Changing Faces: Investment Banker

Let’s cut to the chase, where are you from and what do you do?

I moved around a lot due to the nature of my parents work and them both having me when they were fairly young. So plenty of farm life with the grandparents growing up

I'm currently an Investment Banking Associate in mergers and acquisitions.

What did you study and are you using it at all in your current role?

I triple majored in international politics, economics and Chinese. In a strange way I get to use all three of them daily 

How long have you been working and what do you like most about it?

4 years – I love miss the financial freedom and working on interesting real life situations/ problems

Tell us about your work typical day.

Client calls, reviewing financial models, helping to draft transaction documents and doing market updates for "live" deals. Usually punctuated by a rushed lunch and pre-empted with a morning workout.

I tend to get in around 9am every day and depending on whether we're in the pitching or live stage of a deal I leave any time between 8pm - 5am

Yoh! So you must have a bed at the office by now! Ok, what tips would you give people wanting to your your line of work?

Make sure IB (Investment Banking) is what you want to get into - have an aptitude for people and numbers 

Prioritise 

Have an eagerness to learn 

What do you think is the biggest obstacle preventing women of colour from climbing the corporate ladder as fast as they should?

I think the hardest problem really is not having enough role models to look up to you who understand the plight of being a young black woman. Who understand that the industry is still white male dominated and it is intimidating at times 

Changing Faces: Environmental Specialist

Care to share a little about your childhood?

In my early childhood, I grew up in an informal township called Dambuza in Pietermaritzburg

with my Mom and Gran and other extended family members. My parents were not married

until I was 6 years old so I would visit my Dad during weekends. Later on when my parents got

married we moved to a place I would call a “black suburb” called West Gate in Pietermaritzburg

and then a flat in town where in both places we were sharing a place with other families. My

parents then managed to build their own house in Imbali a township in Pietermaritzburg where

they still reside today with my little brother.

I grew up in a very loving home, and was often outside playing with friends. Even though my

parents were not well off, I never felt that as I went to good public schools from a young age.

Although as an adult, I am now aware of the sacrifices that they had to make, to make sure I

receive a good education.


Now that you're all grown up, what is it that you do?

I am an Environmental Specialist for a construction company.


What did you study and are you using it at all in your current role?

I studied Geography and Environmental Management up to Honours level at UKZN and I am

currently doing an MSc at Wits University. Yes, I am using my degree in my line of work although

I do feel that my work is extremely dynamic and practical and I've learnt a lot more from

experience.


How long have you been working and what do you miss student life?
I have been working for 6 years now. I miss the long holidays, and not having the

responsibility of paying bills and being a bit more carefree.


Tell us about your work typical day.

A typical day for me is trying to fix a mess caused by a project engineer on the environment

from taking short-cuts on a project... My workload consists of identifying, assessing,

documenting and managing environmental aspects of the company in a way, which will allow

pro-active measurement and analysis to reduce, mitigate or where possible, eliminate

environmental impacts from construction. This includes aspects such as pollution control, waste

and water management, vegetation management and rehabilitation. I have to ensure that our

projects comply with environmental legislation, environmental authorisations and client

specifications. I train staff at all levels of the company on environmental issues and their

responsibilities in order to improve environmental performance. There is a good mix of work

out on site and back in the office.


Three tips on people keen to join your line of work?

You need to have a passion for nature and for preserving the environment. The job

can be very rewarding and fulfilling when you feel like you have positively

contributed to the well-being of the environment.

Environmental management/science is a broad and multi-disciplinary field, it will be

You also need to enjoy being outdoors as a lot of the work is out on site in remote

up to you to develop a skill-set for yourself in one of the many areas of the field that

catches your interest and specialize in it.

areas and different landscapes. You are often in safety boots, a hard hat and

reflective vest in sunny and dusty conditions


Do you encounter any challenges that specifically come with being a young black woman in 

corporate SA? 

The biggest challenge is working in a predominately male industry. There are still very few

women in the construction industry that have prominent positions and therefore there is a

notion and sense that you do not belong there. The language used in the industry can also

be very vulgar most of the time and as a woman you need to be tough and not take it too

personally. I have learnt though, that you teach people how to treat you and once they

understand how you want to be treated, you get more respect without having to

overcompensate for being a woman.


