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Hello, and welcome to the Standard Bank CIB |
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Why She Leads podcast. |
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My name is Nzinga Qunta, |
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and I'm so pleased to be hosting conversations |
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with some of the most successful deal makers |
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inside Standard Bank CIB. |
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The women that we are interviewing really
are changing the face of banking |
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and what it means to be an investment banker
with an innovative and fresh thinking. |
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Joining me today, |
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Executive Head of Strategic Partnerships |
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at Standard Bank Group, |
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Lindeka Dzedze, |
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thank you so much for your time |
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on Why She Leads today, |
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So excited to speak to you. |
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00:42
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Whenever people speak to you, |
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the one thing that you're so proud of |
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is where you come from
and how that shapes you, |
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Tell us about that. |
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Thank you Nzinga for having me. |
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I often introduce myself as |
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a child from the dusty villages
of the Eastern Cape, |
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but a proud child of Africa. |
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I think I'm proud of my roots |
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I think I'm proud of my roots |
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because of the people that have raised me
and the sacrifices that they've made |
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and also the talent that comes
from the most unexpected places, |
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especially in the world of today,
where the expectation is that |
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for those that succeed,
I probably would have had to go onto |
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expensive private schools, have come out |
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from Ivy League universities overseas |
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and also expected
to speak the Queen's English. |
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I like the element of surprise
of knowing that actually |
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we come in all shapes and sizes
and people from everywhere |
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actually have a chance to succeed. |
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It's not an easy route though, |
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If you're saying |
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coming from the dusty villages
or from a township, |
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if you don't have a lot of resources
behind you to make it up |
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to be the Executive Head
of Strategic Partnerships |
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or similar positions,
what's that journey like? |
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I guess firstly, to get to university,
it is a struggle |
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in terms of you have to,
you uproot yourself from the rural areas |
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to the metropolitan areas
where the universities are. |
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Often times you have to look for resources
financially to be able |
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to afford your education. |
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02:23
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And I guess in my space when I started,
there were no internships |
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or graduate programmes, and back in the day,
there was no BEE, |
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so you didn't have to employ
someone like me. |
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So you have to make
it happen for yourself. |
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I guess I always say from every hardship
that I've gone through, |
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there's been learnings
that I've actually used them |
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as a stepping stone to where I am, |
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So I went to university in KZN,
and I first worked there in tourism. |
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I enjoyed it very much. |
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I get tipped in foreign currency,
at the time |
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I don't think there was any regulation
at the time in terms of certificates, |
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they came after. |
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I'm telling my age now, |
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so I enjoy meeting people, I enjoy
talking to people, I enjoy learning, |
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and you get exposure to people
from across the globe, |
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from across different cultures. |
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It was a big, |
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enjoyable experience
for me and it opened up my world. |
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Moved to Johannesburg,
while I was starting, |
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I got exposed to,
I guess, financial markets |
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and that was of big interest to me,
especially if you realise if you look at |
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who controls the power
