Top Women in Tech 2020

On the heels of the Africa Tech Week Summit 2020, after engaging with the brightest business minds and tech innovators across Africa, we’re celebrating some of South Africa’s Top Leading Women Innovators in the Tech sphere.

By Charndré Emma Kippie

TOP TECH TIPS

• We need to instate a wider range of decision-makers in organisations – this is the only way portfolios can be diversified in the future.

•Women need to be more assertive in the Tech space rather than shy away from challenges.

• Aspiring Tech entrepreneurs should not feel intimidated by formal tertiary qualifications as practical experience is favoured in this field especially.

• Women who have achieved success, and take up leadership positions in organisations, need to pay it forward, and assist other women in the Tech space with getting a foot in the door.

AFRICA TECH WEEK VIRTUAL SUMMIT 2020

Topco Media hosted the Africa Tech Week Virtual Summit and Awards Ceremony, in November 2020. The much-anticipated event allowed attendees the opportunity to interact with business leaders who are actively shaping the future of Tech and all its intersections. The event brought together more than 300 key decision makers, and provided a space to network with global peers in the tech industry, as well as the opportunity to learn from thought leaders charting the path which is accelerating Africa across the digital landscape.

Included in this year’s event, was an all-female round table panel discussion, moderated by Zanele Morrison who is a distinguished Executive Talent, Brand and Marketing Entrepreneur. The panel acted as a beacon for illuminating diversity and gender parity in the African Tech space. The all-female assembly of empowered Top Women in Tech got together this year to celebrate women’s contribution to the field, specifically, and outline strategies for getting more and more women into leadership positions in Tech and IT. Four panellists headed this discussion: Yandisa Sokhanyile, Chief Digital Officer of Konecta Pty Ltd., Alexandria Claire Procter, the CEO & Co-Founder of DigsConnect, Caitlin F Dolkart, who is the Co- Founder of Flare in Kenya, and Dr. Diana Wangari Gitau who is the Principal & Founding Member of Lens Africa, based in Kenya.

As the conversation powered on, these women provided valuable insight into current trends in Tech organisations, and offered suggestions and recommendations for diversifying Tech in Africa. What became quite clear during this important dialogue, is that there is an increasing need for bringing women from marginalised communities forward in Tech, and that organisations and leaders in the field need to get rid of the language barrier in order to empower these communities. Other important messages included the redressing of the permeating notion of ‘The Boys Club’, women needing to embrace their strong, feminine qualities in the workplace, the need for enhanced support mechanisms for women, and prejudice and bias dampening longterm economic growth.

What’s evident, based on the key takeaways from this panel discussion, is that women are no longer accepting ‘no’, forging a way beyond limiting structures and creating their own space in Tech, and building a better future for aspiring future women technovators.

HONORARY GUESTS

Along with the 2-day virtual conference, Topco Media took the opportunity to accolade the cream of the crop who are excelling within South Africa’s technological sector, awarding a few phenomenal Top Leading Women in Tech with top honours in a number of celebratory categories.

ANNA COLLARD, KNOWBE4 COMPANY

FAST FACTS

Hometown: Cape Town

Hobbies: Spending time with my kids, Yoga, running, mountain biking,painting, drawing and reading

AWARDS

• Women in Tech Innovations Throughout Africa 2020 Award for Southern and Central Africa

• Featured in the Top 50 Women in Cybersecurity – Africa 2020

• Top 100 Women in Cyber 2020globally by Cyber Defence Magazine.

• ISACA South Africa prestigiousPresident Award for 2020.

LICENCES AND CERTIFICATIONS

BSI: ISO 27001 Lead Auditor -Information Security Certification

EXIN: ITIL Foundation

Faculty Training Institute:Business Analyst Certification

ISACA: Certified InformationSystems Auditor (CISA)

BSI: ISO 27001 Lead Implementer -Information Security Certification

PCI Security Standards Council:PCI DSS Qualified Security Auditor(QSA)

IAPP - International Associationof Privacy Professionals: CIPP/IT

INTERVIEW

CONGRATULATIONS ON WINNING THE AFRICA TECH: WOMAN IN TECH AWARD! THIS IS AN AMAZING ACCOLADE. HOW HAS THIS RECOGNITION EMPOWERED YOU SO FAR?

Thank you! It is really a huge honour to receive recognition such as this award. I feel quite passionate about inspiring more young women to join the tech and security industries, and I hope to be able to use this in part to build a role model profile.

KNOWBE4 AFRICA IS THE PROVIDER OF THE WORLD’S LARGEST SECURITY AWARENESS TRAINING AND SIMULATED PHISHING PLATFORM. WHY ARE YOU SO PASSIONATE ABOUT PHISHING AND SECURITY?

The human element is one of the most important aspects of information security, but unfortunately, also one that is often overlooked. Phishing and social engineering is the most dominant attack vector used in successful breaches or hacking attempts. By addressing the social engineering and human hacking problem, the overall security maturity of an organisation can be massively improved.

