Gender mainstreaming e zine october 2017 by Business Engage Association NPC

GENDER MAINSTREAMING E-ZINE - EDITION 5

Greater heights are often achieved against the wind - 28

THE POWER OF DIVERSITY AT DIAGEO SOUTH AFRICA - 34 HOW ‘COMMUNITY PROJECTS’ CAN HELP WITH UNEMPLOYMENT -

43 SHINING EXAMPLES - 30

Diversity is the Answer42 1

www.pwc.co.za

Strength through diversity

At PwC, our stated purpose is to build trust in society, and solve complex business problems, together with our clients and society at large. We’re able to do this because of our diversity and unique culture, which enable us to use many different perspectives to add value. As the title sponsors of the Gender Mainstreaming Awards, we’d like to congratulate all the 2017 ﬁnalists and winners!

FROM THE EDITOR

Welcome to the fifth issue of the Gender Mainstreaming E-Zine. For those who are regular readers, we trust that there is something new and vibrant for you. To those of you who are reading this for the first time, welcome and enjoy. There is something to be said about writing your own articles. We are not all wordsmiths; telling stories of success inspires others to do more to make the impact of gender mainstreaming felt and known. We welcome articles from a multitude of sources to add variety. You need to be writing on behalf of a well-established company to do so and of course the content should be relevant to the subject of gender mainstreaming. Without wishing to censor or stifle debate, we do ask that you put your point forward from a positive angle.

Colleen Larsen

CE Business Engage colleen@businessengage.co.za 084-353-9865 www.businessengage.co.za www.30percentclub.org www.genderawards.co.za

Since we started with the E-zine we are pleased with the response that the E-zine elicits in terms of content, interest and reach. Every day we hear different stories, exiting new initiatives. There is a growing conscious realisation of the benefits of gender diversity in the higher echelons of the private sector. We have spoken previously about reaching a tipping point and whilst there are major concerns about the state of the South African economy and the role that the state plays, we cannot allow other factors to take us away from the journey that we are on. Despite all the clutter that is around us, as financial journalist Alec Hogg likes to say; Hope Springs!

Index :

- African Women Chartered Accountants (AWCA) – Leading the Chartered Accountancy Profession in Gender Main streaming - Strategic women-focused CSI is vital for social change in South Africa - The Power of Diversity at Diageo - Little progress in gender diversity worldwide - The Group Five Basadi Program - Gender diversity in the boardroom – It just makes business sense - Greater heights are often achieved against the wind - How ‘community projects’ can help with unemployment 43 shining examples - Women will feel the biggest impact of the technological workplace revolution - The Evolution of Mineworkers Investment Company (MIC) achieving gender transformation - Diversity is the Answer

4-9 10-12 14-17 18-21 22-23 24-25 28-29 30-32 34-37 38-41 42-43

African Women Chartered Accountants (AWCA) – Leading the Chartered Accountancy Profession in Gender Mainstreaming AWCA was founded in 2002 to address continuing disparities that hamper the growth and advancement of African women in this sector, create an awareness of the profession and serve as a support base for aspirant and qualified African women CAs. It has now evolved into a forum where African Women CAs can interact and support each other, network for information sharing and business opportunities, encourage and support aspirant African women CAs, and begin raising the profile of the profession. The AWCA initiatives include: Student Chapters, Bursary Fund, Round Table Discussions, Mentorship Power Teas, Woman of Substance and most recently the Leadership Academy. The AWCA objectives include to: • Create awareness of the Chartered Accountancy profession • Develop a pipeline of African Women Chartered Accountants • Develop existing Chartered Accountants to key strategic leadership positions/roles • To contribute to professional, national, economic, financial and gender policy formulation As part of our work to enhance Gender Mainstreaming; the AWCA hosts the Woman of Substance awards annually, during women’s month. This year, the award was presented to Dr. Thandi Ndlovu for her significant role in the uplifting of black women, demonstrating quality and successful leadership in areas of governance and business to attain gender equality. To further stimulate Gender Mainstreaming, the AWCA launched the Leadership Academy in 2016, in line with AWCA’s 2020 Vision. The Leadership Academy was conceived to consolidate the existing leadership training programmes provided, as well as offer enhanced programmes to improve the value proposition for members.

The context of women in leadership throughout Africa and the world provided an opportunity for the Leadership Academy to have the desired impact in empowering women. The “Women Matter - Africa” report

published by McKinsey & Company in 2016 painted the following picture: • Only 5% of private-sector CEOs in Africa are women, • 22% of cabinet ministers in African governments are women, • Women members constitute 23% of executive committees and only 14% of boards in the private sector. In launching the Leadership Academy, the AWCA sought to address the lack of Gender Mainstreaming concerning women in leadership by providing not only classroom training, but also experiential learning aimed at nurturing globally mobile, women talent. The following key training programmes hosted by the AWCA in partnership with international institutions were consolidated into the Leadership Academy: • The Duke University/AWCA programme, which was started in 2014 to address the challenge of a shortage of women leaders on corporate boards. With professors who are board members and leaders of top JSE listed companies, attendees of this four-day programme, (2 modules held over 2 months) are sure to set themselves up for executive success. Participants have an opportunity to network and position themselves for potential board placements. • The Fordham University/AWCA programme, which is 6-week programme focuses on emerging markets, with emphasis on risks and opportunities in developing economies. This programme, consists of two components, one being the attendance of part of the course in New York, thereby affording members an opportunity for international exposure and experience. Once participants return from the USA they take part in the second component, which takes place in South African and is hosted by the University of Pretoria. 5