or who gets to make the decisions. |
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And at the time, |
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you know, we were still very much
in the early stages of our democracy. |
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So it was important for me to make it in
the space where I could make a difference. |
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I guess finance was the natural, |
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I guess, route for me to take. |
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And I came to Johannesburg. |
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At the time, |
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I don't think you will remember,
you had to work with recruitment companies |
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and you have to, you know, put your CV in
and they'll send you for roles. |
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And that's how I find my job by actually
asking to be placed at the reception, |
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reason being
that I've got the gift of the gab. |
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Everybody, the CEOs come in
and that's genuinely how I landed my job. |
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Okay, so there's an aspect of tenacity
in your rise, |
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and then there's also a quote
that you said you like from Einstein |
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about opportunity
coming from difficult circumstances. |
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Tell me about that. |
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I always say
my journey was not linear. |
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As I said, there were no graduate
programmes, there were no internships. |
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And when I found my niche,
I started in corporate finance |
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and we worked with some of the best people
from across the globe. |
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The company that I worked for
was a merchant bank at the time, |
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and I remember the guy who headed up
private equity was a drama major, |
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and the guy who headed up capital markets,
I think was a literacy major, |
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and at the time I was working with |
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people from across
predominantly the UK, Europe somewhere, |
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and were based in Sandton. |
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And one of the key things that they
drummed into us was that |
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if you've been to university,
if you've got a university degree, |
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youve basically been taught critical
thinking. |
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youve basically been taught critical
thinking. |
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To think, internalise is a result. |
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We're all... nothing is rocket science. |
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We're all... nothing is rocket science. |
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Everything can be learned, |
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and we got into that space
where it was really not necessarily |
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just your background in education, |
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it is what you make
of the opportunities in front of you, |
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Okay. |
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and that's really how I found my role
during the Asian crisis, |
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if anyone remembers that, the Asian crisis
in 1998, |
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working with people that were doing
major deals |
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on the continent,
and that was the opportunity for me. |
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Yeah. |
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You studied law. |
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Yes, I did. |
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Then you went to tourism? |
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No, there was a gig
just to gig just to keep employed. |
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So you studied
law and ended up... |
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In finance. |
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in finance. |
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And I think there's a lesson in that
that just because you do one thing, |
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you're not limited to do that thing. |
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What's the lesson there and how has that
helped you throughout your career? |
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I think we often think,
and I think this is for me |
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is important, because I was listening
to... allow me to please digress a little bit. |
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06:12
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to this show on the radio |
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06:13
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when I was driving to work the other day
and they were talking about |
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the professions
that exist today may not exist tomorrow, |
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and teaching our kids
to find things that they lean towards |
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06:24
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because you may go and study
a certain degree |
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and you may not end up in that field,
you find in our spaces now, |
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you've got engineers,
you've got doctors. |
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And I think for me it is...
and everyone at the time |
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was telling me that, they only employee
in the space that I want to be in, |
