Combining Talent, Determination, Training & Opportunity

OCEANA SETS A COURSE FOR women

Combining Talent, Determination, Training & Opportunity

THE WORLD OF WORK IS TOUGH; OUR EXPERIENCES SHAPE US AND THE OPPORTUNITY TO OVERCOME ADVERSITY IS AN OPPORTUNITY TO GAIN KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND LEAD.”

Bronwynne Bester embarked on a journey that would take her from the familiarity of landlocked Jozi to being responsible for nearly 5 000 people globally at Africa’s largest fishing company.

Since graduating from Wits University with an M.Com, Bronwynne’s journey to the headquarters of Oceana in Cape Town, where she is now the Chief People Officer, has seen her step way beyond what she once thought she was capable of.

“I think we place a lot of pressure on ourselves to be the best or first. I wasn’t the best, nor was I always first, but I have grit and determination, and that has stood me in good stead.”

She demonstrated this in 2009 when she was placed on a project that required her to travel to Richards Bay every week. It came at a time when she had just met her now-husband. The work was intense, and being away from home, she had no family, friends or support structure.

“I was given the opportunity to be pushed out of my comfort zone professionally, carried out tasks that I didn’t know I could do, which have added greatly to my skillset and taught me the real value of relationships.”

Today she regards the providing of skills and creating compelling careers for people who want to get ahead as one of the greatest challenges of her job.

“This is particularly pertinent for women in the fishing sector. Although globally nearly half the people who work in fishing are women,

leadership positions are typically still male-dominated.”

Some of the reasons for this is that opportunities for advancement are limited because ambitious women’s talent isn’t recognised or is ignored, they aren’t given the skills or training they need to progress, and because the industry is so sector-specific, people tend to stay in positions for a long time.

An important part of my job is to try and break this cycle, by pro-actively identifying talent and drive, ensuring it is nurtured by providing skills and training “and establishing a career path that capitalises on the investment in potential.

Focusing on leadership development, our Oceana Leadership Acceleration Programme (OLAP) in partnership with the Gordon Institute of Business Science allow employees from across the business (where 50% participation is female) gain leadership, strategic, adaptive and future-fit skills that are the basis of integrated thinking and key for talent succession planning.

“We believe that gender representation has been one of the key building blocks for Oceana’s success. True inclusion, representation, and equality come with meaningful recognition, acceptance, and appreciation of women’s tangible and intangible value in any organisation.

The proof is in the great strides Oceana has made to ensure diversity at every level. Currently, 40% of the board and 43% of the leadership team are women. In total, women make up 43% of employees of the total workforce. Despite the progress made, the everdetermined Bronwynne admits there’s still work to be done.

“As an employer, Oceana has made great strides in creating real careers for women at all levels, but we still have a way to go to make the seagoing environments compelling for women. The challenges are real, but so are the rewards.”

As for her advice for women making their way in the world: “Be authentic. Never apologise for behaving like a woman. The world of work is tough; our experiences shape us and the opportunity to overcome adversity is an opportunity to gain knowledge, skills and lead.”

Bronwynne Bester