Over the next three years leading up to the realization of the AWCA 2020 Vision, the Leadership Academy will seek to grow the basket of programmes both in terms of depth and breadth: • Partnerships with various esteemed, international institutions are being explored to encourage members to broaden their global perspective. • Local partnerships are also billed to form part of the bouquet of programmes to ensure relevance and collaboration within the South African environment. • Additional programmes from Duke and Fordham, that will address the role of women in a fast-changing business world and how they can lead from the edge in various industries outside of accounting and finance, are also being reviewed. In light of the inclusion of women players from different industries in the current programmes, the Leadership Academy will be extending the existing and new learning opportunities to women from outside the accounting profession and Non-AWCA members to further stimulate and effect Gender Mainstreaming. Based on the feedback received from members as well as industry, the AWCA is aware that the programmes provided have made a significant impact in the development and empowerment of women across all spheres of the public and private sectors.

African artered s (AWCA) Women Accountants forum Chartered (AWCA) Accountants forum forward (AWCA) forum The AWCA looks to continuing with existing programmes and and black e advancement also female CAs ofand black also female CAs and also growing scale P. financial South Africa’s growth GDP. of Souththe Africa’s GDP.of its contribution towards Gender Mainstreaming.

ajsk), (AWCA KZN), Mamosa Dlothi (Africa Desk), lethu Mayisela (Entrepreneurs’ Forum), rship), pe), Buhle Hanise (Secretariat & Membership), my), Lesego Sennelo (President) and pment)

eting Shezi (AWCA KZN), Pumla Molope (Marketing evelopment), Phuthanang Motsielwa Professional development) and nd Student Chapters)

The vision of the African Women Chartered Accountants (AWCA) forum is to accelerate the advancement of black female CAs and also contribute to the financial growth of South Africaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s GDP.

From top left to right: Nirakasha Sookraj (AWCA KZN), Mamosa Dlothi (Africa Desk), Lulama Booi (Strategic Alliances), Gugulethu Mayisela (Entrepreneursâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Forum), Nokukhanya Sithole (AWCA Western Cape), Buhle Hanise (Secretariat & Membership), Vuyokazi Makhubalo (Leadership Academy), Lesego Sennelo (President) and Phetogo Mahlangu (Professional development) From bottom left to right: Nonkululeko Shezi (AWCA KZN), Pumla Molope (Marketing and PR), Zama Khanyile (Professional Development), Phuthanang Motsielwa (Strategic Alliances), Lebogang Senne (Professional development) and Zimkhita Zatu (Bursary Fund, Schools and Student Chapters)

STRATEGIC WOMEN-FOCUSED CSI IS VITAL FOR SOCIAL CHANGE IN SOUTH AFRICA

The state of our country and its people – in particular those on the margins of society – makes the pursuit of social change a continuously pertinent issue in South Africa. The development sector in our country is focused on the struggle for social justice and human rights for all. Within this, women’s rights and gender equality often appear as an isolated part of CSI agendas. However, there is much more to be done to address women’s issues more effectively. At the heart of the issues lie every woman’s right to equality, empowerment and safety. There has been pressure from different segments of society for government to step-up to its constitutional mandate to improve 10

the lives of women in South Africa and to ‘bridge the gap’ when it comes to gender inequality. The corporate world is also under pressure to bring about meaningful and tangible change to promote and deliver on gender equality in the workplace. Yet we still find that many multifaceted social justice platforms are often silent on women’s rights and gender issues, tending to present wider societal issues in genderneutral terms. In these instances, the circumstances and experiences of men and women are presented as similar, or the same, which can lead to some voices and perspectives left unheard. The above is exacerbated by the

fact that many women-focused organisations are among those that have struggled to keep their doors open due to funding challenges. Donor fatigue and funding issues have had profound implications on the work of this particular sector. To move our country forward, our women need to move forward. We, as civil society, must commit to placing a strategic focus on women’s issues, not only in isolation during genderfocused campaigns and initiatives, but within the broader development space too. Below are some commonly-known gender related facts that have been reported on, which demonstrate the importance of women in our society: As reported by business journalist, Toni Muir, in Business Day’s Empowerment magazine 2017, women account for more than half of SA’s population and comprise around 45% of the total workforce As reported by StatsSA, women fill 44% of skilled posts, which include managers, professionals and technicians. This figure hasn’t shifted much over the years; it was 44% in September 2002 StatsSA also reports that gender representation is still below the 50% mark for positions, with a great deal of influence, according to data from

2014. Women comprised of 32% of Supreme Court of Appeal judges, 31% of advocates, 30% of ambassadors and 24% of heads of state-owned enterprises CSI is an important lever that can be used to bring about gender-related social change. By putting genderbased issues at the foreground of CSI strategies, CSI spend could be channeled to ensure that not only are there clearly targeted gender-focused areas, but that all development areas integrate gender in a meaningful way. Data-driven research and statistics will be a critical part of making real change happen. Data relating to beneficiaries needs to be documented and segregated according to gender, in order to ensure that particular issues affecting women, men, girls and boys are made visible. But, preceding this, we as individuals, within our various organisations, must demonstrate our commitment to making gender issues more visible. We can do this in the following ways: 1. Be conscious about your own organisation’s stance on gender. If it’s not where you think it should be, speak up and see where changes can be made. 2. Secondly, we must ensure that we consistently apply a gender-focused lens when we craft interventions. 11

3. Thirdly, we should be recording gender disaggregated data when we implement programmes. This data will deepen our analysis of the work we do as organisations. Â 4. Lastly, we should be telling compelling stories of achievement that reflect clear change.