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in finance, that only looking for people
with accounting degrees |
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and I didn't have one. |
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And I guess at the time,
the perspective that I had |
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was that if I could get in,
I know the stuff that I've got, |
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capabilities that I have
that I know will get me far. |
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And I guess I really got into that space |
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and I end up having those people
working for me right here. |
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If you're talking about listening
to the show on the radio |
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and the careers of today, I know you're
also a mom, so you're not just |
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thinking about yourself,
you're thinking about your son. |
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My son. |
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What kind of a world he's going to be in,
what kind of a work |
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environment he's going to be in. |
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How do you balance
that alongside your career? |
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It's funny, I always say, |
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tell people my son, is possibly
he's actually my greatest achievement. |
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Raising a balanced young man
in today's world, |
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knowing exactly what our boys are faced
with is actually a great challenge. |
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I've raised a person that I like. |
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You know, you love my kids,
but I really love like my son. |
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And funny enough, we're talking about
studying one thing and doing another. |
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My son, went to university,
he was doing economics |
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ended up doing his master's in that, |
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and he decided that he doesn't like anything about
our environment, |
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his hobby is coding, |
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and I told him that
I'm not going to pay for coding, |
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and he wanted to go back and I said no,
this is what we paid for. |
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If you really like coding, find a way to
make it an employment opportunity for you. |
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08:05
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He's a self-taught coder, is a software
engineer. |
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He's working at Investec and he loves it. |
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So it that's not what
he went to university to study. |
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He's a software engineer today |
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and I guess it speaks to,
it is the skills that you pick up, |
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what is important to you,
how you are able to craft that, |
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just be, you know, be an advantage. |
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So one of the things that
they liked about him |
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is that he's got the financial acumen, |
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the business acumen
to understand the environment |
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and the solutions that hes providing
at Investec, the financial institution, |
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but in a coding or developed works. |
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You are helping mold him |
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and shape his journey to success, |
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who did that for you? |
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My mom. |
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My mom passed away at 39. |
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You know, it's funny
because she doesn't age in my head |
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and she was a very, very strong woman. |
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I laugh now because I realise I'm just |
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like her, which I didn't
think was going to be the case. |
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But in all honesty,
I've been surrounded by very strong women |
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in my life. |
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And also my dad
was a very important influence, in that |
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09:15
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I guess there were no roles for girls
or roles for boys |
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when I was growing up. |
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09:21
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I was telling the story
the other day that I used to do banking, |
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09:25
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not banking the way you think it is now, |
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but literally go and pay debit orders
for the cars that we own. |
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There were no debit orders, |
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09:32
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you have to go make a monthly payment
at Toyota, |
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yes, at the dealership. |
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Go to the bank and deposit the cash,
go there with a big canvas bag, |
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paper clips, silver packets |
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I don't think people even relate
to what I'm talking about. |
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09:46
