Voices of Change 2021

JOHANNESBURG: 25 May 2021 – A drive to a more equal society is more difficult today than ever. Women are still significantly under-represented in the workplace (47 percent vs. 74 percent of men globally), with less than 10 percent making it into top leadership. South Africa mirrors these trends: unemployment rates among women are higher across all races; women are more susceptible to retrenchment; and they are paid less. To fast track gender parity, powerful organisations will come together on 5 August 2021 to share a set of values across their organisations and strengthen the value proposition of gender equality through the Voices of Change event.

"In South Africa, women account for little more than 10 percent of top leadership level of organisations – CEOs or chairpersons. Less women participate in the labour force and they are paid almost one third less than men – the current gender pay gap between men and women won’t close for a projected 217 years. Furthermore, two-thirds of people who lost their livelihoods during the first quarter of lockdown during the Covid-19 pandemic were women," says Ntombi Mhangwani, Associate Director for Accenture Interactive and Women’s Forum Lead for Accenture in Africa.

"Nedbank is proud to be part of a platform that has gained momentum in collaborating on important issues that affect women. As corporates, we use the Voices of Change movement to come together to create awareness, support each other and get access to thought leadership around Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment. As a founding partner of Voices of Change, we have demonstrated continuous support and leadership in tackling these social issues in South Africa. We are aware of the leadership disparity in the country and would like to challenge the misconception that gender equality is an issue to be solved by women and implore men in leadership positions to advocate and be that voice to support and drive decisions that change the narrative from gender inequality to gender equality," says Deshica Naidoo, Chairperson of the Nedbank Woman’s Forum.

According to Candice Dott, Co-Chair of Refinitiv (an LSEG business) Women’s Network – Africa, the company’s Women’s Networks strive to develop and retain gender diverse talent, thus promoting an inclusive business across the Group. The African Women’s Network serves our colleagues across the continent and focuses on shaping an inclusive culture which helps every person in our business feel like they belong. Refinitiv is committed to making inclusiveness a business priority and not just an initiative where leaders alone, set the tone."

For RMB, gender awareness remains a priority. "An inclusive culture not only unlocks the power of different perspectives, it also nurtures and liberates potential which results in better solutions and sustainable results. RMB embraces diversity and gender equality. We appreciate and celebrate the uniqueness that each person brings to the organisation, ensuring that the workplace is a place where everyone experiences a sense of belonging, is heard, and can make a positive impact," says Nomfundo Makaya, Human Capital Executive for RMB.

"The past few months have been extraordinary as we transitioned to new ways of working within the context of a global pandemic," says Stephen Saad, Chief Executive of Aspen Pharmacare Holdings Limited. "As a company, we are grateful to have remained relevant during times of heightened uncertainty and whilst we have witnessed change in how we conduct business, the way we work, connect, navigate and lead, we know that promoting diversity and fostering inclusion remains a social and business imperative. In our effort to be at the forefront of people practices, we have reviewed our Diversity & Inclusion framework and have added in EQUITY which plays a critical role in achieving a Diverse and Inclusive Workplace. Equity in the workplace implies that everyone receives fair treatment and equal access to opportunities."

Accenture has an unwavering commitment to equality and justice for all, and has put policies and targets in place to actively achieve our goals. As a global advocate of diversity and equality and a founding partner of Voices of Change in South Africa, the company knows that it takes collective effort to drive real, tangible change. Recently, Accenture set new goals for increasing gender, race, and ethnicity representation within Accenture South Africa. These include – by 2025, increasing representation of women managing directors from 28 percent to 50 percent; increasing Black employees from 45 percent to 68 percent; increasing representation of Coloured employees from 6 percent to 10 percent; increasing the representation of people with disabilities from 0.8 percent to 2 percent; and increasing the representation of African Black, Coloured and Indian managing directors from 39 percent to 70 percent.

"A well-rounded society is built on the inclusion of diverse voices. We are excited to be part of the ‘Voices of Change 2021’ initiative and believe that together we can make a difference. Driving conversations around diversity and gender consciousness continues to be a core focus for the bank. FNB and WesBank recognize the role we play in advancing gender equity and we look forward to the opportunity to share best practices and leverage off the collective strengths of the powerful partners involved in this event. Our aim is to drive societal impact and change as we collaborate to enhance gender parity in South Africa and in all jurisdictions in which we are represented", says Shamala Moodley, FNB and WesBank HR Executive.

For Life Healthcare, gender diversity and inclusion is an imperative to deliver the company’s vision, as a diversified, people-centred organisation. "Celebrating and empowering women in Life Healthcare is an exciting journey and gaining momentum. Partnering with the Voices of Change initiative provides us with an additional platform to accelerate this journey, and together with our Women-in-Life programme, we continue to focus on harnessing the power of a diversified workforce. Making Life Better," says Avanthi Parboosing, Chief People Officer for Life Healthcare.

