People of Vox: Spotlight on Nathaniel Govender
Perseverance, persistence and overcoming personal challenges are all part of the journey for Nathaniel Govender, who heads up the Vox Project Management Office (PMO). Known to friends and colleagues alike as ‘Nate’, the Executive Head of the Project Management Office is softly spoken and gentle of manner, but always driven to achieve.
From starting out as a call centre agent in Vox to achieving the level of one of the company’s directors, Nathaniel is proof that at Vox, talent is always empowered to rise to the top. Despite some significant difficulties along the way, he’s never allowed obstacles to suppress his optimistic outlook on life, or dampen his determination for too long.
We take a look at his story and unpack what drives him.
Ensuring a Strong Career Foundation
Nathaniel is another of Vox’s longstanding employees, having joined the company in 2005 and then going on to clock up 20 years of loyal and innovative service. Today, he says, his role centres on providing strategic leadership and operational oversight for all customer orders in progress – in other words, the ‘projects’ that give the PMO its name – which are sold across the company.
“I’m responsible for defining the vision, structure and governance of the Project Management Office, while also leading its execution. Ultimately, I hold full commercial accountability for the financial performance of all active orders within Vox,” he explains.
Before joining Vox, Nathaniel’s career evolved through a range of operational and leadership roles that gave him a strong foundation in customer service, technology and project delivery.
He clarifies: “While based at a previous company, I started out as a Call Centre Agent, where I developed a deep understanding of customer needs and frontline operations. I was later promoted to Call Centre Manager, taking on team leadership, performance management and process improvement responsibilities, and from there, I transitioned into the role of IT Manager.”
As IT manager at this organisation, Nathaniel led the implementation and support of critical systems, aligning technology with business objectives. These experiences, which included customer service, operational leadership and IT, equipped him with a holistic understanding of business operations, which he was later to carry forward into more strategic roles, culminating in the founding of the Projects Office at Vox.
However, the trajectory of Nathaniel’s relatively smooth career path was to hit a significant bump when, in late 2004, he experienced a cruel setback in his professional life.
Never Give Up…
“I’d love to say that my journey into Vox was a carefully planned progression driven by a passion for operational excellence, customer delivery and technology,” notes Nathaniel wryly, “but the truth is a bit more unexpected. While serving as an IT Manager, I arrived at work one morning to find the office locked and the business liquidated – and just like that, I was out of a job!”
Determined to continue moving forward despite this blow, Nathaniel searched online for the top IT companies in the country, and DataPro (later to become part of Vox) stood out for him.
“I took a chance and sent my CV to the generic info email address,” he outlines, “and to my surprise, I received a reply from the CEO the very next day, referring me to their Helpdesk Manager. That’s how my journey with Vox began: starting over as a Call Centre/Helpdesk Agent. Since then, I’ve grown through the business, eventually founding and leading the Project Management Office in 2016, where I was able to combine everything I’ve learned along the way.”
Nathaniel clarifies that one of his main challenges with the PMO is managing complexity at scale. “Each project involves multiple stakeholders, tight deadlines, shifting priorities and technical variables, often all at once,” he says.
“No two days are ever quite the same, but a typical week for me includes maintaining visibility across multiple active orders while simultaneously keeping teams aligned and customers satisfied.”
Nonetheless, he faces and deals with any challenges in a balanced manner and is highly skilled at staying on top of things while presenting a calm and reassuring manner.
Overcoming Obstacles
And staying with the topic of challenges, Nathaniel is open about having to overcome some personal obstacles along the way in achieving his current position at Vox.
“One of the biggest was obviously starting over from the bottom, after previously holding a senior role, when I re-entered the workforce as a Call Centre/Helpdesk Agent at Vox. It was a humbling experience, both professionally and personally, but it taught me resilience, adaptability and the value of perseverance. Another challenge was proving myself in a new environment without relying on titles or past roles. I had to rebuild professional trust, credibility and influence from scratch.”
To rebuild his credibility within a new organisation, Nathaniel focused on consistently delivering results, being solution-oriented, and never losing sight of long-term growth: “Even when the day-to-day challenges felt like a step backward! However, when I look back, I see that these experiences built the foundation for my leadership today. They made me more empathetic, grounded and driven to create opportunities for others to grow, no matter where they start.”
When we delve deeper into Nathaniel’s personal history, his ability to rise up from challenges makes sense.
He explains: “I grew up in the small, lively town of Tongaat on Durban’s north coast, proudly South African through and through! My heritage is a colourful mix of Indian and Cape Coloured roots, and I was lucky to be raised in a warm, tight-knit community where family came first, hard work was second nature, and there was always a plan B (and sometimes a plan C) thanks to plenty of resilience and resourcefulness.
“That upbringing shaped my character and taught me to never take opportunities for granted. It instilled in me a deep commitment to leading and serving with empathy, staying grounded, and embracing continuous learning and adaptation: qualities that have guided my career and continue to define my leadership journey today.”
Outside work, Nathaniel has always had a passion for the outdoors and sport.
“Growing up, I spent countless hours playing with friends, and that love for activity has stayed with me. These days, I’m an avid padel enthusiast and currently on track to qualify with my Padel MBA, something I’m incredibly excited about!”
(Editor’s note: We mentioned at the beginning of this article that Nathaniel has a gentle manner, but perhaps the one exception is on the padel court, where he is known to take no prisoners! He remains softly spoken though – a gentleman always… )
Moving Forward
There’s an old saying that goes: ‘Every cloud has a silver lining’, and perhaps it’s not too fanciful to imagine this silver lining shining quietly over Nathaniel on that long-ago day when he arrived at his place of work, only to find the doors shut and barred. After all, if not for that rudest of terminations, he might never have landed up working for Vox, which, he says, has been a uniquely rewarding experience.
“What truly sets Vox apart from other ISPs in South Africa is its entrepreneurial spirit, agility and hunger to challenge the status quo,” notes Nathaniel. “We’re not weighed down by too much red tape or legacy thinking. Instead, Vox is constantly looking for ways to disrupt traditional models, whether it’s through bundling services in new ways, leveraging emerging tech, or delivering faster, more responsive support.”
Nathaniel is part of this innovative thinking within the company, and he really enjoys helping others in the workplace to also achieve their true potential.
He explains: “I take immense pride in mentoring and growing people, helping others step into leadership and taking ownership of their work. I’m passionate about building leadership capacity and empowering the next generation of leaders.
“Creating a culture where people can grow, take ownership, and innovate with confidence is important to me – I really enjoy seeing ideas and people transformation come to life. There’s real satisfaction in building something sustainable, not just in terms of projects, but in terms of culture, capability and customer trust,” he concludes.
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