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Womentors Sessions

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A fireside chat with inspiring women

August is Women’s month in South Africa so we thought it would be a good idea to showcase all the great stories and insights that were shared at our online event held in May with a remarkable group of  leaders. The event gathered extraordinary women from various sectors and was hosted by well-known business news anchor, Nzinga Qunta.

CotlandsIgnite™ is an innovative online training platform that empowers women and equips them with an ECD level 4 qualification in early childhood education. The platform aims to improve and build skilled capacity in the ECD sector. Investing in early childhood development is important for our future workforce. CotlandsIgnite™ hosted the online fireside chat titled Womentors on Africa Day (25 May) to celebrate the remarkable work of women in Africa. 

Our guests shared their personal stories to inspire the youth to be leaders in their community and live a life with purpose! It will inevitably be future generations that propel our beautiful continent forward.

Watch the Womentors talks

Theme 1 : The role of women in Africa

What the world can learn from women in Africa. We will chat with women about the multiple roles that we play in everyday life and how we have become powerful role-models for:

  • our family,
  • our society,
  • for equal culture, and
  • for employees in our workplace.
Theme 2: How to ignite the leader within you

There is a leader in every one of us. If we want to change the world and make it better for future generations, then we need to be open to new ideas, possibilities and perspectives. To be effective leaders, we need to have a vision, be clear and decisive, inspire and motivate and be an effective role model. By sharing stories, we hope to motivate and inspire the leader in you.

Theme 3: How to live a purposeful life and impact others positively

“Life is a journey with problems to solve and lessons to learn but most of all experiences to enjoy.” Join our discussion as extraordinary women share top tips on how to achieve the big goals in your life. Living a purposeful life means aligning what you do in your life to your passion and values. Discover why investing time in learning your family heritage and embracing your culture is important to develop your self-identity.

Our speakers

Nzinga Qunta

Nzinga Qunta

Business news anchor

Nzinga Qunta is a seasoned moderator who facilitates high level conferences, events and seminars with a focus on business, entrepreneurship and innovation. Her recent work includes facilitating at the World Economic Forum’s Davos Dialogues in 2021, a discussion with CEOs and the President of South Africa on the South African economy and investment in Davos, Switzerland, MCing the South Africa Investment Conference each year since its inception.

Ashanika Perimal

Ashanika Perimal

MINING CFO SANDVIK

Ashanika is a SAICA Top 35 Under 35 Finalist and through sheer resilience and fortitude, she has conquered attaining executive positions at multinational organisations, at a very early age. With 12+ years of experience in commerce, Ashanika is well versed in business in Africa, having managed 9 African countries coupled with her vast travels and work across multitude countries outside the continent. Her commitment and passion towards leadership, innovation and achievement was recognised on a global platform. She was presented the prestigious award of Woman in Finance of Year at the Future of Finance Award & CFO Summit, in London 2020. 

Chantel Howes (Puleng) Circle

Chantel Howes

Director Puleng Tech.

Chantel is the Sales Director at  Puleng Technologies with a 20 year history of working in the information technology and services industry. 

Chantel is skilled in Business Process Design, IT Strategy and has extensive knowledge of the Software Industry and Data Management. 

She is strong consulting professional with background study of Industrial Psychology and study of marketing management.

Elouise Kelly

Elouise Kelly

COO UNIVERSAL MUSIC

Elouise Kelly has worked at some prominent companies locally, on the African continent and abroad. As a Branding, Communication and Business Strategist, she has revamped content for channels, launched brands, handled budgets of up R250 million, led various teams and successfully helped companies meet their objectives through succinct marketing strategies, including TopTV, Viacom Media Networks Africa, MTN and M-Net. 

Gloria-Nyambok-Managing-Director Circle

Gloria Nyambok

HR CONSULTING

Gloria Nyambok was the Managing Director of Kenyan Commercial Bank (KCB) in Burundi; one of largest financial services organizations in East Africa. Gloria has 25 years’ experience in banking and started her career as a management trainee in Kenya. Gloria advanced in her career and had the opportunity to work in Tanzania and Rwanda. In 2008, Gloria set-up KCB Burundi and was the first woman in the bank to become a managing director. Gloria left the bank at the end of 2020 to focus on her own HR Consultancy firm in Burundi.

Joelene Pierce

Joelene Pierce

PARTNER KPMG

Joelene is a partner in the Financial Services practice at KPMG, based in Johannesburg, South Africa. Joelene provides audit/assurance services to financial institutions. Her areas of expertise include retail banking, corporate treasuries, securities trading, investment funds and asset based securitisation structures.  Joelene is a member of the KPMG National Policy Board, Transformation Advisory Board and Financial Statement Review Committee. 

