Who is Nilesh Makan?

What is something people usually don’t know about you but has influenced you in who you are?

I am a bastard. No, really, I was an illegitimate child, born out of wedlock. Not only was I illegitimate, but I was also illegal - born during apartheid South Africa as a mixed-race child. My father, Naresh Makan, was a second-generation South African Indian, and my mother, Treasure Kirkwood, was white, descended from English, Irish and Scottish heritage. Both my parents were young hippies with long hair and bellbottoms who loved each other. However, the Immorality Act, which was in place at the time, prohibited any relationship between white people and people of different races.

My mother’s parents were insistent that she was not to have a coloured child and sent her to Zimbabwe (Rhodesia at the time) to give birth to me. Given that it was apartheid, my mother was worried that my skin colour might have been too dark when I was born. This may have resulted in the government taking me away from her, so she did as her parents wished. She ended up in a home for women, and my grandfather planned for her to give up her child for adoption. Fortunately, my father’s family in Zimbabwe were ready to “adopt” me if the need arose.

Nicholas Kirkwood (my English name given to me at birth by my mother) was born in Bulawayo Hospital. I was taken away from my mother immediately. After several days, the welfare nurses who had come to know my mother’s story took pity, and I was reunited with her. Somehow my mother managed to get a flight back into South Africa, stating that the father of the newborn child was a South African. After arriving back, my family had an Indian naming ceremony, and I was named Nilesh Makan. In the Indian community, I was known as Nilesh, and everywhere else, I was known as Nicholas. A few years later, my sister was born.

When I was around seven years old, things were difficult; spurred on by my parents’ lives, they decided to separate. My father insisted that my sister and I stay with him, as this was the safest option, and he had a more supportive family structure that would help to look after us.

I grew up in an Indian household in Fordsburg, an Indian area, as per the Group Areas Act. I went to a Catholic school which at the time accepted children of different races. Interestingly, the closest convent school to our home was McAuley House Convent School, an all-girls school. Boys were, however, allowed up to Grade 1. The rest of my schooling life was tumultuous, but I eventually got into a tertiary education institute.

It was soon after that I met my future wife, who is also Indian. Shortly before we got married, I decided to officially change my name to Nilesh Makan, not only because it was the name given to me at birth by my father but also, I didn’t think that Anupa Kirkwood sounded right. It turned out to be irrelevant since she was a doctor, and for professional reasons, decided to keep her maiden surname.

As you can imagine, my upbringing has had a significant influence on my life. It has shaped my values around diversity, family and community. It has made me emotionally stronger and more tolerant of people that are different to me. It had also given me gratitude for the many people who fought the system so that I could be with those who loved and cared for me the most.

What would have become of you, if you were not doing the job you do today?

I love what I do, I find it extremely exciting and rewarding. The people I work with and interact with are all trying to create a better society. I can’t imagine doing anything different today. Having said that, what I do today, may not be what I do in the future, I think as the world evolves, so must we.

What is your biggest challenge and why is it a good thing for you?

I think my biggest challenge is that I have a wide variety of interests. I struggle to balance my time and sometimes battle with direction. The world is diverse and fascinating. There is so much to know, to learn and understand, but this does make prioritisation more challenging.
At the same time, having a broad range of interests allows me to be curious about the world, to ask critical questions and to be able to see things from different perspectives.

What do you currently do and how did you end up in your current role?

I am an independent consultant at a company I founded, Padawan Consulting. I consult mainly around Agile, Strategic Innovation and Digital Transformation. My journey to this point has taken me along many different career paths. I started my career at IBM, where I consulted on Systems Management, Business Process Optimisation as well as Information Security. I then moved to PwC, where I consulted in the arena of IT Strategy and Governance. I subsequently went to work for Sasol, a multinational Petrochemical company, where I held several positions, including heading up Information Security as well as working within the Enterprise Risk Management space. It was there that I got involved with an exciting project to design and define the Digital Strategy for the company. This was where I was first introduced to Agile. The ideas, concepts and ways of work resonated deeply with me. I was appointed as an Agile/Digital Coach as part of Sasol’s Digital Office, working with a wonderful team of people to help shape Sasol’s Agile transformation journey. I left in 2019 to start Padawan Consulting to share what I have learned and to continue learning from others across all areas that I am passionate about

What do you think is the one thing we can do to improve diversity in the Agile community?

I love the idea of shadowing. I think it’s important for people to observe and see how Agile can help improve team performance, particularly where agile is working well. This allows individuals to “see” and eventually “do” Agile (supported with mentoring and coaching), and thereafter to “teach” by letting others shadow them. I believe that this approach can help broaden diversity within the Agile community.

What additional question do you think we should ask and what is the answer to that question?

What is the last book you read?

I have recently finished reading “The Power of Experiments” by Michael Luca and Max H. Bazerman, which I thoroughly enjoyed. The book touches on behavioural economics, which is an increasingly interesting domain of economics that seeks to understand the psychology of humans when making decisions and using experiments to drive improved decision making.

I have just started reading Edward De Bono, “Serious Creativity”, which I have been meaning to read for a long time. I’m hoping to gain insights into the process of creativity and to learn how we can leverage concepts such as Lateral Thinking, a term coined by De Bono, to boost creativity by breaking ingrained habits, improve ideas, enhance skills, and drive performance.

Who do you think we should feature next (in South Africa)?

Molifi Sehaole, who is currently the Vice President for Information Management Operations at Sasol.

What are some reasons that made you recommend the person above?

Molifi not only introduced me to Agile but trained and coached me in the discipline. Molifi has a wealth of knowledge across a range of topics. He is truly a people-focused person and is always willing to make time to grow individuals, which he does with the utmost dedication and passion.

How would you define your relationship with the South African Agile community?

I do try to get involved where possible. Finding the time can be challenging but at the same time necessary in order to grow the community. I thoroughly enjoy the interactions and am always appreciative of the knowledge, enthusiasm and passion that people bring to the conversation.

Johannesburg, September 2020

How to connect with Nilesh

Website : www.padawanconsulting.com

LinkedIn: @nmakan

Twitter: @padawanconsult