Women’s Month: Celebrating the Women we Know
Over the years, we’ve been fortunate enough to work with a number of exceptional women across a range of industries. This Women’s Month, we’d like to share and celebrate the stories of Nosipho Yedwa, Sabine Lehmann, Libo-Msengana Bam and Kumeshnee West. They told us all about the ways they make a difference, the biggest risks of their careers, and what advice they’d like to give women navigating the working world.
By Inam Qoma, Business Development Director, Rothko Brand Partners
Photo: Zulfa Abdurahman speaking as panelist at the recent Women in Finance Summit at UCT’s AIFMRM
How I make an impact
“I’ve always enjoyed enabling impact through financial donations and volunteer work,” says Nosipho Yedwa, Board Member and Marketing Consultant at the Parent Centre. “I became keenly interested in contributing my time, skills, experience, and resources to partnering with organisations strongly aligned with my values.”
“It is incredibly humbling to read or listen to the stories of people to whom we offer support – and knowing that this impact will last for generations makes it all the more inspiring and worthwhile,” she adds.
For Sabine Lehmann, Founder & CEO of Curiositas, making an impact means boosting activity in the tourism sector.
“Supporting this industry can provide employment and a career path for South Africans – it literally builds our economy!” she says.
Meanwhile, Libo-Msengana-Bam, Deputy Director of the Development & Alumni Department at the University of Cape Town, says that making magic happen within certain constraints is the most encouraging and galvanizing part of her work.
“Achieving the impossible or unexpected is what drives innovation – and it is also what drives me,” she says. “I love a good challenge – and I am always inspired by the energy and creativity of young people. I like to surround myself with talented individuals who inject this ‘anything is possible’ philosophy into the work that we do.”
A risk I took (that paid off!)
“I left an employed position with no next step in place,” says Sabine. “But within two months, I used the building blocks I had collected over two decades and built my own consulting business: CURIOSITAS.”
And what about Kumeshnee West, former Director of Executive Education at the UCT Graduate School of Business?
“Applying for and then taking on a role in Senior Management at the UCT GSB – without any experience in the industry! I am 100% sure that I was selected for my can-do attitude rather than my skillset.”
A year into her tenure, she was offered the position of Acting Executive Education Director at the GSB. Soon after that, she became the Director of the Department, leading the team to significantly greater heights both locally and internationally.
Libo experienced something very similar to Kumeshnee and Sabine.
“I had transitioned into a new role, quite unlike anything I had ever done before. But my line manager allowed me complete autonomy in reinventing the portfolio – including hiring the people who I thought would be able to deliver on the new strategy.”
Much of what Libo proposed came down to instinct, industry benchmarking, and a desire to innovate.
“Things could have gone horribly wrong. But they didn’t! And that was down to taking calculated risks, and a manager who trusted that we would deliver on what we said we could do”, she says.
My advice to women in the working world
Kumeshnee advises women to know that they have been hired for what they already have – and for what they have the ability to learn.
“You do not have to spend the rest of your time at the organisation proving why you have a seat at the table. Take that chair and sit as close to the front of the room as you can! And don’t be afraid to claim your space by sharing your knowledge, your thoughts, your ideas and your opinions.”
Libo agrees: “Confidence is everything. So have absolute belief in your unique contribution, because your voice and insight matter – don’t be afraid to speak up!”
But she adds: “If you want to be taken seriously, though, you have to move beyond being a ‘big talker’ to following through on what you said you would do – and actually deliver the results.”
“Be curious!” says Sabine. “It takes you down all sorts of paths – and you get to meet all sorts of interesting people”.
Nosipho notes how important it is to know and leverage your hard skills.
“What are you good at that you can use to succeed and stick it out when it gets tough?” she asks. “Reflect regularly and evaluate your results. And if the cause is greater than you, your desire for significance helps you to stay grounded and enjoy the ride. The satisfaction that comes from living a life of significance is unparalleled.”
You may also be interested in
