Despite South Africa’s attempts to even out the playing field between men and women in leadership, the country still has a long way to go. Reports have shown moderate improvement in the appointment of women at executive level but have remained conspicuously unchanged at CEO level.
Stereotypes about women have led to the underuse of female talent, limiting many companies’ potential considering that women provide the much-needed balance in company decisions. Many still see women as only limited to their gender-based roles and fail to appreciate their beauty which is not only limited to their looks.
Leadership abilities should be measured by an individual strengths and personality traits. Women’s potential and abilities are undeniable as they are just as qualified as men but also possess feminine qualities that make them even better leaders.
Though many companies have adopted gender policies to propel transformation, the corner office remain the frontier for South African women with only a fraction of South African businesses having a female CEO (Jack Hammer, 2018). Given the opportunity, South African women have shone bright, producing evident transformation within the companies they lead. Research even shows that gender- diverse companies are more likely to perform better than male dominated teams. Female-led companies deliver 63% better returns (Olsen, 2018).
Maria Ramos is one of the big names of female excellence in South Africa. She had been the CEO of ABSA Group for 10years before her resignation in January this year (2019). The ABSA Group’s employment equity for both black women and men in senior management position improved drastically under her leadership. By so doing, automatically improving the gender balance within the group’s leadership position. Despite a challenging backdrop, ABSA Group reported an increase in revenue and earnings of 4% and 3% respectively for 2018 under Maria’s leadership (ABSA, 2019). Naspers, the most valuable company in Africa has newly appointed a female CEO for its South African unit (Kazeem, 2019).
Phuti Mahanyele- Dabengwe has taken over from Maria Ramos as the only female CEO to run a JSE top 40-listed company. Her appointment has seen her into history books as the first black female CEO of Naspers. The future seems bright for women in leadership as more companies now seem to recognize women’s capabilities. Phuti graduated from Rutgers University in the US with a BA Economics, and an MBA from De Monfort University in the UK. The 48-year-old has held many leadership positions serving on several boards including those of Vodacom, Gold fields and Comair which she led successfully hence her recognition. She has held the CEO position at Shanduka before, but her recent appointment is the best yet. The Wall Street Journal named her the “Top 50 women in the world to watch in 2018” while The World Economic Forum selecting her as a Global Young Leader in 2007 (Fin24, 2019).
South African women seem to be operating at an international level even though they underestimate themselves.
Gail Kelly the former Chief Executive Officer of Westpac Banking Corporation said when she was appointed, she did not think she was ready (The Austrailian Business Review, 2014). Despite her doubts, she demonstrated her capabilities though out, leading to her regular feature on Forbes’ list of the most powerful women. Westpac is Australia’s first and oldest banking institute and one of the country’s big banks. During her resignation, Gail mentioned that she was to focus on her global commitments that included being a board member of the International economic and financial issues, global adviser on the board of the United States Council on Foreign Relations and is vice-president of the International Monetary Conference (Keating, 2014).
PwC (PricewaterhouseCoopers) recently announced its first female CEO Shirley Machaba. Even other male leaders have acknowledged her leadership skills. Dion Shango said, “PwC believes Shirley has the leadership skills, experience and influence to lead Southern Africa in the coming years” (PwC South Africa, 2019). The Chartered Accountant has over 26 years of internal and external audit, risk management, compliance and governance experience in the public and private sector (PwC South Africa, 2019). The woman boasts as 2013 Africa’s ‘Most Influential Woman in Business and Government Awards’. In February 2018, she was named the overall ‘Women Professional of the year’. Who could match that!
Sizakele Mzemela has an astounding work experience in leadership positions. She has saved in many executive and CEO positions giving her the competitive edge as compared to her male counterparts. Currently Siza is the acting CEO of SA Express airways since August 2018. She has over 20 years experience in aviation, which made her the best candidate for the position when compared to other possible candidates. eing a wife and a mother to two daughters has never stopped her from reaching greater heights. Sizakele is the former CEO of the national Carrier, South African Airways as well as regional airline, South African Express. She currently chairs the board of JSE-listed Company Cargo Carries and serves as Non-Executive Director on the board of JSE-listed Technology Company. Forbes magazine listed her as one the most powerful African women in 2011 (Nsene, Forbes, 2011)
The women mentioned above are sources of inspiration to many women who aspire to reach high leadership positions. The women have presented exceptional leadership skills weakening gender bias limitation. But the country needs to do more. Though South Africa and the world at large still has a long way to go with regards to gender diversity, all companies need to adopt gender diverse policies to dilute the ‘Old Boys Networks’ with more ‘Golden Skirts’. All male leaders need to be educated about the benefits this has for the company as opposed to just meeting gender equality requirements. Companies’ performance depends on it.
It is unarguable that leadership selection should be merit based. However, transformation must begin at lower levels to allow for talent identification. This will make it easier to include women on the top leadership levels that have always been male dominated.