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But that was banking. |
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But that actually taught me a lot
in terms of being entrepreneurial |
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at a very young age. |
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So I started doing that when I was six,
seven because we had a business at home. |
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So it's amazing the little things
you pick up along the way |
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that shape your thinking. |
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10:00
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So I grew up in a space where my dad was
working, my mom was working, |
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and we had our little supermarket
and that was my life. |
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Every day after school, I went
and helped at home and it was fun. |
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10:13
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I used to have a,
because I was too short, on the counter, |
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10:17
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I used to stand
on a stepladder |
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and I'll be cashing in money
making payments, |
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10:21
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I guess that's where the love
of the things that I do now comes from. |
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You speaking about
how in the beginning of your career |
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it was also the beginning of democracy, |
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and so when we are looking at the financial
services sector, particularly at that time, |
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I imagine there were not
a lot of people who looked like you? |
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10:41
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No, which is why |
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10:43
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I always say
to people, representation matters |
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10:47
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and the role of mentors
is actually incredibly important. |
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10:51
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And I often tell people it doesn't
have to be a person that you know and see, |
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it could be an inspirational story
or someone that you read about |
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in the book. |
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10:59
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So when I started, it was
I mean, it was way back in the day, |
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I was the only person of colour, |
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I was the only female
and I was the youngest. |
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11:10
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But I worked with some incredible people, |
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11:13
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and I think that's where my DNA |
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11:15
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from a sales and trading environment,
because trading |
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is predominantly like a male
dominated field, |
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and it's also like |
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sink or swim, its very competitive |
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and also being in a trading space
and especially I was in equities, |
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being able to see your PNL
and what you make immediately, |
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so there's a bit of a drive in there, |
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there's fun and also
youre driven to do things, |
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are driven to find an opportunity
to look for ways |
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to work with your clients, to solutions,
so that you can get more of their business. |
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So it was not it, was not,
I guess at a time when BEE was a thing, |
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11:59
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it was, I think the only thing that I can
think of that I always say |
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12:04
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when I think of the hardships
being an advantage, |
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12:06
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is that, I really had to prove myself,
demonstrate my worth |
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12:13
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and actually get clients
wanting to work with you, |
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12:16
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and I think for me
that's the best currency when it's not |
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12:21
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your colour, its not your gender,
but it's really what you're able |
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12:24
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to deliver that draws people
to want to do business with you. |
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12:28
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At the time, if you look back, I mean,
I was in equities, all the clients were |
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12:31
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predominantly, if you look at the asset
managers back in the day, |
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12:36
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were predominantly white males,
and the only women that were there.. |
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12:40
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I remember
Jackie Tetlow at Old Mutual, |
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12:43
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Heather at Foords Asset Management,
