PRETORIA Portland Cement (PPC) hosted its first annual Women’s Forum Conference, and encouraged its female employees to achieve their ambitions and become mentors to each other, without competing with their male counterparts. The conference formed part of PPC’s Women’s Forum, whose objectives include; providing a platform for women in the workplace to voice issues that directly affect them, share ideas, inspire and learn.

The growth path for female employees at PPC has expanded and over the last decade, the company has seen a 67% increase in its female staff ratio and a four-fold increase of women in management roles. To date, PPC employs more than 400 female employees and aims to achieve a 26% female demographic by 2016.

Keynote speakers at the conference were Dr Mamphela Ramphele, founder of Citizens Movement for Social Change; and Chairperson of the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC), Monhla Hlahla, who emphasised the importance of having the ability to standout as individuals and as women. “It is time that we put ourselves first, as there can never be a ‘we’ without a ‘me’. We often go on a journey of healing that allows us to unleash our energy to become transformative agents for our society,” Dr Ramphele said.

Other speakers included Dr Namane Magau, CEO of B&D Solutions; Janet Brewis, Director at the National Treasury; and Karen Fitzsimmons, CEO of Advacos Ltd. Each presenter shared a wealth of knowledge and expertise in their respective fields with topics varying from self-leadership, self-awareness, and financial wellness. The PPC Women’s Forum was established with the aim of representing a change agent in PPC when it comes to attracting, nurturing, and advancing women’s talent to effectively lead PPC, whilst providing influential leadership towards diversity in the organisation.

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