Creating Southern Africa’s leading provider of tech education takes more than just having the most talented team out there. It also requires a mindset of growth, development, and leadership, so that the talent you have can continue excelling and striving for the next big thing. In this HyperionDev Leadership story, we look at Shimaylan Singh, our Head of Admissions, Collections and Student Success who joined HyperionDev in 2018 as a Management consultant, and rapidly grew to becoming an integral part of HyperionDev’s core leadership.
Shortly after completing his Bachelor of Commerce degree at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, Shimaylan moved into the sales industry and worked hard to grow into management roles. In the space of a few years, Shimaylan joined some of the most recognised tech companies around, like Yoco and GroupOn. Eventually, he was attracted by HyperionDev’s mission of enabling education that is an accessible alternative to traditional university degrees. Since coming on board in 2018 as a management consultant, Shimaylan has rocketed from achievement to achievement, helping us provide accessible tech skills education to thousands of students, and earning a place in the core HyperionDev leadership team.
What drew you to joining HyperionDev?
The mission and vision of the company addresses a very real and on-the-ground gap that speaks to a dreamer like me.
What are your biggest achievements since you joined HyperionDev?
I’ve been lucky enough to be involved in so much over the last 3 years, but I’d say my highlights would be successfully heading up various teams within HyperionDev. Leading my colleagues and department through some really significant moments like refreshing our brand image while launching our first onsite campuses in Johannesburg and Cape Town, growing and needing to move into new office spaces, defining and creating our Careers function, and launching HyperionDev’s latest Certified Full Stack Web & Software Engineer Bootcamp.
I’ve also been able to lead and even create the new Collections team in our strategic response to the negative impacts of COVID-19 and the national shutdown. I count the fact that hundreds of students can still learn how to code – even under the toughest lockdown in the world – as a huge success.
What would you say are your leadership qualities, and how do you keep yourself and your team motivated?
I think I am a natural leader and have decent business acumen. Caring deeply about the main purpose of the company is essential to great leadership. I come from a family of educators, so being in the education space is something that energizes me. Contributing the way that we do [to creating accessible tech education], and having good relationships with the people in my team keep me inspired and motivated.
Who do you consider to be important sources of inspiration?
I’m personally inspired by a wide range of people and professionals from all walks of life. The people I look up to are figures like Ronald Erasmus, Alan Watts, Andrew Yang, and Maya Angelou. I’m also constantly inspired by the people I work with, the other HyperionDev leadership, and the huge accomplishments they’ve brought to our team – like our Head of Wellness and Finance, Amiya Sharma. Seeing others excel really drives you to strive for better.
How would you describe the culture at HyperionDev?
I’d say it’s best described by our company value of Progress Always. We get things done, and work in a high performance environment of A-players. HyperionDev has a way of showing you your weaknesses, which motivates you to look at them and work on addressing them. It’s a culture of growth.
What would you say is the most important value someone would need to work at HyperionDev?
Definitely the core value of Problem Solving. It’s a growth-focused value that’s central to both your growth as an individual and the growth of the company. It drives self-fulfillment, serves the business mission, and creates more value than just the sum of the problems solved.
Are you an A-player, or a talented professional who cares about accessible tech education? If so, we’re looking for people like you to join the team leading Southern Africa’s largest provider of tech education. Our diverse, international team enjoys medical aid packages, remote working allowances, a generous leave policy, and real avenues for career growth and promotion.
Visit our career page to see all our available positions and apply to join our team today!