but predominantly it was males, |
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and I actually had an amazing time. |
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12:51
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So not a lot of pressure
psychologically then |
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12:54
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and then your job now also, I imagine,
very high pressure as a dealmaker. |
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How do you deal with that? |
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13:00
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Aaah...my son always says I don't |
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13:03
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have a switch-off button, |
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13:07
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but the role |
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13:11
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that I currently occupy, I crafted, |
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13:15
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because I saw an opportunity
and I saw a gap, |
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13:19
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and it is the most fulfilling thing
that I do. |
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13:23
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And I always say, for me, it's
almost like purpose-led banking in that |
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13:28
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the solutions that we craft
and the investments that we work on |
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13:32
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have a huge impact, in that |
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13:36
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I think that's the biggest differentiator. |
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13:38
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There also is a solution that we as commercial
banks wouldn't be able to do on our own. |
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13:44
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So there's a blended finance element
in that |
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13:46
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working with DFI, where we can find
opportunities on the continent |
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13:50
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as far as reduced cost
than we would and for longer data tenets, |
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13:53
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but these are things in student
accommodation in agriculture, |
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13:57
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and that's the stuff for me
that has a real impact. |
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13:59
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You talking about food security,
you talking about education, |
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14:02
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so soft and hard infrastructure,
and for students. |
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14:07
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And so to me that is, its hard work |
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14:10
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but at the same time is
fulfilling, is rewarding, |
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14:14
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so you working towards something that you
know genuinely has an impact in someone, |
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14:19
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or changing |
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14:21
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making a difference in a space
that matters |
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14:24
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that will not only be felt by you,
but for others to come. |
|
14:28
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Do you think your background plays
a part in your |
|
14:31
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crafting that role
and trying to make sure that more people |
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14:35
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who may have a background like
you have access to opportunities like you? |
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14:40
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I come from a place where there are people |
|
14:43
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who are potentially
were better academically than I am, |
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14:49
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but I was lucky enough to be raised
by parents that prioritised education. |
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14:55
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It doesn't mean others didn't,
but maybe as a person |
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14:58
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have the resources to do so. |
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15:01
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So those people, it's heartbreaking,
because I've got people |
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15:03
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that I grew up with that are looking
for work for me to clean my house. |
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15:07
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So I'm always mindful that whatever we do
has had to be an opportunity |
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15:12
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to generate jobs, |
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15:14
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to be able to afford people |
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15:17
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education, afford people homes. |
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15:20
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So it doesn't feel like work
when you look at it that way |
