The women of Satrix

Satrix is a strong South African brand in an investment management industry so dominated by men, it’s a welcoming fact that not only is the CEO a woman, but women make up about 50% of this team.

This dynamic group of ladies have a depth of experience, qualifications and perceptivity that brings a very special angle to a business. All are members of the WE initiative (Women in ETFs) and Helena Conradie, CEO, serves on the board of WE for the EMEA region.

Helena and COO, Jenny Albrecht, each have more than twenty years of investment industry experience, most of which spans specialised indexed investments. While their current focus is on driving the Satrix business, they have been involved in all aspects of index investing, from product development to portfolio management. They have passionately guided the direction of the Satrix brand over time, so that when the Satrix 40 ETF was awarded “The People’s Choice” for two consecutive years, it was certainly a highlight. This reflects the considered and empathetic approach the company has taken when positioning products and speaks to the very feminine quality of care which runs through the entire team.

Surprisingly, most of these women didn’t choose finance, it’s more likely that finance chose them. But once introduced, they knew that working in this fast-paced and rewarding environment was where they wanted to be. It isn’t, however, without its drawbacks and South Africa, like many countries, has a way to go before women feel complete equanimity in the workplace.

When asked how it feels to be a woman in the workplace, Lauren Jacobs, Portfolio Manager and a mother of two, replied, “I saw a cartoon once where women and men, dressed in work attire, are at the starting block on a race track. The lanes in front of the men are clear but the lanes in front of the women are littered with various obstacles like laundry, cooking utensils, etc. Working women have much more to do than just attend to their work at the office and not all men have an appreciation for the mental load women carry other than their work efforts, yet women are as productive and efficient even with the challenges we face outside of the workplace.”

There is an unspoken understanding among this ‘sisterhood’ that they bring empathy into the workplace and a deeper understanding of the unseen challenges women and men alike face outside of the office. This can bring a level of much needed tolerance into a pressured environment. They all feel women may be better equipped to bring cohesion into teams of distinct individuals.

Demands and joys of family and friends are also very important to these ladies as they strive for better work-life integration. Most of them would like more flexibility in the workplace without the concomitant scrutiny but they all have ways of letting off steam that are as diverse as they are. You would be surprised to learn there’s a photographer, a flower arranger, an interior decorator and maybe not so surprising, a few readers among them too.

So next time your ETF dividends arrive, you’ll know they have been invested, calculated, paid over and reinvested by these ladies!

Left to right: Sunita Takurpersadh (Head of Operations), Thembeka Khumalo (Client Relationship Manager), Helena Conradie (CEO), Jenny Albrecht (COO), Lauren Jacobs (Portfolio Manager), Nonhlanhla Mphelo (Portfolio Manager)