By Judith Mtsewu, Knowledge Manager, Charities Aid Foundation Southern Africa judith@cafsouthernafrica.org

30% Club

GROWTH THROUGH DIVERSITY www.30percentclub.org

An initiative of Business Engage

The 30% Club is a group of Chairmen, CEOs and Senior Partners voluntarily committed to bringing more women onto corporate boards because it makes business sense. Increasing board diversity is key to driving profitable growth. Having better balance - at least 30% senior female leaders - positively influences both a companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s culture and the decision-making process.

www.30percentclub.org

THE POWER OF DIVERSITY AT DIAGEO SOUTH AFRICA We are proud that Diageo as a global organisation is a FTSE 100 Company with the highest number of women at the most senior levels; 45% Board of Directors and 40% Executives. A more balanced leadership team means broader conversations and better decision-making

Celebrating diversity and actively creating an inclusive and collaborative culture is core to Diageoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s purpose of celebrating life, everyday everywhere! DIAGEO is innovative and entrepreneurial. This allows us to be the best at what we do. In addition, our diversity agenda and desire to reflect the profile of our customers, consumers and community means we can better serve and engage with them. In South Africa, women make up 45% of economically active population, although only 38% are employed across all sectors. In light of this our strategy is deliberate to increase our gender diversity profile from current 43% to 48% by 2020 across the business and from 25% to 38% at executive level.

What are the challenges that women face in Corporate SA? It is always a great starting point to demystify the biases expressed around women in terms of how they balance their career & family life, how they cope with stress, whether they are adequately skilled 14

or educated and whether they are significant contributors in the boardroom. We are changing mindsets in our business to ensure that women are at the forefront of everything we do, including shaping the future of our business , living Diageo purpose, invest in their development and ensure that they win in execution.

Our Values are compelling Our values are our DNA and guide how we work as individuals and together as teams. We desire to be the best, create an environment where our people have the freedom to succeed, are proud of what they do and are valued for their contributions. These values are encapsulated in our Diversity Strategy to ensure that we achieve a diverse workforce representation, create meaningful contribution across all functions including commercial and supply where often there is male domination as a result of scarcity of skills, under investment in development of these skills for women and poor narrative about careers in these areas which could create aspiration for women to visualize possible career in these areas.

Women are at the forefront of transformation in Diageo South Africa Some tools and tips â&#x20AC;˘ Implement a robust talent review process to identify your high flyers in terms of performance and potential. â&#x20AC;˘ Accelerate readiness levels of female talent for future leadership roles by implementing robust development plans, thereby increasing the strength of your talent pipeline. â&#x20AC;˘ Nominate women into signature development programme, like Future Leader Programmes at Diageo, to increase their leadership impact. 15

• Provide peer-to-peer women mentorship programmes/networks. • Implement flexible working arrangements i.e. days and hours of work & working from home • Ask women what is important to them. We do this through Spirited Women of Diageo. • Attract a greater proportion of females into a graduate programme or internship and provide stretch assignments to keep them on the radar. (We current attract more that 60% into our graduate pipeline. • Implement an Employee Assistance Programme, that enables people to ] access support as and when required. • Drive a mindset and culture of organisational wellness. • Invest in social responsibility programmes for example a Learning for Life programme, which provides training to unemployed adults in key areas related to our industry; and improving their chances to become employable.

We do believe that throughout our value chain - from farmer to partner to customer to consumer - we can build a truly diverse and inclusive business. This means we will attract the world’s best talent, capitalise on the best opportunities for growth and help to actively build the society in which we will operate, shaping the occasions in which our brands are enjoyed.

Final thoughts for success? It is incumbent on all women to hold each other accountable in business and economic advancement. Creating work and learning environments that support and grow a stronger pipeline of future women entrepreneurs and leaders, through education, mentorship and the flexibility women require to both nurture families as well as avail themselves for economic and career advancement Mapula Wanjau HR DIRECTOR https://www.diageo.com/en/careers/ 17

Little progress in gender diversity worldwide By Lee-Anne Bac, Director: Advisory Services at Grant Thornton Lee-Anne.Bac@za.gt.com

Only 28% of senior management roles in South Africa are held by women according to Grant Thornton’s new report. While higher than that of last year, the percentage of women business leaders has not changed significantly since the start of our research 13 years ago, when it sat at 26%. We have made no progress, and the small change is probably only due to sampling variations. Unfortunately, we have a very patriarchal culture in Africa, including South Africa. Until we make a concerted effort to change our mindset on the role of women in the workplace, at home and society at large we’re going to continue to battle with inequality. Change starts with how we treat children, we should be striving to raise boys and girls equally in a gender neutral environment. The annual report, Women in business: New perspectives on risk and reward, based on Grant Thornton’s International Business Report (IBR) which surveys 5,500 businesses in 36 economies, also shows that almost a third (31%) of local companies have no women at all in senior management. Globally, too, the pace of change towards gender equity remains glacial. South Africa is slightly ahead of the global average of 25% of senior roles held by women and 34% of businesses with no women in senior management. We shouldn’t, however, be comparing ourselves against the global situation, but should strive to match those countries that are at above-average rates. Globally, our data shows developing regions continue to lead the charge on diversity while developed economies lag behind. Eastern Europe performs best, with 38% of senior roles held by women in 2017 and just 9% of businesses with no women in senior management. We should set our sights on emulating Eastern Europe, and not benchmarking ourselves against the USA and Western 18

