Left to Right: Inal Henry, Dr Rashad Cassim
100 Women in Finance’s South Africa location recently celebrated its first-year anniversary in South Africa which was hosted by Absa Bank Limited in Johannesburg on 24 July 2023. The high-profile milestone event was attended by a delegation that included among others, Dr. Rashad Cassim, Deputy Governor of the South African Reserve Bank.
In her opening remarks, Jeanette Modise, Chief People Officer, from Absa Group Limited, provided an overview of Absa’s achievements in accelerating transformation and gender equity including the advancement of female leadership through structured programs. Jeanette also spoke of Absa’s recent achievements in this regard, showcasing its commitment to this journey. Forbes named Absa as one of the World’s top female-friendly companies for 2022. Absa achieved a top-40 spot on the list of 400 global companies and is the top African company assessed in the survey.
Jeanette Modise
Janice Johnston, Chair of 100WF’s South Africa Committee and CEO of Edge Growth Ventures, delivered a keynote address that shed light on the organization’s highlights over the past year, as well as setting out a clear, inspiring and ambitious path for the future trajectory of 100WF in South Africa. Janice provided insights into the overall vision of 100WF and how South African members can benefit and contribute to the global 100WF platform. It is encouraging to see the phenomenal growth in corporate memberships in South Africa as the finance industry supports the work of the organization.
Janice Johnston
The formal speeches were followed by an interactive conversation with Dr. Rashad Cassim discussing the Macro-Economic Outlook of South Africa. Inal Henry, 100WF South Africa Committee member, moderated the discussion. It came on the back of the central bank’s interest rate decision on 20 July 2023. The conversation was informative, covering topical areas including: the role of the South African Reserve Bank in South Africa, the evolution of central bank policy, the adoption of Emerging-Market-relevant quantitative tools, the importance of orthodox policymaking and institutional independence as well as the overall state of the monetary policy environment with reference to global developments. The conversation inspired vibrant discussions in the subsequent networking segment of the evening.
Charles Russon
Charles Russon, CEO of Absa CIB delivered the closing remarks speaking about Absa’s concerted and deliberate efforts to address gender equity and transformation in the bank and why partnering with organizations like 100WF is strategic for Absa. He also thanked the participants for the informative and interactive session.
Left to Right: Ellen Kumwenda Mtine, Tebatso Matshego
The event drew together finance industry experts, mid-career professionals as well as students from South Africa’s top universities.
Left to Right: Anthea Gardner, Sarah Whitten, Dr Rashad Cassim, Janice Johnston, Mirelle Vallie, Inal Henry