A Path Paved with Success 

In the proverbial ‘male dominated’ project management field, an unlikely force is rising. In aviation circles, females are often relegated to being airline hostesses yet, Bongiwe Pityi, the then Deputy Director of Airport Operations, Airports Company of South Africa (ACSA) has defied stereotypes by not only being one of a few senior women in the top echelons of ACSA but paving the path with successes wherever she goes. The 2013 South Africa’s Most Influential Woman in Business and Government winner in the Public Enterprises (SOEs) sector is the first woman worldwide to have moved a live airport operation within the shortest space of time in a seamless manner. This means that Pityi had to manage and oversee the addition and upgrading of new facilities to an already functional airport without any disruptions to normal airport activity. The King Shaka International Airport in Durban, South Africa, is one of her ‘babies’ and Pityi is well on the way to adding another feather of project success victory with her most recent project, the GRU International Airport in Guarulhos, Brazil.

 

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No Margin for Error 

Entering into a male-dominated and unfriendly construction field many years ago, Dr Bridgettte Gasa, founder and managing director of The Elilox Group, had no role models to look up to. As one might imagine, it was a steep learning curve for her and one that was wrought with many lessons that were subsequently put to good use. Today, she boasts many firsts and was recently nominated as South Africa’s Most Influential Woman in Business and Government in the Basic Industries Sector for 2013. At the age of 28, Dr Gasa was entrusted with the role of executive director responsible for infrastructure development, making her the youngest person ever to hold this position. “This was a great responsibility. I had to manage a state infrastructure budget in excess of one billion rand,” she reveals. Shortly thereafter, in 2008, she was recognised as the Leading Woman Scientist in Industry by the Department of Science and Technology.

 

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An Industry Pioneer  

If one considers her most recent accolade, namely a Continental Winner at the 2014 Africa’s Most Influential Women in Business and Government Awards, to be the pinnacle of her journey, then you will have to think again. For Dr Snowy Joyce Khoza, CEO of Bigen Africa, the recognition is merely the first step towards fulfilling her mandate of empowering herself and others. Dr Khoza is a champion of women in business and has no intention of letting the baton fall until the mandate is fulfilled. True to her mission, Dr Khoza adopts a positive approach in all that she does, which includes talent development in her immediate circles, in her organisation through encouraging and rewarding excellence, as well as allowing opportunities for personal development. “Under my stewardship, leveraging the capabilities of the workforce has become a vital aspect of our business approach,” she reveals.

 

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