Photography: Paul McGavin

An important item on the Wired4Women annual calendar is celebrating International Women’s Day. This year’s event brought together over 140 attendees at the Langhams Lifestyle Estate in Fourways. In a special twist, those invited were asked to bring with them their mentors and mentees, underlining the importance of the role of mentors and sponsors and the contribution they make to the careers and personal lives of their mentees. Held on 7 March 2025, this year’s event aligned with the global theme for International Women’s Day: Accelerate Action. Hosted by ITWeb Brainstorm and BCX, the celebration resonated with attendees, who shared overwhelmingly positive feedback on its impact and relevance.

Delegates arrived in a spectrum of green outfits, reflecting the dress code of the day, set against a backdrop of opulent white and green décor. Cybersecurity was a prominent topic and highlighted by keynote speaker Sithembile Songo, Eskom’s chief information security officer. The multiple local and global award winner in the cyber field, global speaker on the topic and respected cybersecurity leader stressed that cybersecurity cannot be an afterthought. Songo shared how Eskom is leveraging AI, machine learning and network vigilance to strengthen its defences. The Eskom environment is complex, she added, particularly when it comes to its application of operation technology in its plants. According to business use-case justification, Songo says technology is deployed and systems designed with cybersecurity in mind. Given that Eskom fields and prevents over 100 000 cyber events a month, cybersecurity is integral to its technology strategy.

She believes there is definitely a need for more women in the cybersecurity space and that bold steps are required to achieve gender diversity in the information security field.

She stressed the importance of nurturing the next generation, instilling a passion for technology and cybersecurity in particular. Without taking some risks, she added, career progression will be limited; women need to understand and know their vision for their lives and constantly ask themselves if they are putting in the necessary building blocks that will lead to their desired future. This was a powerful reminder to delegates of the importance of backing each other up.

Supporting Songo’s address, Garith Peck: Managing executive: Cloud and cybersecurity, BCX, reminded delegates that every digital decision made, whether it’s booking an Uber or checking into a hotel, affects our cybersecurity.

Sharing his over 24 years of experience in IT infrastructure management, information security and cloud security, he said that by staying intentional and vigilant, users can protect themselves and their organisations, calling for everyone to stay accountable and make cybersecurity a priority in their everyday lives.

Photography: Paul McGavin

Peck, a firm supporter of having women in tech positions and an ally, agreed that there remains a real need to bring more women into the cybersecurity and technology fields to contribute their own particular qualities and dynamics to creative problem-solving and addressing the challenges in the cybersecurity arena.

At this Wired4Women event, Mpho Hlefana, BCX’s managing executive, marketing, in her sponsor address, raised the topic of critical barriers that women need to overcome to thrive in the ICT industry – and build multicultural teams. A key leader in the ICT space and Wired4Women board member, she emphasised the need to accelerate action in the ICT industry to ensure better representation of women, adding that this means providing access to resources, education, digital tools and policies governing fair treatment and accommodative practices of women in the workplace.

Bringing his extensive background in the technology and services industry to the discussion, in his sponsor address, Siyabulela Mpahlwa, chief sales and solutions officer at BCX, lent his support to the conversation, urging male allies to take a more active role in encouraging mentorship, offering support, and creating openings for women in ICT and opportunities for their growth.

He emphasised the value in every leader – whether male or female – in playing a part in the mentorship and sponsorship of youth and young professionals.

MC and panel moderator for the event, Nomonde White-Ndlovu, chair of Wired4Women and CIO of Bidvest Bank, reinforced the rationale behind the Wired4Women forum and the work Wired4Women does to attract and retain women in the IT and cybersecurity field – also encouraging STEM careers. In her role as Wired4Women chair, she is in a position to advocate for the upliftment and recognition of women at an industry level and can actively pursue gender parity and equality in the workplace.

She said more than half of the world’s population are women, and in a competitive market, the importance of female contributors and decision-makers cannot be ignored.

She reminded delegates that Wired4Women was established to put women at the forefront of technology, showcasing female game changers who are making strides in the industry.

White-Ndlovu said that the Wired4Women platforms have grown to encompass programmes, newsletters, regular content and webinars, reminding delegates of the successful 2024 launch of both the Wired4Women Awards and the Top 100 influential Women in Tech directory. Wired4Women supports these platforms to encourage more women to become mentors and sponsors and demonstrate female leaders who pave the way for women and girls in tech.

She added that the forum is not going to sit on its laurels, but has even more exciting things planned in 2025 that women can add to their toolkits towards developing successful careers in ICT, underlining the primary objective of Wired4Women to attract and retain women in the ICT and cybersecurity fields.

Women can play important roles in STEM careers, she added, also mentioning the critical nature of being ahead of the curve when it comes to cybersecurity and the multi-layered ways women can help ward off threat actors.

Neither the speakers nor the panellists shied away from using the call to accelerate action and spoke about speeding up progress towards gender equity, by championing policies that promote gender equality, education and skills development for young girls and women.

Event panellists were Sarah Blignaut: Business area head: Digital solutions and services, South African Revenue Services (SARS), who brought her 34 years of experience in the digital sector and track record of building and leading high-performance teams and delivering complex projects across diverse systems, platforms, and technologies to the event table. She is deeply passionate about fostering the new generation of leaders.

She was joined by Rashika Ramlal: Country manager, PS, and executive director: Amazon Web Services (AWS) – also a multiple award winner in the technology sector and regarded as an industry thought leader.

Boitumelo (Tumi) Sathekge: General manager: Enterprise Technology, and PMO, Transnet, and a committed mentor, spoke about how fighting for gender equality has become another extremely fulfilling part of her life, both within and outside the organisation.

Adding her voice was Cheryl-Jane Kujenga, chief finance and technology officer at BCX, an experienced financial leader with a career spanning over 25 years in diverse sectors, holding executive roles. Kujenga provided invaluable insights on driving systemic change within organisations. She stressed that true transformation only happens when the “owners of the system” commit to creating credible pathways for women to advance. She also reminded women to give themselves permission to be imperfect, reinforcing that one does not need to be perfect to be powerful.

They all highlighted that the digital world must be inclusive and urged women to be fearless. It was said that women should study ICT-related courses as opportunities are endless. The importance of creating inclusive working environments was also highlighted and it was emphasised how crucial it is for women and girls in tech to step forward, be brave and support one another.

In her closing comments, White-Ndlovu said: “Only 10.5% of CEOs are women. We need to press a little harder. We must look at how we are moving people up. An area of focus must be creating inclusive environments with a culture of diversity where women can thrive. “Don’t settle for low, but, conversely, don’t be afraid to aim high – even if you fail. Being resilient is not a choice for us as today’s leaders, and is equally as essential for everyone behind us. Celebrating others should come naturally. Always be aware of what you are worth and be mindful of how you want to be remembered. Be bold. Be equal.”