On the 20th of July, 2023 we held our Women in Finance Leadership Series Roundtable event at the CABS auditorium. The theme of this event was “Role Models and Inspirational Leaders” and in line with this, we were very honoured to have women leaders within the finance sector join us as speakers and share their stories and experiences with guests. Our guest speakers were Patricia Nyazenga, the Divisional Director of Group Credit Management at FBC Holdings, Kudakwashe Mswaka, the Head of Strategy and Reporting at Old Mutual Limited and Patricia Chizengeya, Head of Sales and Commercial Services at Steward Bank.
These three ladies spoke on the importance of guidance and mentorship from a young age in order to inspire and guide young women so that they are able to recognise and carve out a solid path to their dreams no matter what they may be. They also spoke on the need for greater solidarity amongst women in male dominated spaces where women are already recquired to work twice as hard to achieve the same positions as their male counterparts.
A central theme throughout these talks was the reality of women needing to balance their personal lives with their professional lives. This is something that we are often required to do with little support whilst still being expected to produce results on both fronts.
Women were also urged to prioritse their mental health and find time in their lives to pursue interests and hobbies that fulfil them and help them to reset. Patricia Chizengeya also emphasised the importance of a positive mindset which can be achieved through the power of:
- Positive Affirmations.
- Forethought.
- Investment in excellence.
We also took this convening as an opportunity to launch our New Faces New Voices Mentorship Programme throigh which we will be identifying mentors from our database and profile booklets and pairing these ladies with knowledge aspirants (mentees). This is a truly exciting time for us as New Faces New Voices and we will be meeting with our first cohort in October of this year.
Mentorship needs to start from a young age so that you begin to have dreams and follow a path that gets you to where you need to be
~ Kudakwashe Mswaka
