Anyone who has interacted with the research staff at the African Centre for Gene Technologies (ACGT) will agree that the office would not function as effectively as it does without the input of Itseng Malao. As the Centre’s Project Coordinator and Office Administrator since 2016, her friendly face and welcoming disposition are the first things visitors encounter when they enter ACGT House on the University of Pretoria’s Innovation Africa Campus.
With 20 years’ experience in the sales marketing industry, she has supplemented her National Diploma in Marketing, obtained from the Technikon Northern Gauteng in 1996, and her Secretarial Diploma, obtained in 1997, with the Programme in Project Management, which she completed at Enterprises University of Pretoria in 2021.
As her responsibilities included managing projects for the ACGT, planning events, negotiating with suppliers and communicating with stakeholders, she felt the need to upskill herself with a formal project management qualification. As a result, she has been able to transfer the knowledge she obtained to the entire team to ensure that deadlines are met and other deliverables completed according to the requirements.
She loves working in a team. When she joined the ACGT, she had not worked in a scientific environment, but with her mantra of “Everything you put your mind to, you can conquer,” she soon adapted to her new surroundings. She found the staff to always be willing to help her understand her role and the contribution she could make.
According to the ACGT’s Director, Dr John Becker, Itseng brings an entirely different perspective to an otherwise very science-oriented office. “Her human-centric approach provides a good counterbalance to the data-driven decision making that otherwise characterises the office,” he says. “She can sense and anticipate the consequences of decisions on various stakeholders, which are the very people the ACGT is mandated to benefit.”
Itseng’s perspective is always appreciated in meetings and stakeholder engagements. She has the talent to seamlessly take over a variety of tasks and projects when the need arises. Some of the ACGT’s flagship projects, such as the Southern African Biochemistry and Informatics for Natural Products (SABINA), Assuring Agricultural and Food Safety in Genetically Modified Organisms in Southern Africa (GMASSURE) and the Beef Genomics Programme have benefitted from Itseng’s administrative contribution.
She believes in giving back to the community. On Nelson Mandela Day, she involved the staff members in uplifting a day care centre by providing donations of food, books and used furniture, as well as pitching in to give the centre a fresh coat of paint.
She acknowledges the fact that the staff members need to interact outside the work environment on a more personal level, and is always ready to organise social events for the office.
The team at ACGT House appreciates the breath of fresh air that she brings to the office, and recognises her contribution to making the office run like a well-oiled machine.