Europe, particularly at this time. We have reached a point of complacency in this country. Businesses have put some women in management positions, ticked that box, and are not doing anything further. Instead, companies should constantly be working to improve gender diversity in the workplace. We have too few women in management positions, and until we tilt that balance it will remain difficult for women to influence the change. Women are fighting from a position of lack of power. Pushing the importance of gender diversity further down the pecking order are the number of other pressing issues currently facing South Africa. Companies are focused on B-BBEE targets, which are legislated, rather than on diversity targets, which are not.

In addition, the latest Women in Business IBR survey showed some men are resisting competition from women. Both are competing for the same senior positions, and it is far easier for men if they only have to compete with 50% of the population. But itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the fault of women as well; weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re not fighting back.

The Grant Thornton report looked at the issue of risk and reward, finding that men and women see risk and opportunity in different ways, and that they act differently as a result. Companies should therefore recognise, celebrate and seize upon these differences. If they fail to create diverse teams, companies become susceptible to ‘groupthink’ – the phenomenon whereby groups engage only with those who share a similar view of the world, they muffle other perspectives and do not see change coming. Diversity is key to business success. With a mixture of men and women at the helm, companies are better prepared for all eventualities. Today, uncertainty has become pervasive and is the ‘new norm’. Businesses need effective leadership teams equipped to assess the risks and opportunities associated with change, who can then develop and implement inclusive strategies in response. Finally, to many women, leadership doesn’t look particularly attractive. They see assertive, dominant behaviour, the hard attitude to decision-making, the long hours, and the sacrifices leaders appear to make. It is not something many women strive towards. Businesses need to embrace new leadership styles that allow women to bring their own leadership flair to the workplace.

LEE-ANNE BAC’S FIVE TIPS OF WHICH READERS SHOULD TAKE NOTE AND WHICH HAVE BEEN OF VALUE TO GRANT THORNTON IN THE GENDER MAINSTREAMING JOURNEY. 1. Take action to speak up for diversity and embed change throughout the organisation, not just at the top Many companies are striving for gender diversity at leadership level. But there is a need to consider how individuals in middle management view the issue. Leaders should not assume everyone understands or supports their argument. Continue to articulate the commercial need to inspire those not convinced of the need to take significant steps across the organisation. Leadership teams must also understand how issues such as unconscious bias play into different settings, and then educate employees on their effects. Keep refreshing your approach, so that men and women alike continue to step back, think and act. 2. Encourage diverse leadership styles and role models The diversity agenda is not about giving women the confidence to operate like men; it’s about creating an environment that is conducive to all. This starts with the individual. The benefits of diversity will not surface if people’s differences aren’t allowed to actually come out in their job. Leadership styles do not need to conform to predetermined moulds; nor must leadership be allconsuming. Demonstrate that there are multiple models of a successful leader and encourage people in your organisation to consider what kind of leader they want to be. 3. Invest in sponsorship programmes, not just mentoring Women downplay their success to others. The emotional support offered through mentoring is extremely valuable. But recognition and encouragement from the right sponsor can have a dramatic impact on an individual’s career advancement. Not only will a sponsor champion the prospects and skills of women in the workplace, but they will also protect them enough to take risks and make mistakes without these hampering an individual’s career. Sponsorship programmes are also hugely effective in helping women progress into leadership. 4. Build mixed gender teams for effective risk management Men and women perceive and manage risk differently. It’s not that one approach is right and the other wrong. But we need to break with the assumption that risk requires quick thinking and swift action. Clearly companies that hesitate for too long will miss vital opportunities. But the international business environment has become more volatile, and the ability to manage uncertainty is becoming more important. Dynamic, resilient companies will navigate the extremes with a calmer, more balanced assessment of the risks and rewards. Women are vital to this endeavour, but over a third of companies don’t have women in senior positions. Companies that fail to bring women to the table will jeopardise their longterm growth. 5. Provide women with leadership opportunities that make them familiar with risk The majority of leadership positions involve risk management. Experience and leadership bring confidence and familiarity. But to nurture diverse future leaders requires confidence-building early in people’s careers. Companies should not rely solely on technical training, but provide young women with on-the-job experiences too, exposing them to the process of risk management and – where appropriate – involving them. This creates a virtuous circle: the more you’re familiar with considering risk, the more capable and confident you will become. 21

Gender MainstreamING Awards The Group Five Basadi Program Isabella Makuta - imakuta@groupfive.co.za

Group Five is one of the leading JSE listed construction companies in South Africa. The group has over the past few years maintained a BBBEE Level 2 rating in terms of the Construction Charter. In 2011 the company launched the Basadi programme; a women development initiative aimed at addressing the gender gap. Since the launch of the programme, female representation has increased from 15% to 22%. Below are some of the milestones achieved: • Appointed first contracts director and managing director • Over 200 women have been trained and 353 promoted. • Bursaries awarded to 15 high school girls from disadvantaged backgrounds focusing on Mathematics and Science. • Group Five/UJ Women in Engineering & Built Environment (WiEBE) programmesince the beginning of the partnership, female enrolment at UJ increased by 5% with a retention rate increase from 50% to 80%. • Signatory to the UN Women’s 7 Principles for women empowerment and the “He-for-She” initiative to promote a gender diverse workplace

