These are the words of Deputy President Paul Mashatile, who in October 2023 said, “we agreed that there is a need to ensure that we deliberately target women to consider entering the engineering profession and encourage those who are not registered to register”.

Women in the field of engineering, infrastructure and innovation will gather at the 3rd Annual Women and Leadership conference, taking place on 28 & 29 February 2024, Hilton Hotel, Sandton, Johannesburg.

Hosted by Pinpoint Stewards this platform will feature a host of pertinent topics that will be geared towards having more women represented in STEM. Co-founder of Pinpoint Stewards, Sudhira Sewsunker says, “ we have seen a lot of changes at policy level focussing on closing the gender gap within STEM. The questions beckons, how fast will it move from talk to action and the hurdles experienced by women in the sector overcome? The conference topics have been carefully crafted and presenters were sourced and selected who have become champions in their respective disciplines and we hope to profile more of these leaders each year.”

The conference features 15 incredible women, a panel discussion, open forum discussions and unrivalled networking opportunities.

Charvinia Naidoo, head of sustainability strategy, Sasol, will give a private sector perspective: Attracting and retaining women in your workforce in the engineering, infrastructure and innovation disciplines while still remaining the employer of choice. Charvinia is an accomplished woman who has attended Insead business School, commissioned started up and Operated a Gas-To-Liquids Plant in Rural Nigeria and is part of a management acceleration programme for Senior Leader recruitment within Sasol. Civil engineer Tshegofatso Sibambato, Zutari, will be focusing on the barriers to women's entry into STEM. Tshegofatso, holds a Bachelor of Science in Engineering degree and serves as a project leader for multi-disciplinary projects. Presenting a case study on what the organisation is doing to empower women in STEM. From a micro perspective and looking at the bigger picture in encouraging more women, will be Dr Adwoa Boaduo Issaka, unit manager safety, Goldfields. Dr Issaka is a trailblazing figure in the mining industry, with a series of remarkable accomplishments. She achieved a historic milestone as the first female mining engineer in South Africa to earn a Doctorate in the field, breaking barriers as the first black South African woman to do so. Secondly, she played a pivotal role in improving Falls of Ground Safety performance in the South African Mining Industry between 2018 and 2022. Lastly, her research has resulted in the development of strategic frameworks that can assist mineral resource-rich countries in their journey towards mineral-based sustainable economic development.  Board member of CESA and founder of Pink Africa Consulting, Naomi Naidoo, will be highlighting, letting your work speak for itself and not being labelled as either a man or a woman doing the job but an exceptional worker instead. Phindi Mthambama, Africa Brewing and quality director at AB -InBev will be addressing unconscious bias in the workplace and the host of challenges facing women in engineering. Phindi is the first female Director and Partner in Supply (AB Inbev-Africa), has mentored young individuals who have become successful leaders and is a board member of the SAB provident fund.

 Other women taking to the podium include: Bernice Swarts -Department of Public Works and Infrastructure; Prudence Madiba- Eskom, Dr Mamoeletsi Mosia -NRF- SAASTA; Dr Rakeshnie Ramoutar – Prieschl - National Department of Science and Innovation; Nthwana Ngoma -SANRAL; Gugulethu Ndlovu- SANRAL; Alisha Raghoonanan- Enel Green Power; Gladys Magagula- South African National Space Agency; Sindisiwe Sono- South African National Space Agency; Raksha Naidoo- WiMSA.

Both the public and private sector have the opportunity to host a table at the event to ensure their current and upcoming talent keep abreast of the latest trends while networking and adopting best practices.

Get in contact with Pinpoint Stewards to register your team. Email info@pinpointstewards.co.za  Early bird registration until 15 December which include reserved seating, welcome pack worth R500 per delegate to thank women for their contribution to your organisation and discounted rate.

Pinpoint Stewards have 20 years’ experience in research, management and arranging conferences onsite as well as online training. They are a 100% women owned, Level 2 B-BBEE company.  Join Pinpoint Stewards on LinkedIn or visit www.pinpointstewards.co.za