian with the comfort and understanding that I was taking on a collective leadership.”
Deeply honoured by his new appointment, Bongani is certain of two milestones he would like to achieve. These he states with conviction, “The most important one is to try to maintain a harmonious balance between serving clients with excellence, growing the firm, and continuing to drive the transformation agenda that Garlicke & Bousfield has been embracing for quite some time now. Secondly, although I will have to dedicate more of my time to CEO duties, my challenge will be to maintain my practice as an attorney, because that is what I am and what I enjoy most.”
Bongani was appointed as an Acting Judge in the Durban Labour Court for the recess roll of December 2013 to January 2014 and feels that the ultimate recognition of a career spent studying and applying the law would be to be appointed to a position of adjudicating. However, although this is his ultimate goal, he says his current focus is on Garlicke & Bousfield. “I want to make a difference to the firm and leave an imprint on how to successfully juggle the three balls of service excellence, business growth and business transformation, so that those who come after will notice ‘Bongani’s era at Garlicke & Bousfield’.”
Born in Heidelberg, Bongani grew up in Osizweni, Newcastle. He remembers his first job at the age of 12, where he tended the garden of his mother’s employer. He was largely influenced by his father – a strict man who took an avid interest in the law and held great respect for it. His weekend gardening job led him to his first full-time job when, after successfully completing his matric, his employer took him on as an assistant at his furniture business.
In July 1989, Bongani was duly employed as a telephonist – effectively tripling his salary. “After a year, I started studying law by correspondence with Unisa,” says Bongani.
Six years later, he applied for a labour relations position within Telkom. In 2005, he joined a respected legal practice in Durban as a candidate attorney, and ultimately headed the firm’s Labour Department. In 2011, he advanced his career still further by joining Garlicke & Bousfield as a Director. “I was in a CCMA dispute with one of Garlicke & Bousfield’s senior directors at the time and effectively did my interview on the job,” he quips. While at Garlicke & Bousfield, Bongani’s expertise was not limited to his legal practice, as he also fulfilled a valuable management role, serving on the firm’s Executive Committee.
If you ask him what he likes to do in his spare time, he will modestly tell you he likes to keep his mind busy by playing chess. This passion has earned him an impressive string of chess-related accolades and awards.
American chess grandmaster Bobby Fischer once said, “Chess is just you and your opponent at the board and you’re trying to prove something.” It is fair to say that at both the game board and board of directors, Bongani is proving he is a winner.