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because you're fighting for something
that I wish I had |
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15:28
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or somebody else that I knew
that somebody else is desperate for. |
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15:32
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So that's the rewarding part,
and as the background |
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15:36
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because, I mean, you know,
I always say to people, |
|
15:39
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when I go home, |
|
15:42
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I always get filled
with so much gratitude. |
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15:45
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I mean Johannesburg, I'll complain
about the potholes, I'll go home |
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15:49
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I mean, I'll have to stop my car, |
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15:51
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there's a big rock, |
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15:53
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it takes me forever
to get where I need to. |
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15:56
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Most people don't have electricity,
during COVID and during lockdown, |
|
16:01
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kids in metropolitan areas,
were studying off-line, |
|
16:05
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kids in the villages
do not have access to education. |
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16:08
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So if you think about that
and you think about if you're doing it, |
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16:14
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you have an opportunity
to change something. |
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16:17
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So there's a lot that we can do in terms
of bringing about |
|
16:20
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economic empowerment
for people, and opportunities. |
|
16:23
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And I always say those of us
who are educated, |
|
16:26
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we were educated for many, and to
those much is given, much is expected. |
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16:31
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So I don't take the opportunity to be here
lightly. |
|
16:34
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I don't take the infrastructure
that is Standard Bank |
|
16:39
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lightly, because I won't be able to do what
I'm doing. |
|
16:42
|
I wouldn't have the platform that I have
right now if it wasn't for Standard Bank. |
|
16:46
|
And also what is incredibly important
to me, is the leadership at the top. |
|
16:52
|
I always tell people
I choose to work here. |
|
16:55
|
I'm privileged to actually be able
to choose where I work, |
|
16:59
|
where I am right now, and Standard Bank
to me is the boat that I choose. |
|
17:03
|
It's purpose-led bank. |
|
17:06
|
They call it Africa,
we call it home and we drive it across. |
|
17:09
|
There are no blue little people. |
|
17:11
|
We are the people that have to drive
that growth. |
|
17:14
|
You and I know exactly
what it's like to go without, |
|
17:18
|
so I cant come here and think that the only
thing that I'm going to want to do |
|
17:22
|
is the nice and the easy. |
|
17:24
|
The companies
that already meet the criteria, |
|
17:26
|
how about we walk the journey
with the companies that we want to build, |
|
17:30
|
to be the companies
that we see here. |
|
17:32
|
In South Africa, we're lucky, every time |
|
17:36
|
when I travel and people ask me,
What do you love about Africa? |
|
17:39
|
My answer is, its people, |
|
17:42
|
we are the most resilient, |
|
17:45
|
the most vibrant nation. |
|
17:47
|
Think about the way we dance,
the way we move |
|
17:50
|
our music, |
|
17:52
|
the colours, our dress,
the way we do things. |
|
17:57
|
You can find people
in the most appalling circumstances. |
|
18:00
|
They'll be laughing. |
|
18:01
|
You can find kids today |
|
18:03
|
who don't have toys, play
with plastic bottles that they've crafted. |
|
18:06
|
And there's always this resiliency, |
|
18:08
|
you'll find women carrying |
|
18:09
|
big firewood on their heads with kids,
and they are talking and they're laughing, |
|
18:14
|
and people are always looking for
opportunities. |
|
18:16
|
South Africa
we have social grants, in the continent |
|
18:19
|
there's no such, you have to make do. |
|
18:21
|
But I think that's also what's driving
people to be creative, |
|
18:25
|
to be entrepreneurial. |
|
18:26
|
We've got,
I think unemployment's around 32%. |
|
18:29
|
Not everyone's going to be finding jobs |
|
18:30
|
in the financial sector,
in the private sector. |
|
18:33
|
Look at the cases |
|
18:34
|
when I was literally saying the other day,
beginning of the year, universities, |
|
18:39
|
there's some universities
that had 150,000 applicants. |
|
18:42
|
Only 4000 were taken. |
|
18:44
|
What's going to happen to that? |
|
18:45
|
So the creativity of the people
is what will drive the solutions. |
|
18:51
|
I always say solutions for Africa
by Africans, |
|
18:54
|
because we know what the challenges are. |
|
18:55
|
So that's why I have a responsibility
to not just be banking |
|
19:00
|
for, you know, it's nice
and it's something that I enjoy, |
|
19:03
|
there's a responsibility
as to how we were doing, |
|
19:05
|
how we're making a difference
when we come into the office, |
|
19:08
|
and I think for me
that's the biggest challenge, |
|
19:11
|
but it's also the biggest draw
in terms of reward and being able to |
|
19:15
|
look at, do something that you can actually
look back and really be proud of. |
|
19:19
|
And you may know that we've built 50,000 |
|
19:22
|
or we've provided 50,000 new beds
for students. |
|
19:25
|
Those students don't know that, but we do. |
|
19:28
|
And that means there's more kids
that are staying in decent places, |
|
19:33
|
accommodation. exactly, |
|
19:34
|
and are able to go to school
without having to worry about safety |
|
19:37
|
and all sorts of things, |
|
19:38
|
so that is there,
you know, there's great pain, |
|
19:41
|
but then also in the midst
of all that, |
|
19:44
|
there's a great opportunity. |
