My report will seek to provide some insights into the BWA’s past, present and future. The BWA is currently going through some exciting times and it is our hope that our vision for the organisation will become a reality and that we will achieve our ultimate goal which is to reach out and touch each and every businesswoman in any and every way possible.

Strategic Changes

We started off this year with a passion and a drive to inject more life and more excitement into our association. So, in keeping with our strategic objectives and vision, we recently announced a restructuring of our executive leadership.

Former Executive Head, Mama Angie Makwetla will now fulfill the role of Stakeholder Relations Officer, while former Chief Operating Officer (COO), Yvette Montalbano has taken up the position of CEO. The search is on for a new COO who will work with the team in implementing the BWA’s strategy and business plan.

These changes were brought about by the need for a more robust approach in leveraging the right stakeholders in order to assist the BWA to become the organisation that truly inspires and empowers women.

Mama Angie Makwetla has vast experience in stakeholder and strategic relations and she is a luminary in the field of public relations. With her leadership skills and her wealth of experience, we are excited that in her new position she will take the BWA to new heights and help us to illuminate the image of our organisation.

Yvette has proven to be a leader with strong strategic direction and vision. Her amazing passion and enthusiasm for female empowerment in the corridor of business is certain to resonate with members of the BWA as we face new challenges in the field of business. She is a trailblazer who is certain to give new impetus to the role of the BWA going forward.

We are all very excited about these changes and both Mama Angie and Yvette are really looking forward to getting things rolling.

The Past Year

The past year has been a good one for the BWA which continues to grow from strength to strength. As you are all aware, myself, Mama Angie, and Yvette took over the reigns of the BWA early last year and whilst we are all businesswomen in our own right, we were still very wet behind the ears in terms of how to effectively and efficiently run the country’s largest association of businesswomen. We came in with big ideas and a renewed vision for the BWA and as a result of your continued support and your words of encouragement we are well on our way to making that vision and those plans a reality.

The BWA Vision

We speak of a renewed vision, but what exactly is it? I think it is important that I provide an expanded explanation of where your executive team sees the BWA five or ten years from now.  In all its simplicity and bareness, we simply want the BWA to cater for the interests of every single businesswoman in this country. We want to move away from the misguided perception that the BWA caters to a few elite women who already have a lot going for them. Our vision therefore encompasses reaching out and providing assistance to the wife of the Afrikaner farmer who runs a small stall at the side of the road selling various farm products, or the old lady who sells sweets in the dusty streets of the township, right up to the polished female CEO of some large corporation.

The BWA has to be inclusive otherwise we are failing not only our members, but every single woman in this country who engages in business at all levels.

New Branches

In this regard, efforts will be stepped up to ensure that more branches are opened nationwide to accommodate what we envisage will be a steady growth of our membership figures. With the opening last year of a new branch in Rustenburg we hope we will be able to impact positively in the lives of businesswomen based in Rustenburg and its surrounds.

We have stepped up efforts to get the Soweto branch fully functional. This is currently the only branch that is operating within the confines of a township and we are very excited about its development and the great things that it will do for women in the area. Just a few weeks ago we held a Budget Analysis Event there and we were very encouraged by the turnout and the interest shown by the women. There is so much potential and so much enthusiasm from small businesses in the area. And that is just Soweto. What about other townships and other small towns where the same hunger to acquire business skills exists? We would be doing ourselves a disservice if we just sat back and did nothing to unleash that potential.

Women in Corporate Leadership Census

We are hoping that this year’s Women in Corporate Leadership Census will reveal some exciting trends in the corporate landscape. Over the years we have witnessed a slight improvement in the empowerment of women in the corporate arena however the battle is far from being won. As we focus on  nurturing women at grassroots level and indeed young women in high school and university, we hope that 10 years down the line the census will be telling us a different story.

We are planning to introduce a new element to the census. ‘Women in Government.’ We realized that leadership is not only confined to the corporate sector, but to the echelons of Government too.  We need to make our government just as accountable as Corporate SA when it comes to gender transformation and empowerment.

