Empowering women is an imperative, says Sindi Koyana, senior executive partner at Ernst & Young. It unleashes value through capacity and capabilities that would otherwise be lying dormant, she adds.
‘Our government has been a trailblazer for a while — not just now with the gender balance that we see in government leadership but starting in 1994 with the accelerated growth and development it gave woman executives in state-owned organisations. Government started taking women seriously a long time ago.”
For her part, Koyana empowers through mentoring. As a member of Ernst & Young, which runs a formal mentorship programme, and the International Women’s Forum of South Africa (IWFSA), Koyana has been instrumental in sharing experiences.
‘It can be time-consuming if not planned properly, and if you want to assist everyone who approaches you without setting rules and boundaries. That is why being part of a network like IWFSA allows one to share a pool of identified young women needing support.”
Koyana cautions that there are both pros and cons for keeping within your industry when mentoring. ‘Mentoring people in your own industry is usually easier because you will be sharing real experiences that are relevant and you will have insight into the challenges, developments and direction of the industry.” But, she warns, ‘you could be biased in your view because you are too close to the industry and even conflicted some times.”
Koyana has many examples of successful mentoring relationships, but one that stands out grew outside of a formal mentorship programme. ‘I met a young woman when I went to address a matric class in the rural areas of KwaZulu-Natal to motivate them before their exams. I spoke about my personal journey. After my talk this young girl came to speak to me and wanted to follow my career.
‘I assisted in the process of applying for both university and funding. She has been like an adopted daughter. I make it my business to see that Zamavezi is progressing well at UCT.
‘Because I am in the same industry and because she is a very capable girl with strong qualities and a sound value system, she has been subsequently ‘adopted’ by my firm, where she comes for vacation work. So my firm has supported me in giving me the capacity. The firm has also supported me in my participation as an IWFSA member.”