|
19:45
|
It may look hard,
but if you scratch beneath the surface, |
|
19:49
|
there's an opportunity there. |
|
19:56
|
It sounds like your job |
|
19:57
|
isn't something that you do
for the sake of |
|
20:00
|
No. |
|
20:01
|
No. |
|
20:01
|
you know, I have this job,
I want to get paid |
|
20:04
|
at the end of the month
or in the middle of the month, whenever, |
|
20:07
|
it sounds like you are speaking
about the purpose-led vision of the bank, |
|
20:13
|
and that's something that aligns
very deeply to what you do, |
|
20:16
|
and it's not a thing
that you are going to stop now. |
|
20:19
|
Tell me about that and mentorship, |
|
20:21
|
the people who are coming after you,
the people who are watching, the people |
|
20:24
|
who just want an opportunity
to be close to where you are. |
|
20:29
|
Yesterday, we had a call with Madam
Diop, Her Excellency Madam Diop, |
|
20:34
|
she's in the office of the Special Envoy |
|
20:38
|
for Women on Peace and Security in the AU. |
|
20:38
|
for Women on Peace and Security in the AU. |
|
20:40
|
We started the African Women Impact Fund |
|
20:44
|
and that's mainly to create
a sustainable platform |
|
20:49
|
to, you know, to bring about more women
led and women owned |
|
20:53
|
fund management business, so that women
can make decisions at a macro level. |
|
20:57
|
We can put money into women's hands
to be actually investing and doing more. |
|
21:01
|
And I was looking at this lady. |
|
21:03
|
I mean, she is continuously |
|
21:06
|
busy, packed, traveling everywhere, yet |
|
21:10
|
the role that they play in terms of
the fund as the AU and the UN |
|
21:14
|
in the African Women Leadership Network. |
|
21:16
|
These are all the current
female presidents and former, okay, |
|
21:19
|
all five of them. |
|
21:20
|
We still have that place. |
|
21:21
|
But the support that we receive for them |
|
21:24
|
in terms of advocacy, creating visibility, |
|
21:27
|
going out there to fundraise with us,
these women are busy. |
|
21:31
|
So you look at what they are doing today, |
|
21:33
|
they've done so much to bring about
so many things, yet they are still with us. |
|
21:38
|
We stand on the shoulders of giants. |
|
21:39
|
We have a responsibility,
you and I, to make sure when we rise, |
|
21:43
|
we lift others up
and we create more opportunities. |
|
21:46
|
So for me, the what next is, as long
as there's so many, so much need |
|
21:52
|
for infrastructure on the continent,
we have not even started yet. |
|
21:56
|
There's so much more to be done
in terms of the work that we do. |
|
22:00
|
So there's still a lot more for me
that I think |
|
22:01
|
a role that I can play in this space, |
|
22:03
|
but from a mentoring perspective,
I'm very passionate about |
|
22:06
|
women, |
|
22:08
|
the gender |
|
22:10
|
and making sure
that there's more women in our space. |
|
22:12
|
Because I always tell people it's like,
if you leave women behind, |
|
22:16
|
its like leaving
half of the workforce, |
|
22:19
|
and the greatest opportunity
is knowing that |
|
22:22
|
if we actually have more women
in terms of diversity and perspective |
|
22:26
|
we would actually be able
to lift the GDP on the continent by 10% |
|
22:31
|
in 2025, next year, next year. |
|
22:34
|
So there is genuine that |
|
22:35
|
and that's not just from a nice to have
or just we need to be inclusive, |
|
22:40
|
no, there's a very empirical data in terms
of value creation and performance, |
|
22:45
|
when you have women
led and women owned businesses. |
|
22:48
|
So if you look at where we are, there's
so much more work to be done. |
|
22:52
|
So I don't think what next
necessarily changes. |
|
22:56
|
It just may be the shift in terms
of how I do it, |
|
22:59
|
but there's still a lot of work
to be done. |
|
23:01
|
You and I are still here.
As long as we talk about women inclusion, |
|
23:05
|
until it's not a thing,
we have a lot of work to do. |
|
23:09
|
Okay. The face of investment
banking is changing, has changed you, |
|
23:16
|
one of the people who's
contributed to that, |
|
23:18
|
theres perceptions about how |
|
23:20
|
you need to show up
as a woman in this space. |
|
23:23
|
Youre in a suit, you look gorgeous. |
|
23:25
|
But there's |
|
23:29
|
perceptions about what
a woman in a certain space looks like. |
|
23:33
|
How do you have to behave? |
|
23:35
|
How do you have to show up? |
|
23:36
|
What kind of a leadership style you have? |
|
23:38
|
Tell me about those preconceptions |
|
23:41
|
and how you navigate those
and which ones are like, yeah okay fine, |
|
23:45
|
this might work, |
|
23:46
|
and this might not work. |
|
23:48
|
I don't think anyone who's ever met
me will ever think I fit in anywhere |
|
23:52
|
in terms of conforming
to any particular look. |
|
23:56
|
I think people think of us in suits, |
|
23:59
|
in fact, the only reason I'm wearing
this is because I was in a training. |
|
24:03
|
I would have been wearing my flamboyant
clothes, |
|
24:07
|
vibrant colors from Ghana, from Lagos,
beads around my neck, |
|
24:12
|
is a representation of my culture
its intentional as well, because I want |
|
24:16
|
my nieces to know that we don't only wear
our traditional clothes at a wedding, |
|
24:21
|
Im Xhosa, I carried that with me. |
|
24:24
|
So how I show up, I show up as Lindeka Dzedze, |
|
24:27
|
that's me. |
|
24:29
|
That's the Lindeka Dzedze with the way
that I speak, the way that I talk, |
|
24:33
|
because we have to normalise that, |
|
24:34
|
we don't have to look like somebody else. |
|
24:36
|
I don't have to behave
and look like a man. |
|
24:39
|
The reason that is, is that by virtue
of being who we are, |
|
24:43
|
there's a uniqueness that you bring. |
|
24:45
|
There's a diversity of perspective, of
thinking, the ideas that you bring. |
|
24:49
|
And I always tell people that |
|
24:51
|
I possibly have much more in common
with my colleagues |
|
24:54
|
all the black, and white and brown males
that I work with |
|
24:57
|
than the woman sitting somewhere |
|
24:59
|
in Alex maybe,
because this is my environment, |
|
25:02
|
this is what we think about. |
|
25:03
|
This is what I do, we socialise. |
|
25:05
|
So I always want to make sure that |
|
25:08
|
everyone who knows me in the bank knows I'm loud, |
|
25:12
|
I always forget,
and I speak Xhosa to everyone. |
|
25:15
|
I mean, my team now even understands, |
|
25:17
|
my colleagues from everywhere
because it is, I'm proud of that, |
|
25:23
|
and I also want to normalise that. |
|
25:24
|
There's eleven
official languages in South Africa. |
|
25:27
|
And it's important that we actually learn
each other's languages, such as cultures, |
|
25:31
|
that's how you relate to someone. |
|
25:33
|
So you don't have to be something else. |
|
25:35
|
You have to be you. |
|
25:37
|
Being authentic, build who you are, |
