They are young, dynamic and bursting with ideas to propel the South African National Blood Service (SANBS) into the 21st century. Meet the inaugural Millennial Board of the SANBS, which is injecting fresh “blood” into the blood service.

Known as the “Mill_Board”, it is made up of 10 SANBS employees from around the country who, over the next six months, will offer a youthful perspective on some of the blood service’s challenges as advisers to its chief executive, Dr Jonathan Louw.

More than 50 SANBS employees applied to be part of the inaugural Mill_Board. The 10 top candidates were identified by Springage, the millennial insights unit at Deloitte, which helps organisations understand and engage with the millennial market.

The SANBS’s new team of Mill Board members is Derryn Fuller, Eric Mohlatsane, Genevieve Jacobs, Kelebogile Kotsedi, Lebohang Lebogo, Lerato Modisane, Lindokuhle Nsibande, Munzhedzi Kutama, Nkululeko Nzimela and Thulane Ngidi.

Raring to go, these young leaders are determined to bridge generational gaps and add fresh impetus to the valuable work carried out by the blood service.

Mill_Board member Nsibande says: “The idea itself is exciting: to think that as a young person, I have the opportunity to influence and share in shaping the future of this selfless organisation…. I look forward to rolling up my sleeves and  getting to work with people sharing the same goal.”

Says Louw: “The management and board of the SANBS can’t wait to start working with this dynamic and driven group of future leaders, to address our strategic challenges and meet our organisational goals. It’s vital for the SANBS to embed a culture of different generations working together to add fresh perspectives and develop creative solutions that will move us into the future.

“I firmly believe that the insights we glean from the Mill_Board will go a long way towards helping us attract and retain high-calibre employees who will add value to the organisation. I am looking forward to hearing their fresh, out-of-the-box ideas.”