Women in Engineering and Built Environment Awards

Future of the African Daughter bursars funded by Group Five

KwaZulu Natal Women in Business cohort

GENDER DIVERSITY IN THE BOARDROOM IT JUST MAKES BUSINESS SENSE The benefits of boardroom diversity have been extensively documented, both in South Africa and globally. Several research studies have demonstrated a positive link between enhanced company performance and gender diversity. The business case for boardroom diversity is extensive. Diverse groups are able to better solve complex problems. Diverse groups challenge each other more readily and examine more aspects of a problem, thus avoiding group thinking. Members of majority groups also tend to be more diligent around people they view as “different”. Some strongly believe that the dialogue around the boardroom table is much more vivid, not because women are better than men, but because they just go about business and leadership differently. Another common-sense reason for gender diversity on boards is the fact that women control the majority of consumer spending. In addition, women also form a large percentage of the educated workforce. In light of these and many other factors, investors have been urging companies to diversify their boards for some time. In addition, recent developments in the King Report on Governance for South Africa as well as the JSE Listings requirements bring gender diversity to the forefront of boardroom discussions. So amidst all of this encouragement and persuasive evidence promoting gender diversity, what can boards do to drive this imperative? In its report on Diversity in the Boardroom: Findings and Solutions, the Institute of Corporate Directors made the following recommendations to improve diversity, in general, on boards: • Nominating and governance committees should continuously evaluate the needs of the board in the context of the company’s future direction. They should consider diversity as an important part of the criteria that are used to determine board composition. Diversity for these purposes should be broadly defined to include gender, ethnicity, age, business experience, functional expertise, personal skills, stakeholder perspectives and geographic background. • Boards should adopt formal diversity policies. Diversity policies should outline the essential criteria and experiential attributes that fulfill the needs of the board. While these considerations will vary from company to company, a formal process

By Parmi Natesan, Executive Director, Institute of Directors in Southern Africa

Parmi@iodsa.co.za

•

• •

•

should require discussion of the relative importance and mix of key composition requirements. Boards should disclose annually whether they have adopted a policy, what the policy provides for, and how the board is performing against the policy. Boards choosing not to adopt such a policy are encouraged to explain their reasons for not doing so. Nominating and governance committees should, as part of their selection process, have access to deep and diverse talent pools, and should direct their search firm, where used, to include diverse candidates in searches whenever possible (and subject to satisfying the qualifications of the position). As part of a director search process, search firms should be encouraged to include qualified candidates who are unknown to current board members. Organizations should continue to develop all of their top talent, including their diverse talent. An effective diversity agenda needs to be ‘owned’ by all communities, including the business community. Diversity agendas should permeate all levels of an organization, up to and including the board of directors. High performers must be encouraged and permitted to reach their full potential. In their oversight of talent management and succession planning, boards should be mindful of diversity; and In order to enhance board opportunities and openings, boards should consider the tenure of the current board members and may want to weigh the merits of policies that encourage fresh additions to the board, being mindful of the need for a healthy degree of board continuity and experience.

South African boards wanting to enhance their boardroom gender diversity and so improve their performance are encouraged to consider these recommendations in the South African gender context. The key is for boards to make diversity a priority and approach it within the context of their particular skills matrix and board composition.

2018 CALENDAR OF EVENTS Board Walk February

Leadersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Walk - Gauteng 7 20 22

Bidvest, Durban RMB, Gauteng Cape Town

March

April

SA Home Loans, Durban

June

May

15 17

Gauteng Cape Town

August

June

October

Durban

July

24 26

Gauteng Cape Town

August

Durban

September

18 20

Gauteng Cape Town

October

Durban

November

20 22

Gauteng Cape Town

Get rewarded for your Gender Diversity Initiatives... ENTER NOW, there is no charge to enter

The 6th Gender Mainstreaming Awards 6 September 2018 : Vodacom Dome, Midrand www.genderawards.co.za

Sponsored by

Open to all private sector companies and government departments that have started, on the road with or succeeded in gender diversity programmes Closing date for entries : 25 June 2018; E-mail : colleen@businessengage.co.za

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In association with

Greater heights are often achieved against the wind By Hayley Eagle; Director Jamsco Automotive Assemblies

The Jamsco journey to penetrate an automotive industry started in 2012 with a will, synergies, determination and a well-orchestrated plan to succeed. The barriers to entry in the automotive sector remains high with complex, expensive, precision quality systems required. This industry is dominated by multinationals who have access to the latest technology and finance to remain the strategic players in the automotive sector. These barriers are unattainable and this is evident when you look at the stats for the numbers of EME,s that operate in this space. The risk to both the customer and supplier is of significant proportion making the desire for entrepreneurs to work with other industries more attractive. Jamsco as a BWO has decided to venture into this unchartered waters and whether we remain in the automotive sector for the next 50 years or fail within the next five years, Jamsco is instrumental in helping to create a pathway into the automotive sector proving that it is possible for women to compete in this space. It is a necessary part of what is required to slowly work on eradicating gender based inequalities and perceptions. Jamsco has employed a female supervisor, team leader, quality, operators and 5S staff from the surrounding community who works smart, continuously improving and earning respect in the industry by doing what is right without fear or favour. My hours have gone from 12 hours a day to 24 hours a day but I love what I do and I am inspired by the commitment and support