Karabo Mothapo

Karabo Mothapo

management consultant

Karabo is a management consultant at Accenture and has ten years’ experience in mining and manufacturing in the coal and platinum industries. Karabo is a mining engineer and MBA holder and is skilled in project management, strategy formulation and implementation and consults on business improvement and digital transformation in the mining sector. 

Lauren Kagori

Lauren Kagori

CONSULTANT AUXFIN

Lauren Kagori is a South African who lives and works in Burundi, East Africa. She is currently a consultant for AUXFIN International and works alongside a brilliant team to create financial inclusion opportunities for smallholder farmers through digital solutions. Previously she worked as the Country Director for Long Miles Coffee Project, a specialty coffee company operating in Burundi, Kenya and Uganda.

Lilian Oloo Circle

Lilian Oloo

Education advocate

Lilian is an early childhood education and play advocate. Lilian was the founder of the first toy library in Kenya. She also successfully launched a digital platform for kids and their parents where users can share information about the methods of children’s development. Thanks to this project, I became the Advocate of the UN Global School Program for Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) in support of the UNESCO Global Action Program for Education for Sustainable Development.

Lisa Ndikumana

Lisa
Ndikumana

LEGAL AND TAX ADVISER

Lisa Ndikumana is a legal and tax adviser at CN & Associates, a law firm collaborating with Andersen Global in Burundi. As a partner of an over a decade old full-women practice, Lisa Ndikumana is a fierce fighter of creating and sharing space with women within the fast-changing sectors of law and business.

With and only for the ladies, Lisa also leads a weekly fitness boot camp class.

Mary Nonkwelo

Mary
Nonkwelo

FOUNDER OF TEN

Mary Morolong-Nonkwelo is a founder of The Empowerment Network which has to date birthed 10 streams, TEN has tapped into the expression board having published 7 series of books called “Share your story.” 

This was a collaborative effort with approximately 150 ordinary people who shared their personal empowering stories.

Monica Stach

Monica Stach

EARLY EDUCATION

Monica Stach holds a doctorate from the University of Pretoria.  Her thesis explored the role of toy libraries in providing play-based early learning opportunities for young children.  She leads a team of dedicated and passionate early childhood experts, who conceptualised Cotlands play based e-learning course, toy library and early learning playgroup models and training courses. Her passion is creating play based early learning opportunities for young children and promoting toy libraries. 

Nicole Da Silva Circle

Nicole
Da Silva

RADIO PRESENTER

Tenacious is the best word to describe 5FM’s feisty Nicole da Silva who’s quickly become an established on-air favourite through her show. Nicole started on national radio at 21 and has been going strong ever since. Currently hosting 5FM’s weekend breakfast show, 5FM Xtra Loud Mornings. Besides presenting on radio Nicole is also an accomplished voice over artist, Emcee and Club DJ. Having studied her BSc in Biochemistry and Psychology as well as her honours in Journalism.

Palesa Tshabalala

Palesa Tshabalala

GM FOOD RETAIL

Sophie Masipa

Sophie Masipa

FOUNDER FIKIRA CONS.

Dr Theo Frendo

Theo Mothoa Frendo

FOUNDER USO SKINCARE

Palesa Tshabalala leads the Nando’s SA Brand Experience portfolio. A graduate of the Wits University Political Studies and International Relations Schools, Palesa is totally fired up about driving consistent experiences across the various Nando’s brand touchpoints – from restaurants, the menu offering, the Nando’s art initiative and Guest experiences, through to employee engagement.

A real live-wire, Palesa is active within the Social Justice arena, and is passionate about driving gender equality and workplace diversity, as well as eradicating gender-based violence.

Sophie Masipa is the Founder of Fikira Consulting, a pan-African consultancy specializing in strategic brand and communications, market-entry as well as philanthropy consulting. The consultancy, through its partnerships and footprint in over 15 countries, focuses on providing in-depth understanding of the African landscape to new entrants, devising strategies and outreach programmes for companies to position them in new markets. Sophie is also Co-Founder of Kgommu International, an infrastructure development and investment company. Prior to returning to her entrepreneurial endeavors in 2018, Sophie Masipa was the Head of Communications and Media Relations at the Mo Ibrahim Foundation.

Pharmaceutical, Clinical Research and Medical Marketing specialist with 17 years experience in the Medical field of which 10 years was with Swiss head-quartered Roche Pharmaceuticals mostly as Medical Director for Sub-Saharan Africa.

Dr Theo Mothoa-Frendo brings with vast experience in developing and launching pharmaceutical brands across Sub-Saharan Africa. She is a South African Medical Doctor , GIBS MBA graduate, Fellow of the prestigious Archbishop Tutu African Leadership Fellowship and a previous Board Member of the SA Pharmaceutical  Marketing Code.