Taking what you've said in your previous answer into consideration. Can you give an example of one particular experience and how you think it could be countered/managed going forward?
I don’t think this challenge is unique to my industry I am glad that there are many women

empowerment programs and discourses taking place in society. But what good is it to empower

women without changing and shaping the mindset of our young fellow men. If we want to make

men take us more seriously as women we must stop having events that exclude them they need

to be an integral part of the change.

Changing Faces: Banking Associate

Tell us about how you grew up

I was born in Durban, kwa Dabeka township kwa A. I had a wonderful upbringing sharing it with a house full of my cousins in a house led by my grandmother. I loved playing, singing and watching Kideo. I was a happy child but very cocooned and could only play in my yard…that cheesy township life. LOL. My primary school life began with me moving to the suburbs, this was a lonely life, being an only child and having to now entertain myself with indoor activities. This gave me no option but to love school. I loved reading and doing my homework and took pride in academic achievement.  I also engaged myself in sports and cultural activities. This was sustained all the way through high school and I was very fortunate to get accolades of Head Girl, Dux, sports captain, national debating and the like.

Geez! Thank you for making us mere mortal feel like under achievers! So where has all this super star quality brought you now?

I am now a banker (Coverage) at Citi Bank. Within Corporate Banking I manage a portfolio of clients within the non-banking financial institutions sector.

What did you study and are you using it at all in your current role?

 B.com Accounting.

I use this to a very small degree. (Financial Analysis)

How long have you been working and what do you miss about not working (i.e. being a full time student)

 I have been working for 5 years

What I miss about not working is sleep and flexibility i.e. the option to not wake up if I wanted to.

How is your typical day?

There is no such thing as a typical day. I operate in a very client driven environment so often a client can turn my day upside down. LOL

A day comprises of a quick market update in the morning, drafting credit papers, client meetings, internal product meetings, KYC and AML management as per US reg. (USA regulation). Dealing with a lot with compliance given regulation as we comply with US reg.

Do you encounter any challenges that specifically come with being a young black woman in corporate SA? 

Yes.

Being young in the banking environment is tough because I find I am the youngest by far in my team. The team is well seasoned and it’s great to learn from but difficult at times to challenge things or add input due to lack of experience.

Black- It’s challenging in the industry as a whole as the face of banking is still heavily “white male”.

Woman- We have a long way to go. This is evidenced by lack of female presence in management. It’s not inspiring at times but equally challenging as we need to break the ceiling. Moving up- not because we are woman but because we are credible and able to add value.

Three tips on people keen to join your line of work?

Open mind

Thick skin

Speak Up

Changing Faces: Chartered Accountant/Investment Associate

Where did you grow up and how was your childhood like?
I grew up in a small town in the Eastern Cape. Hardly anything happens in my small town, lived in the "ghetto" till I was about 11, then moved to a better area and moved to a private school at the same time. That's when you could say my life changed. 

What do you now?

I'm a Chartered Accountant by profession, and work as an Investment Associate for a development fund.

We look into funding black entrepreneurs, enter into untapped markets and find solutions for need (infrastructure development, education etc.) in Africa.

What did you study and are you using it at all in your current role?

I did a Bachelor of Accounting Science at Wits, went the CA route and qualified as a CA in December 2013. I use aspects of what I studied, but I had to learn a lot of what I do on the job. I also decided to study further to better my understanding of Development Finance. 

How long have you been working and what do you miss about not working (i.e. being a full time student) 
I've been working for 4 years now (this being my fifth year). I miss the lack of responsibility that comes with being a student. It was OK to not have money, and you didn't have to spend your entire life thinking about career progression. 

If I could have a do over of university though, I would be less hard on myself. I would have made more friends, made more memories. I would have tried harder to find this "balance" people kept talking about. 

Sounds like what you lost in balance you won in getting ahead, now, I'm sure a lot has changed since then, How would you describe your typical day at the office?