HELEN NICHOLSON : THE NETWORKING COMPANY 28

we receive from the GGDA, AIDC, Ford and Sodecia males. This does not mean that I am without fear, I am fearful of the small percentage of males who are not welcoming and who have no intention of supporting gender equality. I am not overcome with fear but vigilant and realistic that I do work with very powerful men who are able to create stumbling blocks along the way. Greater heights are often reached against the wind and it is this 2 % of males that force me wear my confidence like make-up. They are the reason I am are thorough, that I keep a hand on my finances and remain profitable, that I am always changing and personally overseeing my infant business. Generally women shy away from the fear of the unknown, this will gradually become a thing of the past as we slowly introduce more women into the automotive supply chain. The perception is that the processes are labour intensive or better expressed as hard work. This is not entirely true as safety is a principal in the automotive sector and the processes are first tested to comply with ergonomics and safety standards. As women we need to look inward and find our beauty to celebrate being a mother, wife, sister, daughter, friend and now professional women working alongside our husbands and colleagues in the boardroom not waiting for the men to take charge. As an EME in the automotive sector Jamsco does not compete with anyone, there is room for so many of us who works safely, building quality parts according to automotive standards. Because I want Jamsco to be better than it is today, we chose partnerships with companies of similar values to ours, our HR is done by a BWO, Carol Montwedi, from Tiamo Personnel. As women we donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t only give lip service but support one another in business with integrity, uplifting, learning from one another and having beautiful hearts. Jamsco ladies are given preferential treatment and there is no compromise for the respect we show our men and they show us. Women are generally more stable and it makes good business sense to employ women to maintain continuity and stability. I have yet to find a winning formula to infiltrate women at a faster pace, at Jamsco we adhere to methods that have been working well in our new male dominated environment. We acknowledge that the males in the automotive sector are the ones with years of experience, knowledge and power to uplift or destroy our existence in the automotive supply chain. We work alongside our knowledgeable male colleagues and find the vast majority of them to be supportive, accepting, fair and very forthcoming with their knowledge. 29

HOW ‘COMMUNITY PROJECTS’ CAN HELP WITH UNEMPLOYMENT 43 SHINING EXAMPLES Professor Elain Vlok - elain.vlok@clover.co.za According to TradingEconomics.com, South Africa’s unemployment rate is at 27.7% in the second quarter of 2017. Over a quarter of South Africa’s citizens remain unemployed we are at a critical time in our economy where food prices continue to rise and jobs are scarce. Can community projects possibly help both of these needs? I think they can, albeit on a small scale. Based purely on the success of the ‘mamas’ under the Clover Mama Afrika wing, we have witnessed the positive impact of community projects. I started Clover Mama Afrika in 2004, with a passion to implement change and set up a Corporate Social Investment initiative that both Clover and I could be proud of. During the last thirteen years, I’ve watched as our efforts to help communities have developed into successful small businesses, creating jobs and sustaining communities at the same time. To date, we’ve appointed 43 women as part of the project - we call them ‘mamas’ due to the nurturing role they fill in their communities. These mamas serve as examples of how community projects can both support a community and provide employment opportunities. 30

Take Mama Selestien Moses for example. She became a Clover Mama in April 2007. Mama Sella runs the Khayalethu Care Centre in Ashbury in the Western Cape. As part of our commitment to her, Clover Mama Afrika provided her with the skills, equipment and training that she needed to further develop her community project. She’s since grown her centre’s capacity, caring for more than 300 children and over 80 elderly. She now supports her community with a variety of additional skills, from bread baking, catering and flower arranging to sewing. Mama Sella currently employs 17 people and has transferred skills to over 400 others in her community. Another prime example is Mama Shirley Merime of Ennerdale, Gauteng. Mama Shirley joined Clover Mama Afrika in 2006 to upskill herself and others at her Ebenezer Hannah Home - a home that looks after both the elderly and orphaned and abandoned children. Through the training received from our team she’s helped to further upskill another 137 people and now employs 11 permanent staff at the home. While employment can be difficult to find, these mamas provide opportunities at grassroots level. This means employees don’t need to have degrees or to travel far in search of work. Community projects give people with little skill the chance to grow and thrive. 31

Virginie Merime, daughter-in-law of Mama Shirley, is one of the many people positively impacted by Clover Mama Afrika’s involvement. Virginie helped her mom-in-law with the day-to-day needs at the centre, where she was able to take part in courses and skills workshops we helped to provide. We saw her keen interest in cooking and through our friends at MLK Chef School and the financial assistance of Clover Mama Afrika, Virginie won a fantastic Chef’s course to help her follow her dreams. These women show us that community projects or small businesses that are run with passion, by owners who are committed to the development of their communities can certainly make a difference. The 28 employees between Mama Sella and Mama Shirley alone are testament to this. Small businesses can help communities at grassroots level; providing necessities in the area while offering work opportunities for its people. I urge you to support small community businesses - you’ve no idea how much of an impact you can make and how many lives you’re touching.