Astron Energy believes that platforms such as Voices of Change are key in creating open, honest, and supportive conversations among co-workers to unleash the power of diversity by enabling employees to turn their differences in thought, knowledge, and talent into innovative ideas and practices that can drive a company forward. "The conversations can help create an engaged culture that enables men and women to form trusting relationships and motivates them to perform at a high level, which in turn will allow the company to serve an increasingly diverse customer base," says Jill Koopman, Corporate Affairs Manager for Astron Energy.

For Pfizer, the company is intentional in driving its core value of equity, recognising gender equality and as such woman empowerment. "Our true goal is an inclusive organisation where women’s voices are heard across all levels of the company, including at senior leadership level," says Rhulani Nhlaniki, Pfizer Cluster Lead for Sub-Saharan Africa. "As a Sub Saharan Africa cluster, I am proud that more than 50% of our Senior Leaders is comprised of women. In South Africa, 72% of positions across the organisation is filled by woman, whilst in East and West Africa 43% and 44% respectively constitutes woman across the team. We articulate our intent that every person be seen, heard, and cared for. Diversity, Equity and inclusion are Pfizer priorities in the first place because they are moral imperatives and because they form part of our DNA."

"As part of our commitment to foster an equitable, diverse and inclusive environment at Aspen, I am proud to inform you that I have signed a statement in support of the United Nations 7 Women Empowerment Principles. Supporting these principles means we are taking bold steps to advance gender equality at Aspen and to ensure that we foster a truly inclusive, safe and productive workplace for all our colleagues," says Saad.

According to AngloGold Ashanti Interim CEO, Christine Ramon, gender diversity is the company’s strategic imperative as the case for companies to be more inclusive has become more pressing than ever. "Inclusivity has moved beyond just being a matter of conscience, making the push for gender parity and inclusivity in the mining industry an inevitability. While the ratio of women in the mining sector is nowhere near where it should be, companies around the world are striving to undo this legacy," says Ramon.

AECI Group Executive for Human Capital, Candice Watson, believes that an equal world is an enabled world. "Therefore gender-equality is a crucial component of our ESG agenda as we strive to create an inclusive work environment of one AECI for a better world."

"I’m pleased to see the commitment and progress Accenture, AECI, Aspen, Business Engage, FNB, Imperial, Life Healthcare, Nedbank, Pfizer, RMB, Vodacom, WesBank are making in advancing their women. I have no doubt that their efforts will bring many benefits in the long run," concludes Larsen.

AECI is a diversified Group of 16 companies. It has regional and international businesses in Africa, Europe, South East Asia, North America, South America and Australia. Products and services are provided to a broad spectrum of customers in the mining, water treatment, plant and animal health, food and beverage, infrastructure and general industrial sectors.

Business Engage Association NPC is a non-profit company established in 2005. It is an exciting and inventive organisation at the forefront of strategic thinking on gender mainstreaming in the private sector. It is a collaborative of corporates working together to create the business case for gender diversity. Business Engage is the custodian of the 30% Club Southern and East Africa. 30% Club is an international group of Chairmen, CEOs, senior executives and senior partners of private sector and state-owned organisations that are publicly committed to achieving and sustaining at least 30% women on boards within a designated period because they believe it is good for the overall effectiveness of the boardroom – and therefore good for business. Focus is also placed on the pipeline development to create sustainable change.

First National Bank (FNB) is the oldest bank in South Africa. FNB represents FirstRand’s retail and commercial activities in South Africa and the broader African continent with operations in Namibia, Botswana, Lesotho, Swaziland, Zambia, Mozambique, Tanzania, and Ghana. FNB is growing its franchise strongly in both existing and new markets on the back of a compelling customer offering that provides a broad range of innovative financial services products and services, both transactional and lending, including current accounts, overdrafts, credit and debit cards, mortgage loans, personal loans, etc. FNB also provides savings, investment and insurance products. One of the banks guiding principles is to build an environment that values differences. The bank believes that diversity and inclusivity create a culture for our people to thrive. Women in the workplace are representative of our customers and society at large – and play an important and equal part in shaping our future. We are committed to building an inclusive culture that harnesses the value of diversity, of which gender balance plays an important role.

Rand Merchant Bank (RMB) is a leading African Corporate and Investment Bank and part of one of the largest financial services groups (by market capitalisation) in Africa – FirstRand Bank Limited. The bank offers its clients innovative, value-added advisory, funding, trading, corporate banking and principal investing solutions. As the Corporate and Investment arm of FirstRand Bank Limited, RMB has access to a network of retail banks in 25 African countries, including representative offices and branches in the UK, India and China. Gender equality is a key part of RMB’s overall transformation. RMB believes that both men and women have a voice in the bank and that both play a critical role in the success of its business. RMB’s gender equality programme, Athena, was launched in 2015 to create an environment where women are empowered to achieve their individual career goals, while growing the number of women in leadership in finance.