My typical work day involves status meetings with clients/ my bosses in the morning. Then analysis of market trends and trends in investments.  I do sight visits on average twice a week.

Do you encounter any challenges that specifically come with being a young black woman in corporate SA?

Every day is a struggle. Between convincing yourself that you are good enough,that you deserve to be here, that it's not about some "employment equity" score (which your white counterparts will remind you of from time to time)

You have to be better at everything, just to be considered average. And when you make a mistake (which I have made countless times), it can feel like the whole world is against you. 

But I've learnt to take it on my stride, we are a culture and a people that are made to overcome. This melanin represents the strength! 

Lastly, three tips for people keen to join your line of work?

Be clear on why you want to become a chartered accountant. Spend time thinking about what you want to do after you qualify. This will help you in remembering why you started when the going gets tough.
Don't be afraid to fail, and don't be so hard on yourself. Don't be afraid to start over. It's scary and you may feel like a failure at times, but finding what makes you tick makes it worth it.

Be kind, all the time. Humility and compassion will open doors for you. Be damn good at what you do, but show up every day with kindness. People will notice.

Changing Faces: Assistant Brand Manager

First thing’s first, how was your childhood?

I was born in the eastern cape but moved to PTA at the age of 5, I’m the first born of 4 ( we were 3 for most of my life) and I generally had a very normal, unexciting childhood. Then my parents got divorced in my grade 11 year…. That’s a whole different post!!!

What do you now?

I’m currently an Assistant Brand Manager at a multinational.

What did you study and are you using it at all in your current role?

I double majored in Marketing and Business Management and went on to do my honours in Marketing. Yes, for the greater part, most of the content we were taught at school we utilise in one way or the other within marketing

How long have you been working and what do you miss about student life? 

I’m pushing five years now, going on 100million…. I miss long holidays, and pocket money. I miss only having to worry about work during exam season, I miss partying 7 days a week.

How is your typical work day?

I get to the office and generally get to it, most days start with me checking mails from agencies to see if reverts have been sent, then I’ll debrief and send back for further fixing, lots of meetings, with prospective agencies pitching for business or our current agencies giving us status on what the next week holds or internal stakeholders on campaign progress. I work closely with my digital and PR agencies to field content opportunities, so I’m constantly tracking what trends are within my target market and then brief my PR/Digital team on reactive responses. The late afternoons are then dedicated to processing payments (the bane of my existence) and working on feedback presentations I have to prepare for my greater team.

Three tips for people keen to join your line of work?

You definitely need to become a person who can work a room, perception and reputation is everything in marketing (sometimes I feel its valued far greater than work ethic). The political game is a real one, and in corporate, however much we hate to admit it, if you don’t play it, one way or another, you will be let on the back foot

 Be flexible: don’t get comfortable in knowing 1 aspect of something or 1 thing. This field is forever changing, and you need to as well. I speak from experience, when I first got into marketing, I wasn’t sure which stream I’d end up on, Through the line, comms or sales … I am currently in a role that does ALL of that, the flexible spirit, that is comfortable ( to an extent) with change and movement will thrive in this space

LEARN, LEARN, LEARN- read marketing blogs, forums, trends, ask to be included in forums that may not necessarily directly influence your work, well rounded people make better more informed decisions- this is a big weakness of mine, I suffer from ‘ihatereadingacorporatebookasitis’.

Lastly, do you encounter any challenges that specifically come with being a young black woman in corporate SA?

So my challenges are twin-fold. I’m a black woman … and I’m a new mommy… the two most dangerous things to be in corporate SA.

Black female representation is limited in corporate SA, and in my company, while there is a black director, you almost get a sense that her placement is more political than legitimate, that’s a big problem, and as woman we should be wary of being placed merely because we are black females- I hate the notion of ‘being a NON DECISION MAKING director. We all know them, they are always called to speak at functions but you can’t quite place what she does. So while many women are deserving, they do not get the full ambit of responsibility and decision making they are entitled to.

Being a mother in corporate is another challenge altogether. You are almost viewed as handicapped when you return to work, and while it’s subtle, the treatment of women who choose to start families, is different. You almost have to prove yourself doubly….story of our lives.