Support structures for women empowerment- To encourage a supportive environment which will give women the confidence in taking on new challenges by being a member of a larger group of people operating within the industry;
- To increase the visibility and “voice” of women;
- To increase the opportunities for women in the broader industry and to create a desire for women to aspire to higher places within the industry;
- To provide a national vehicle that brings together women and to address the challenges faced by those women;
- To promote change within the environment, not because we are women, but because we have special qualities which will add value to the industry as a whole;
- Borne out also in the membership of Business Unity South Africa.
Networking- To provide networking opportunities for women to meet men and women from other organizations that they would ordinarily not have met, to make contacts and use these to either develop mentoring opportunities or business contacts;
- One example of these is our very successful Hot Tables Event that have been run monthly since July 2006 including 9 or 10 hosts that are experts in their various fields and approximately 90 – 100 members and no-member of Women in Finance.
- The idea of these evenings is to offer guests an inspirational discussion with an expert in their field in an intimate, small group environment. Events are run as learning and networking opportunities. Event open to all women and men whether they are in a corporate business of an SMME.
- Guests choose a table of ten to begin with and then move to a different table after each course of a three-course meal.
Role Modelling/Mentorship- To encourage women in senior positions, in both the professional and public life, to play an important role in changing attitudes towards women in the workplace and to show women that success is the industry can be achieved;
- To develop a group of senior individuals, men and women, that are willing to share experience and knowledge with others and who are happy to assist those coming up the ladder;
- To assist women to identify what skills and talents are required to enhance their careers;
- The Women in Finance Mentorship Programme will be launched in August 2007. The 100 experts who have been part of the Hot Tables Event are being invited to participate as well as many other volunteers.
Increase Accessibility & Training- To facilitate access to training for women in all aspects of skills required to be in business, be they soft skills or business skills or specific financial services skills;
- To show women ways to work smarter instead of working harder to get the recognition
Entrepreneurship- To actively assist in the creation of women-owned or empowered SMMEs operating in the financial services sector in line with the financial sector charter;
- To actively assist women-owned SMMEs with access to finance;
- To promote the existing women-owned SMMEs already operating in the market in an endeavour to promote growth;
- Business linkages are actively pursued. An example of this is the relationship created with Bombela. A list of the various procurement items has been received from Bombela and Women in Finance are in the process of marrying up SMMEs with opportunities and presenting these to Bombela who have not been able to access these SMMEs previously.
- Secondly, is the Winning Women Seminar sponsored by FNB which links UK Angel investors with local businesses wanting to expand into the UK.
Collaboration- To provide a forum where women can share their experiences and where challenges can be debated and solutions sought on a collective basis;
- To collectively engage on producing a strategy to promote women empowerment within the industry;
- To show women how to create wealth for themselves;
- To form alliances with other bodies or organizations with similar objectives at both a national and international level, and to leverage the relationships arising out of these alignments for the benefit of its Members;
- Borne out in the establishment of the United Businesswomen of South Africa which is the umbrella body for currently 14 organisations that have taken up membership of Business Unity South Africa.
The above objectives will be achieved bearing in mind the importance of adding value to the market in all that Women in Finance undertakes.
Whilst being a non-racial organisation the association hopes to achieve many of the objectives contained in the Broad-based Black empowerment Act 53 of 2003.