Businesswoman of the Year Awards

It’s almost that time of the year again when we honour and recognize the country’s outstanding businesswomen through our annual Businesswoman of the Year Awards which will be held on the 31st of July in Johannesburg. Calls for nominations will soon be made and we encourage all of you to nominate those peers whom you believe truly stand out in the business arena. Running alongside BWOYA will be the Regional Business Achievers Awards, regional events that recognize women doing it for themselves at regional level. Again, be sure to nominate those women in your community whose hard work and determination deserves some validation.

White women empowerment debate

The past year has seen the BWA being more proactive and responsive with regards to national issues that impact on women. The Employment Equity Commission’s Report was one such issue which generated debate regarding the over representation of white women at management levels, according to EE benchmarks.  Whilst we fully support the efforts of the EEC we however implored the Commission to look at the issue from another angle. Our argument was that women as an entire gender group have always been disadvantaged and until the broader issue of gender equality has been addressed, it is premature to use race as a defining factor.

We held a Roundtable Discussion with the Chairman of the EEC, Mr. Jimmy Manyi where both parties were able to debate the issue at hand.  The meeting was followed by a workshop in early December which brought together numerous stakeholders. Although there are still dissenting voices on the matter, we feel that our voice as the BWA has been heard and we hope the EEC will consider our concerns and come up with policies that do not in any way discriminate against women as a result of their race, colour or creed.

Open Letter to President Mbeki

Crime is of incredible concern to all of us. We can not allow criminals to take over this country. The BWA addressed this issue by drafting an open letter to President Thabo Mbeki lamenting the intolerable levels of crime in South Africa. It has now reached a point where enough is enough. We need to stand up and do something. Each week hundreds of South Africans are forced to leave their home country out of fear for their lives and those of their children. Imagine all the businesswomen who have or are planning to leave. Imagine the huge groups of young, potential businesswomen - white, black, Indian, coloured - who board planes every day to seek safer pastures overseas. Their departure takes us back several steps in our fight to empower the women of this country. What then is the point of screaming at the top of our voices that we want gender equality in the business arena if some of those same women whom we scream for are leaving in their droves?

We seriously need to address the issue as a matter of urgency and we should all play our part and contribute to making South Africa a safer place to live and work.

Focus Groups

As part of efforts to bring added value to our membership base, last year we hosted  the first of what we hope will be a series of industry specific focus groups, dubbed ‘Power Events’. These events are designed to bring together women from various industries and professions for the purpose of providing information about careers and business opportunities in particular sectors, as well as encouraging dialogue.
 
We are hoping to carry this initiative further this year by hosting more focus groups focusing on Women in Finance, Women in Construction, Women in Mining and Engineering, Women in Energy, and Women in Media and ICT.

Circle of Champions

Our ‘Circle of Champions’ will be put hard to work this year as we attempt to ensure the successful transfer of skills and knowledge. The group comprises of former Businesswoman of the Year award winners as well as respected and successful businesswomen, all of whom have something to offer to aspiring or established businesswomen. Each Champion is tasked with spearheading a project of her choice under the BWA banner, and it is each Champion’s responsibility to ensure that her project is a success and that its intended goals are achieved.

Way Forward

The BWA will continue to be a voice for those women whom we represent. We will continue to fight for our rightful place in business and we will do what it takes to guarantee that our fight is not in vain. Let us work together so that we can give our daughters and granddaughters and all future generations of girl children those opportunities that we never had because of our genetic make up.

Farewell

BWA bids a fond farewell to Jane Stevenson , The Regional Chair for Port Elizabeth. Thank you Jane for your passion, commitment, enthusiasm and true professionalism over the years. You have served BWA with your heart and soul, and for that on behalf of BWA, I say thank you. May your star continue to shine and may you go from strength to strength. Wishing you everything of the best.