ABOUT CLOVER MAMA AFRIKA Clover Mama Afrika empowers these Mamas with vital skills such as: cooking, baking, sewing, quilting, business management, food gardening and bread baking skills. Over and above the training sessions these women are all supplied with the necessary tools, equipment and infrastructure to create an income for themselves and give back to their communities. For more information on 32

PUBLISHING DEADLINES : 2018 GENDER MAINSTREAMING E-ZINES Material deadline

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Women will feel the biggest impact of the technological workplace revolution – By Lyndy van den Barselaar, Managing Director, ManpowerGroup South Africa

There is no doubt that women have made great progress in the workplace, though this progress may only be on paper. In Europe, the percentage of women represented on large company boards has almost doubled over the past five years to 25%. Women also outnumber male university graduates in 95 of 144 countries. However, these high profile roles may be just an illusion of progress. ManpowerGroup South Africa is passionate about empowering women, given the lack of females being placed in high profile positions. The latest white paper by ManpowerGroup and Right Management, titled “Women, we have a problem”, explains that as technology continues to disrupt workplace structures and processes, and with the emergence of a perpetually evolving skills revolution, women feel the biggest impact and face a triple threat: under representation in industries poised for growth, over representation in roles threatened by automation, and stubbornly low levels of women in senior roles. The report also states that a workplace that is seen as equally appealing to both genders is more likely to attract top talent. However, this is not always reflected in workplace gender ratios across all industries. While it is true that a number of companies and employers are working to understand and overcome gender inequality, this is a global issue that all businesses need to acknowledge, and look to do their part in improving the outlook for women in terms of the workplace revolution. Women leaders know that relying on policies or practices is simply not enough and that change starts at an individual level. Leaders say gender parity is still at least a generation away - an average of 17 years. Rarely a day goes by without news of digitalisation, artificial intelligence, and virtual reality impacting on the workplace. A great deal has been written predicting the future of the workplace, but far less attention has been paid to what new skill sets future employees will require and how often employees will need to refresh their skills to remain employable – especially in a future working environment that includes jobs that we may not even have heard of as yet. The 34

life cycle of skills is shorter than ever before, and an individual’s employability will depend on their ability to demonstrate learnability — that’s the desire and ability to learn new skills to stay relevant for the long-term. The work we at ManpowerGroup South Africa have carried out in relation to gender mainstreaming has been inspirational and has created a widespread positive response; 80% of the women surveyed have undergone an assessment of their skills, and 75% have had a conversation about how they can develop. We recognise that while the statistics around this show an improvement, there is room for greater progress. It’s now up to both employers and individuals to nurture learnability and upskilling.

lyndy.vandenbarselaar@manpower.co.za

While we cannot slow the rate of technological advancement, ongoing career conversations and investment in skills development will increase the relevance and resilience of women in the workplace. Eliminating the fear associated with women rising up to challenges in the workplace is one of the most important steps to support the development of our countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s future women leaders. Here are some tips and tools on how to strengthen your female employees so that they, in turn strengthen your business: 1. Give women more authority within their functional areas, in a way that they can claim responsibility for the final output. 2. Mentoring women in the workspace also comes with sponsoring opportunities. Not only will this bode well for business, but also for the overall workforce of the business. 3. Ensure you offer the same opportunities for both men and women, if the two employees have the same experience and educational background. 4. That being said, employers can start eradicating their gender barriers and improving their performance by conducting an objective analysis on the impact of these barriers, and then prioritising them based on their influence and inequality factor. 5. Employers must take practical steps to engage employees and meet business goals. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s clear: unless we change the culture of our businesses, begin having career conversations, addressing how work gets done and how performance is measured, womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s progress will stall.

The Evolution of Mineworkers Investment Company (MIC) achieving gender transformation Oren Fuchs - oren@mic.co.za

The financial services industry, and even more so, investment banking, has historically been a male dominated sector. Whilst many advances have been made by certain key players in the banking sectors at senior level, decision makers remain predominantly male. Mineworkers Investment Company (MIC) forms part of a larger family of entities, namely the Mineworkers Investment Trust, which is the sole shareholder of MIC. It bucks this trend substantially, with a black female CEO, a black female Financial Director, a black female group financial manager as well as an investment team that is in the majority black female. This position was not arrived at coincidentally, but required persistent action over a number of years to ensure that demographic parity was reached â&#x20AC;&#x201C; through specific hiring practices, and targeting senior female resources at the exco and board level. It has paid off handsomely not only in MICâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s growth over the years, but the diversity in views and ideas that it has brought to the organisation. In 2005, MIC recognised that to be more effective in both its efforts to advance the transformation agenda in its investees and to take the next step in its own internal leap in terms of growth, the gender balance of both the senior management team (exco) and the composition of the board, 38