|
25:39
|
that's the best representation of yourself
and what you can bring to the table. |
|
25:43
|
Not having to fit in. |
|
25:44
|
I think, |
|
25:45
|
I've never been able to be anything else,
and I think for me I'm proud of that. |
|
25:49
|
I think it's so interesting because
I would have assumed that in a bank, |
|
25:53
|
in a space like a bank, Africa's
largest lender, by assets, you know, |
|
25:59
|
you have to, not conform but |
|
26:01
|
there's a kind of a, we behave
like this because we're in an institution, |
|
26:05
|
and you're saying that's
not a thing. |
|
26:08
|
No people do, |
|
26:09
|
I think it's a thing
if you want to do that. |
|
26:11
|
And I think it speaks to who you are. |
|
26:14
|
I travel a lot,
and I remember when I bring investors |
|
26:17
|
to the continent,
I work with MEDA, which is an investment |
|
26:22
|
implementation partner for the US
government, for investment and trade. |
|
26:26
|
And we bring investors to the continent, |
|
26:28
|
we educate them,
we show them opportunities |
|
26:31
|
so they can go and advocate for Africa
as an investment destination. |
|
26:35
|
I remember the first time
I met them in 2019 and I intentionally, |
|
26:39
|
I always wear African prints, for me its more
than normative to have something on my head, |
|
26:44
|
and actually wear my African prints
because I think there's so much diversity. |
|
26:47
|
Like look at every
I mean, have you been to the fashion show |
|
26:51
|
Fashion Week in Nigeria? |
|
26:53
|
The clothes are amazing, |
|
26:54
|
so why would I limit myself to one thing
when I have so much more to choose from? |
|
26:59
|
And I really find that
all of them are just, for me, inspiring. |
|
27:02
|
It is just something else. |
|
27:04
|
But what I, the story
I was telling you about is |
|
27:07
|
I met all these investors |
|
27:08
|
I was wearing one of the dresses
that was made by a lady who makes my clothes |
|
27:12
|
her store is called Chicken Posh, |
|
27:14
|
Agnes, and I did that intentionally
because I know women, and I was wearing that |
|
27:18
|
and everyone was asking,
Where is that from? |
|
27:20
|
I was like, you want to know I can take you,
in fact, I'll call her to come right here. |
|
27:24
|
You know is interesting is that
those women bought out the entire store. |
|
27:28
|
When we went to Naas,
which is this big investor conference |
|
27:31
|
that they hold in the US its got
insurers, pension funds, everybody, |
|
27:36
|
there was African week and everyone was,
wearing, how interesting is that? |
|
27:39
|
So you bring Africa to the world. |
|
27:42
|
You know, we're not the Brazil,
we're not China, |
|
27:45
|
and were made up of 54 countries, |
|
27:47
|
I always like to say my DNA is from across
the continent, I didnt create borders. |
|
27:52
|
So I possibly have Nigerian blood in me, |
|
27:54
|
so for me, I have so many cultures
to choose from in terms of clothes |
|
27:54
|
so for me, I have so many cultures
to choose from in terms of clothes |
|
27:55
|
so for me, I have so many cultures
to choose from in terms of clothes |
|
27:58
|
and everything else. |
|
27:58
|
So why limit myself? |
|
28:00
|
And I think by wearing it with pride
and showcasing how diverse it could be, |
|
28:05
|
how versatile the fashion can be,
I mean, banking and fashion, |
|
28:08
|
are not mutually exclusive. |
|
28:10
|
And you go to these places
and people love it, |
|
28:12
|
and the more you go and the more people |
|
28:15
|
wear our clothes, in fact, they |
|
28:16
|
thought I was in fashion,
that I know, |
|
28:20
|
that's the beauty. |
|
28:21
|
There was a time when it was straight
male suits and everything else, |
|
28:26
|
I think that has evolved. |
|
28:27
|
It's been so incredible learning from you. |
|
28:30
|
I know that there's other people
who've learned from you, |
|
28:31
|
I know that there's other people
who've learned from you, |
|
28:32
|
so we are going to hear from them now. |
|
30:08
|
That's such a beautiful testament |
|
30:09
|
to the kind of leader that you are. |
|
30:13
|
Anyway now, |
|
30:15
|
you've just messed me up so bad. |
|
30:17
|
I think that the impact, I always say
as you rise, bring others with you, |
|
30:22
|
make the circle bigger. |
|
30:26
|
And it is seeing her grow |
|
30:29
|
and achieving things
that she never thought possible. |
|
30:33
|
And I was just reminded, |
|
30:35
|
that in the mentoring programme
in the bank, |
|
30:37
|
she was my mentee. |
|
30:38
|
I was very involved back then
and she's actually, most of my mentees |
|
30:42
|
have ended up becoming almost like my daughters. |
|
30:46
|
One of them has joined us back in the bank |
|
30:48
|
and now she heads up
mining in CFS in the bank. |
|
30:53
|
She is the head of mining and we actually
tried to remember the other day |
|
30:58
|
how did we connect? |
|
30:59
|
But I used to have quite a lot of them. |
|
31:01
|
But I just, I'm inspired
and I learn from them |
|
31:05
|
and I learn from her every day
and I'm inspired and I just think it's |
|
31:10
|
more what I, every time when I hear
and I see them do what they do |
|
31:14
|
and I think where theyre starting from
is way better than where I was, |
|
31:19
|
and I always tell them that
whatever we've done, |
|
31:22
|
they can go so much further
and it makes me feel |
|
31:27
|
so encouraged, so inspired. |
|
31:30
|
Sibusiso Xaba is the CFO for TXB, |
|
31:34
|
invited me to, |
|
31:37
|
they call their junior mentor, |
|
31:40
|
in fact, they changing the name
to a developmental banker |
|
31:43
|
for the finance division. |
|
31:44
|
And I was just |
|
31:46
|
meeting these young people |
|
31:50
|
and I was just thinking,
the future is so bright. |
|
31:53
|
People don't know what's coming. |
|
31:54
|
The continent, |
|
31:56
|
if you look at just the value, the people,
the future leaders that we have |
|
32:00
|
and I see of how so aware, |
|
32:04
|
how plugged in, how alive
they are to the possibilities. |
|
32:08
|
And I always think I wish I could,
you know, live long enough |
|
32:11
|
to see them do all these amazing things. |
|
32:14
|
And it makes me feel so happy,
so encouraged, so inspired, |
|
32:20
|
because I know that we, you know I hope we do
something that leaves the world |
|
32:24
|
a better place for them
and they can change all the narrative about Africa. |
|
32:29
|
Thank you so much for your time
and just being so open |
|
32:32
|
and for your leadership,
for the things you're doing, |
|
32:35
|
for the people who are coming
after you and sharing your insights. |
|
32:38
|
This felt like a masterclass
you know, 25 minute masterclass. |
|
32:42
|
I love that I'm looking at you
and you've got your doek on, |
|
32:45
|
look at us, who would have thought? |
|
32:47
|
Thank you. |
|
32:48
|
No, thank you. |
