Graduation Ceremony of the IWFSA-FASSET-DUKE CE Women Leadership Programme, which took place at The Forum in Bryanston on 19 March 2024

Above (left to right): Ms Thenjiwe Majola, Process Control and Assurance Manager in Transmission; Thato Dorcas Molise, Eskom Women Advancement Programme Manager; Ms Nomusa Nkosi, Middle Manager Finance at Majuba PS; Ms Bothepa Khukhele, Finance Manager at Hendrina PS; Eskom Group Executive HR Ms Elsie Pule; Ms Zanele Motaung, Finance Manager at Duvha PS, Ms Thozama Gangi, Senior Manager Enterprises who was on the Executive Development Programme (EDP) and Ms Sarah Mashigo, PC&A Manager who also graduated from the EDP programme.

In the 2022-2023 financial year, the Finance and Accounting Services Sector Education and Training Authority (FASSET) pledged to fund over 2 000 young women from various rural parts of South Africa including KwaZulu-Natal, Eastern Cape, and Limpopo. Beneficiaries of this programme are provided digital skills training as well as mentorship from an esteemed friend of FASSET. It is expected that both the digital skills and mentorship programmes will positively impact the lives of young women by affording them a greater chance at securing permanent employment or even establishing their own companies.

As with Eskom and many similar industries and sectors, the representation of women at leadership levels in the finance sector remains a challenge. DUKE Corporate Education has a Middle Management and Executive Development Programme as part of its product offering and this has been tailored with FASSET and the IWFSA to suit the female target audience. The aim of this development programme is two-fold: to enhance the women’s business acumen in the finance sector and to enhance their leadership skills.

The development programme is facilitated by the Wits Business School (WBS) and the International Forum of South Africa (IWFSA) who in turn partnered with DUKE CE.

Over and above the formal classroom training and global immersion elements of the developmental programme, the delegates are each assigned a global mentor. The mentors are inspirational in their respects and are committed to driving the gender transformation agenda through mentoring other young women who aspire to reach similar heights in their fields in the future.

Graduation proceedings

The event was well facilitated by the academic director of DUKE CE, Ms Angie Naidoo, who led the occasion with grace and humour to honour the delegation, and also made the deserving delegates feel special.

The regional managing director for DUKE CE, Mr Stuart Griesbach, provided the opening remarks to officially welcome the partners of the organisation. In his opening remarks, Mr Griesbach shared the following glaring facts to inspire everyone to action for Gender Equality. A 2021 study by Yale University shows that only 27% of women are in senior leadership positions and that women are 14% less likely to be promoted into leadership positions compared to their male counterparts.

Mr Griesbach highlighted the fact that the best way to ensure the advancement of women into leadership positions is to foster equal opportunity for women in development, training, and mentorship. All this can be done through women in leadership development programmes in addition to the above-mentioned levers.

This is a FASSET programme and from Eskom, 20 women were enrolled with 11 on Middle Management Development Programme (MMDP) and 9 on the Executive Development Programme (EDP).

Prof Ashley of DUKE Fuqua School of Business in the U.S. was also in attendance and addressed the delegates by sharing a message from Duke; she also shared some wisdom with the women in the room encouraging them to be bold in their careers as they are capable of leading in the finance sector.

Special surprise guest

Recently appointed Deputy Reserve Bank Governor, Dr Mampho Modise made a special appearance which was a heart-warming and emotional surprise for the audience who felt graced by her presence. Ms Modise is an alumnus of the IWFSA and FASSET Women Leadership Programme as well as the recently appointed Deputy Governor of the Reserve Bank.

Ms Naidoo thanked the esteemed delegates, including the CEO of FASSET, Ms Ayanda Mafuleka, the board members of IWFSA, and the partners that were there and she closed off the event with the following words: “Chase your dream with passion and never stop striving for excellence”.

Next, the granduands will attend a breakfast event with Eskom leadership hosted by the Group Executive HR and Board member, Ms Fatima Gany, wherein the 21 participants will share career insights and transformative lessons learned in their personal and professional lives. The women are also expected to share how they intend to apply the lessons learned to advance their careers while improving the future financial state of Eskom.

The list of Eskom delegates in the class of 2023 is tabled below:

IWFSA-FASSET-DUKE CE Women Leadership Programme Class of 2023 – Middle Management Development Programme (MMDP)

IWFSA-FASSET-DUKE CE Women Leadership Programme Class of 2023 – Executive Development Program (EDP)