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By Shumirai Chimombe

“We are delighted to share that the IoDSA has been awarded the prestigious Business of the Year title at the Standard Bank Top Women Awards”.

The Institute of Directors South Africa (IoDSA) made this announcement on their Facebook page after they received the award, sponsored by BMW South Africa, in December.

A cornerstone of the IoDSA’s empowerment strategy is the focus on developing female leaders within the organisation.

Dilshaan Duearte: Senior Manager: Certification explained: “Our company has taken substantial steps to embed gender empowerment within our organisational framework, developing internal policies and strategies to ensure that our efforts are relevant and effective. The biggest impact in our business is through education as this is closely linked with our purpose as an organisation. In 2023 our contribution to female skills development totalled close to half a million rands with 17 females having benefited from this programme.”

The organisation prioritises the recruitment and succession planning of women at all levels in the business. The result is that 57% of non-executive directors are females as are 100% of  executive directors, and 60% of senior managers. In addition, more than half of the other employees at IoDSA are women at 55%.

 Reaching out beyond the business: growth in enterprise and supplier development 

“The IoDSA has launched specific mentorship and sponsorship programmes aimed at supporting women in their career advancement ensuring they are well prepared for leadership roles,” said Louisa Netshiombo who is the Project Manager: Thought Leadership. “Further to  this the organisation supports females outside of our business through driving growth in enterprise and supplier development. The business contributes significantly to its black female-owned businesses totalling R375 000 in 2023, and ultimately resulting in job creation and community upliftment.”

A leading proponent of gender equality – in the boardroom and beyond

There are several ways in which the IoDSA supports gender equality. The organisation is the custodian of the King IV Report on Corporate Governance in South Africa, which recommends that governing bodies should set targets for race and gender representation in its membership. It is a member and active participant on the 30% Club, a global business campaign that aims to boost the number of women in board seats and executive leadership. The organisation also partners on the Status of Gender on JSE-Listed Boards research. 

In 2023 and 2024 the IoDSA hosted an international women in governance conference, and it hosts an extremely popular women’s month webinar – ‘The Journey to the Boardroom and Beyond’ during August each year. 

Facilitating empowerment through education

Education is one of the pillars of the business and the IoDSA has implemented a strategy which specifically focuses on educational programmes. 

They launched the first Women on Boards Foundation programme in early 2023 with great success.  In September 2024 they launched a second women focus programme called Exceptional Women on Boards. The return on investment from these strategies is evident in the  financial results where the IoDSA has consistently exceeded their business plan and budgeted profit.

Stepping into the future for female leadership

CEO Prof Parmi Natesan maps out the organisation’s goals and plans for the next five years. 

“With regards to leadership – to continue to grow our female leadership skills within the business. Then in training – to train to be innovative in our programme offerings so that we can equip more and more women to be ready for the boardroom. On the media side – to be the voice of hope for women in our country. To build a country with better directors, better boards and ultimately better business.”

Read about more inspiring women leaders in our Top Women Leaders publication here

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