South African Board for People Practices (SABPP) Chair Marius Meyer died in late January. He served as chair of the board for two years; prior to that he was CEO of the organization for eight years.

“This is a very sad moment in the history of South African human resource management and a huge loss for the entire African HRM professional community,” said Charles Cotter, an independent learning and development strategist, commented on LinkedIn. “Dr. Marius was a remarkable leader and pioneering trailblazer, and his legacy has been cemented by his indelible HRM professional footprint and influence.”

Tony Bingham, president and CEO of the Association for Talent Development, commented, “Marius Meyer was a champion for our field for many years, and his influence was significant.” Meyer and Robin Probart founded the ASTD branch in South Africa in 1997 and were strong supporters of the association and its international conferences. Meyer was an advisory board member and head of research for the African Society for Training and Development.

The human resource development (HRD) practitioner, consultant, senior lecturer, author, and manager facilitated training and consulting interventions for more than 100 companies and lectured in HRD at the University of South Africa, Stellenbosch University, and the University of Johannesburg.

“Marius had a deep passion for HRD and an incessant commitment to increasing the credibility of HR professionals at all levels in organizations across South Africa,” said Alan Hosking of HR Future magazine. “Marius was responsible for a number of subsequent innovations in the HR profession, including HR Audits and the appointment of HR Professionals as Commissioners of Oath. As such, Marius left a significant legacy.”

Fondly dubbed “Mr. HR Standards,” Meyer raised the profile of the SABPP locally and internationally. Under his leadership, SABPP enjoyed many successes, including the development of HR Standards and a National HR Competency Model, as well as alliances with other countries.

“He had a passion for leadership, strategy, governance, change management, and people development,” SABPP wrote in a tribute. “Marius was a regular speaker at local and international conferences and an author of 22 books and 150 articles on HR standards, HR competencies, and HR risk management. He served his purpose to the fullest and created a legacy that all of us need to protect and advance to greater heights.”

Meyer was a member of the Institute of Directors and a founding member of Talent Talks, South Africa’s first talent management platform and magazine. In 2017 Meyer steered the process of developing the first South African Leadership Standard, and during his time as CEO of SABPP, the Minister of Justice approved SABPP HR professionals as Ex-Officio Commissioners of Oaths.

He helped create South Africa’s first HR Governance framework as a blueprint for HR directors to add value to boards, councils, and other governing bodies. Meyer recently received a lifetime achievement award from the SABPP board and was subsequently retained as HR Standards Thought Leader for SABPP.

“What a tremendous loss for South Africa, for the global HR community, for the education profession, and for his many friends and his family,” Nicola Columbine, founder and managing director of Integrative Consulting, wrote on LinkedIn. “He was an amazing inspiring leader, a passionate professional, and a humble human being with a generous spirit who made the time when he could to help and support others to learn and develop and strive toward excellence.”