would need to be actively transformed and managed. At the time, both the Exco, as well as the board of directors, was all male. Both the shareholder and the management team set about to achieve initially some female (and particularly black female) representation at both levels, ultimately aiming to have at least demographic representivity in both the medium to long run. Responsibility for the gender transformation lay with the board and the executive team. Specific targets for gender representivity were set, and were pursued with respect to both the board composition and the executive team composition. As positions became available in both management and the board level (as tenure expired), female candidates were prioritised. This was not only applied to the senior and board positions, but also across the company, which now boasts impressive gender credentials, with 66% of the executive directors being black female, a black female chairperson and 75% female representation across all positions. Beyond just representation, the MIC board and shareholders recognised that women’s empowerment needed to go beyond equity targets, and require a concerted effort in all of MIC’s sphere of operations. In this regard, gender mainstreaming has been considered across MIC’s business and corporate social investment efforts, including training of staff and management, procurement, supplier and enterprise development (through Inyosi Capital, managed through a dedicated management team), the MIC Schools Programme, the Raizcorp incubator in Emalahleni, and the impact of the MIC’s dividends in providing young black women access to tertiary education through the efforts of the JB Marks education trust fund. Education is very close to MIC’s heart, and over and above the work of the trust that is enabled by its dividends, MIC also manages its own MIC Schools Programme, assisting two schools in the Soweto & Eldorado Park area. The programme has been running successfully for two years now, and aims to assist both educators and learners with a range of interventions from infrastructure and ICT, to motivational speaker programme, vocational guidance and career visits to its investees, a public speaking programme, and an entrepreneurship bootcamp. Whilst the programme is equally targeted at the needs of both male and female learners, specific programme are targeted to assisting young girls in the schools and the specific challenges that they face (through workshops run at the schools and onsite vocational visits to MIC). 39

MICâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s efforts to actively transform the gender balance of the organisation have been a marked success. In the period over which the transformation of the gender make-up of the MIC professional and board team occurred, MIC as an investment company has grown its balance sheet (net asset value from circa R600m to R5.2bn). Inyosi Capital, in its first year of existence, has already exceeded its initial assets under management targets (with over 140 companies having invested in the SD fund) and has funded 59 black owned businesses over this first year.

“Education is very close to MIC’s heart, and over and above the work of the trust that is enabled by its dividends, MIC also manages its own MIC Schools Programme, assisting two schools in the Soweto & Eldorado Park area.”

Diversity is the Answer Sneha Shah, Managing Director Thomson Reuters Africa

As the country celebrated Women’s Month in August, we were reminded of the important role that women play in business, government and society. It is encouraging to see that there is more emphasis on the importance of organizations driving gender mainstreaming, although it needs to be a conversation that happens throughout the year, not just one month. It is unfortunate but accurate that gender disparities still exist today. For example, in South Africa women make up 51% of the population yet, as at 2015, women only make up 44.2% of the labour force in South Africa and only 20.8% are at Board level. With low Board level representation, many of our companies are missing an important voice at the table, one that not only reflects half the population but one that can bring fresh and diverse perspectives at a point where companies cannot survive by doing what they have always done. Diversity is a proven driver of performance in business, and of innovation, and as we face increasingly unpredictable and volatile environments, it is no longer an option but a business imperative to embrace diversity in all its forms, including gender equality. Many economies on this continent are facing significant challenges – from high unemployment to inequality to land rights to health to education. These can be addressed by leveraging new technologies such as blockchain, AI and machine learning, and by encouraging and harnessing all the perspectives and voices in our organizations. Organizations that are not making gender equality, diversity and inclusion a core part of how they do business will be left behind. Additionally, it has been proven by organisations such as Women’s World Banking, that empowering women empowers communities. Women also have a higher repayment record of financial loans than men. We all agree that we need to build sustainable communities, and so empowering women economically needs to become a reality. Economic empowerment is not just about giving women jobs or helping them start businesses. For example, in South Africa, research shows that the ambition of women and their ability work is very high yet the number of women CEOs in the JSE Top 40 is still very low. The enabling environment needs to change for these women with ability and drive to succeed. There is need for greater efforts to remove barriers linked to factors such as education as well as support structures that enable women to participate more actively in business. In the workplace we can do more to promote Women in Leadership programs, sponsorship, mentoring, unconscious bias training and structured interviews – all of these are proven to help remove bias from the system. More needs to be done from grass-root through to Board level. 42

There is no set blueprint for a strategy. It is clear however that any drive needs to be initiated and supported from the top, where the focus should be on driving greater diversity – whether of gender, race, age, nationality or experience - for higher performance. At Thomson Reuters, we are committed to contributing to the development of women both internally and externally. We are supported by our Executive Committee. Our goal is to have 40% female representation at Executive level by 2020, up from 30% today and we back up our goal with measurable initiatives. These include: • Leadership Program for Women enhances leadership skills, accelerates career progression and creates networks at a senior level • Career Sponsorship Program designed for our highest-potential senior women ensures that women leaders are engaged to drive their profession • Emerging Women in Leadership program coaches high potential women to help realize their potential and manage their careers • In addition to these global programs, in Africa we also focus on regional development including: • ‘Lean In’ circles - over 40% of our South African female employees belong to a circle • The 30% Club Boardwalk events where we have reached 15% representation • Women in Business breakfasts where employees and clients take part in robust discussions about how to advance gender mainstreaming, disrupt traditional boundaries and drive organizational growth • 53% of our Leadership team in Africa is female, and we constantly strive to improve diversity and gender mainstreaming at all levels By addressing all the factors holding women back from full participation, we can accelerate the empowerment of economies and societies. There has to be an explicit statement and commitment from leaders towards this. Some leaders shy away because they may feel that if we talk about empowering women then we leave men behind. This is not the goal – enabling women enables all of us. We need to ensure that men and women are equal parties in the success of our businesses and societies. Imagine an Africa where talented people of all backgrounds and experiences can be themselves and thrive and succeed together – diversity is the answer. sneha.s.shah@thomsonreuters.com 43

GENDER MAINSTREAMING AWARDS 2018

G M A

6 SEPTEMBER 2018 An initiative of