Women need to ensure they have a seat at the decision making table if they are to live up to their potential, said Buli Ndlovu, executive head of Retail and Business Banking Marketing at Nedbank.
She was speaking at a recent event, a collaboration between Nedbank and The Family Table, in partnership with the Sunday Times, where the focus was firmly on Women, Wealth and Work. Welcoming delegates to the event she pointed out that conversations are where paths are charted and destiny’s changed. “Women owe to it themselves to be part of the right conversations,” she said.
The event, moderated by Gugulethu Mfuphi, featured insightful conversations between professional leaders, executives and emerging entrepreneurs about women’s roles and experiences in society.
Nthabiseng Matshekga, executive head of Group Marketing at Nedbank explained that she had studied economics, never intending to become a marketer. Pointing out that we are all shaped by our subconscious beliefs about money, she said it is important for women to understand their beliefs and perceptions about money. “I’ve had to learn to set boundaries when it comes to giving people money,” she revealed.
Luyanda Duma, an HR specialist, said that to be successful requires a strong sense of self. She advised starting with understanding yourself and your strengths, researching your chosen industry and building a community around yourself.
Mathebe Molise, the founder of start-up Beauty on Tapp and a qualified chartered accountant, said that becoming an entrepreneur has been challenging. To build a sustainable business, she said it’s important to take it seriously and treat it like a proper job. Employing the right people is critical. To ensure that people take her seriously she has started putting her CASA designation after her name.
Candice Chirwa, Nedbank 2022 YouthX Changemaker and Minister of Menstruation, said she was on a mission to change the stigma and taboo around menstruation both at school and in the workplace. Menstruation is a 40-year journey so it makes no sense that there remains a taboo around the issue. Men – as husbands, partners, fathers and colleagues – also need to be part of the conversation and will be a critical part of removing the taboo around periods.
Mpho Chitapi, head of Legal Group Technology at Nedbank is a new mother who has had to navigate her career ambitions in tandem with motherhood. Becoming a mother has taught her that she can’t be all things to all people all the time and that while she can have it all sometimes you can’t have it all at the same time. “I’ve had to learn to be kind to myself,” she said.
She recalled having to work for multiple distinctions while at university in an effort to benefit from the discounts offered. Her hard work paid off when she was made a partner at a law firm at the age of 27 – only to realise that this was not the path she wanted to take.
A common theme amongst many of the speakers was that their career progression was not always a straight line, requiring that at times they pivoted. Other key themes were around being kind to themselves, the need to never stop learning, and accepting that failure is inevitable and is an opportunity to grow and develop.
Image source: Arena Events-event-photo