Even back in 2011, when I founded Popcorn Training, I wanted to find a way to reach non-technical people and help them to understand how to navigate the security space and to protect themselves from phishing and social engineering attacks. It’s something I’ve been interested in for a long time now.

WHAT INSPIRES YOUR AMAZING WORK ETHIC?

I love learning, and in the security space, you have to learn new things every day. I also enjoy trying to simplify complicated things, which helps with content creation. Most of all, I enjoy that some of the work we do may have a positive impact on Africa’s tech and youth development.

HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT DIVERSITY IN YOUR FIELD?

I’ve worked in all male and all female teams before and the best performing ones were always the ones with a good mix of both. Diversity definitely positively influences decision making, and when male and female energies are used in conjunction, it can lead to great results. Diversity is also not just limited to genders. Having different backgrounds and ways of looking at the world helps in creative problem solving and innovation, so creating diverse teams is something we should consciously strive for, as it’s beneficial to the business at large.

WHAT ADVICE DO YOU HAVE FOR WOMEN WHO ASPIRE TO WORK WITHIN THE TECH AND CYBER SECURITY FIELD?

To succeed in cybersecurity, one needs to continuously learn. And to never stop learning, we need to work on our ability to concentrate and focus on one thing at a time. This is something that, unfortunately, technology has made very difficult to do with all the distractions it offers, and being a woman with kids, it’s even more difficult to find that space. So one piece of advice I would give young women is to hone their concentration skills through meditation, prioritise time for themselves, and to not be afraid to unleash the power they have within.

TOP WOMEN IN TECH FINALISTS

SIDDIKA OSMAN, Managing Director of Nkgwete IT Solutions

Last year, Siddika Osman was the Africa Tech Woman of The Year winner. This year, she was a finalist in the Africa Tech Awards Women in Tech and CEO Award categories. Siddika is a self-motivated black female entrepreneur, and is the primary shareholder of Nkgwete. With more than 20 years experience within the ICT sector, in companies such as Transnet IT, T-Systems and arivia.kom, Siddika’s seasoned expertise and acute business acumen are essential to the triumph of Nkgwete IT Solutions.

ACCREDITATIONS

• ITIL Service Manager

• Bachelor of Arts in Communication Science

• Financial Management

• COBIT Certification

• Gordon Institute of Business studies Leadership Development

YASHMITA BHANA, Founder & CEO of Nihka Technology Group

Yashmita Bhana was a finalist in this year’s CEO Award category. Yashmita was the recipient of the 2016 Entrepreneur of the Year Award from BWASA, and was also a finalist in the 2018 Standard Bank Top Women Awards in the category of most gendered empowered SMME. She obtained a Masters in Engineering from Wits and an MBA (GIBS). Today, she has acquired more than 20 years of experience in ICT and Engineering, and is certified in multiple Project Methodologies. Her company, Nihka Technology Group, is a Black Women Owned (BWO) enterprise and a Level 1 BBBEE contributor, with a 135% Procurement Recognition Level. Aside from her professional Tech career, Yashmita is passionate about education, acting as the Chairperson of the ABB (Quant) Education Trust for Women in Engineering, and also the Chairperson of the Dhiya Development Foundation ─ an organisation accelerating youth development in digital technologies.

JENNIFER ANNE WARD, Founder & CEO of Neighbiz

Jennifer Ward was one of this year’s Africa Tech Start–Up Award finalists. She is popularly regarded as somewhat of a serial entrepreneur, and was rewarded by Ernst & Young for entrepreneurial excellence, being a finalist Entrepreneur of the Year. Her company, Neighbiz, was launched as a platform for getting the informal sector online. Jennifer saw that unemployment was a huge concern in South Africa, but insisted that it could potentially be one of the biggest business opportunities for the country to be exposed to global initiatives. Jenifer then went on to devise the Poppalloon Marketing Strategy, and further innovations, which are now patent-pending in the USA. She previously obtained a Basic Electronics Certification from Damelin, and studied Law at the University of Witwatersrand. Jennifer’s previous company, Big Brother, was named one of the Top 300 empowerment companies in the DTI’s annual roundup. Recently, she has also added ‘published children’s author’ to her resume.

GERALDINE EVE KASAMBARA, Founder of 143 Communications

Social Media guru, Geraldine Eve Kasambara, received a nomination in the coveted Africa Tech CEO Award category, this year. She is known for being a self motivated go-getter who knows what she wants and is assertive. Geraldine’s company, 143 Communications, has been recognised as a truly dynamic digital media agency, which aids brands in growing their online presence and overall public engagement, using quintessential social media tools and digital platforms. Previously, she was a Marketing Executive at Daily News, and completed her Master of Business Intelligence (MBI) at the Chinhoyi University of Technology. Geraldine also obtained a BA Honours Degree in English and Communication: Public Relations from Midlands State University. As a strong, tech-savvy business woman, she is committed to leveraging leading information communication technologies to enhance and complement all her clients’ marketing, public relations and distribution needs.