Women in leadership roles SHEQ Management 14th Aug 2019 News Bureau Veritas Southern Africa inspires with a powerful team of women leaders, projecting gravitas in celebration of Women’s Day Sal Govender Bureau Veritas Southern Africa, a global leader in testing, inspection and certification, continues to spark interest in the southern Africa professional working environment. The company – renowned for services and solutions in the quality, health, safety, environmental protection and social responsibility arenas – has recently notched up gains in terms of women’s empowerment and social responsibility. According to Sal Govender, vice president of the company, Bureau Veritas has increased its female leadership dynamic considerably. Commenting during Women’s Month in South Africa, she said: “Increasing the numbers of women in leadership roles has been high on the Bureau Veritas agenda globally; and, in southern Africa, we are taking great strides to allow more women to show their mettle both inside and outside the boardroom. “We now have an engaging team of men and women on our executive that complement each other beautifully, ensuring our company is run like a well-oiled machine! Everyone brings their uniqueness to the table, thereby super-powering the outcome.” Joanne Barton Women from various professional backgrounds, ethnicities and countries add intelligence and relevance to the engineering and scientifically driven testing, inspection and certification powerhouse. Govender herself was voted by Elle magazine in 2015 as one of South Africa’s top women to work for and is a strong advocate of community building through education and social upliftment initiatives. Joanne Barton is the managing director of M&L Labs and has been with Bureau Veritas and M&L Labs for 18 years. A chemist by profession, Barton advises that technical people are often not sociable networkers and need courage to get “out there”. With an engaging sense of humour, she believes in setting high goals high and manages to keep her work/life balance despite being on call most of the time. The secret, she believes, lies in being passionate about her job. Her advice to other women who have ambitions to achieve a leadership role: “Make sure you are always true to yourself, honest in your role and clear about your goals. Never let anyone make you do what you gut says is wrong – be bold and say ‘no’. Self-respect is of utmost importance.” Neda Teghadosi Neda Taghadosi, an electronic engineer with an MBA, has recently been promoted to industry and certification director and has been with the company for six years. She is a strong supporter of keeping employees motivated and ensuring the correct people are recruited for their respective roles. In the build-up to Women’s Month, an enthusiastic Taghadosi commented: “We are indeed in very exciting times and it’s encouraging to see the gender balance in the company.” Her advice to other women who have ambitions to achieve a leadership role: “Always thank your employees for going the extra mile. Care about them, because you cannot be successful without their support. Get a mentor, you can learn so much from them … and don’t ever feel embarrassed to apologise for a mistake made!” Grace Mabasa has been with Bureau Veritas for 16 years and is the company’s government services and international trade manager. Mabasa manages and plans the operational and commercial activities pertaining to government contracts. As a leader, she believes that encouraging diverse teams to work together motivates them to recognise the strengths of their combined talents, which, in turn, enhances the success of the organisation. Time management and setting of priorities help her maintain an effective work/life balance. Her advice to other women who have ambitions to achieve a leadership role: “Work hard, strive for what you believe in and don’t give up on your dreams. Leave a legacy for tomorrow as you are writing it daily.” Grace Mabasa Emilie Bigot is the financial director of Bureau Veritas Southern Africa and enjoys a staff component of some 30 employees. Bigot is responsible for finance and purchasing for the company. Her biggest challenge is to ensure open communication channels between employees across the countries within her leadership ambit. She, too, has seen an increase in women in leadership roles since she joined the organisation five years ago. Her mid-management team are all women, of which she is proud. Her advice to other women who have ambitions to achieve a leadership role: “Hard work is always rewarded, so believe in yourself. Too many women lack self-confidence, but have excellent skills, so I encourage you, make it happen!” Beatrice Scharneck is the district human resources manager for Bureau Veritas Southern Africa and has been with the company for ten years. Her goal is to ensure employees are inspired, collaborative and engaged; thereby ensuring the company’s sustained future. Scharneck is an avid supporter of communities and corporate societal marketing. She manages to strike a balance between work and family by remembering that family is of utmost importance while still enjoying a fulfilling and rewarding career (and having fun in both). Emilie Bigot Her advice to other women who have ambitions to achieve a leadership role: “Nothing is impossible, believe in yourself. Take the bull by the horns and go for it! Keep your eye on the ball and remain focused on your dream; then strive to make it a reality.” The executive leadership team at Bureau Veritas Southern Africa now enjoys a healthy gender and demographic balance, which has made a positive impact on employee morale. The company recently completed a month-long corporate societal campaign embracing community building and giving back to those less fortunate. Mandela Day on July 18 formed an integral part of the weekly community activities around the country, paying homage to President Nelson Mandela for his inspiration and encouragement to make a difference. In 2020, the campaign will be rolled out in various African countries to further cement the culture of making a difference. In June 2019, under Govender’s leadership, the company launched the Ithemba Trust, a women’s empowerment body involved in projects benefiting girls and young women in South Africa. Aligned to the Bureau Veritas Southern Africa’s strong social awareness ethos, the trust focuses on empowering young women from previously disadvantaged backgrounds with a focus on the education of young black women in the STEM disciplines of science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Beatrice Scharneck After graduation, the company will absorb the young women into the business and upskill them with soft skills on work readiness. Enterprise development assistance will be provided to those who wish to launch their own businesses, and work will be subcontracted to them to ensure they can sustain their businesses and achieve success. The trust focuses on beneficiaries hailing from areas in which Bureau Veritas Southern Africa employees live and work. To date the trust has provided two full bursaries for students Keletso Moekona and Sanelisiwe Mabaso to study a Mining Engineering at the University of Johannesburg and BSc Biological Sciences at the University of the Witwatersrand respectively. Bureau Veritas is an avid supporter of promoting women in the workplace who will add value and gravitas to the brand and its success. Building communities and creating a sustainable future remain high on the company’s priority list. Passionate about people and improving the lives of others, Govender says: “We are dedicated to creating legacies and ultimately building a nation. We are poised to improve the lives of women; the backbone of society, and thereby bringing a steady balance to communities and workplaces.” Leave a Reply Cancel ReplyYour email address will not be published.CommentName* Email* Website Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Δ