Celebrating Women's Day

Today on International Women’s Day, we recognize remarkable women who are industry leaders, helping drive the success of their organizations and having contributed to the growth of Paratus Botswana as clients. This year’s theme, DigitALL: Innovation and technology for gender equality, puts a focus on the gender gaps in digital access and the opportunities technology presents for women. We spoke to two outstanding women who shared what advice they have for women in corporate and how important technological connectivity is.

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Lesedi Mmereki MSc MDP is the Head of IT & Operations at Bank Gaborone with over 25 years experience and Chabo Peo is a founding partner at Peo Legal, pushing boundaries in the corporate commercial law space.

• Tell us a little bit about yourself.

Lesedi Mmereki: Against a backdrop of acute demand for Technology expertise many years ago, I rose to the occasion, joined the technology industry and graduated with a Bachelor of Information Technology from the University of Southern Queensland. I came from very humble beginnings and was very determined to go into any enchanted world and make a difference in myself and those around me.

My success wasn’t without the challenges of stereotypes in the boardroom meetings, in interviews, and in promotional discussions. However, I have enjoyed more than 25 years of banking, technology, telecommunications, and operations and am now the Head of Technology & Operations at Bank Gaborone.

Chabo Peo: I am an attorney and partner at Peo Legal, a boutique corporate commercial law firm in Gaborone which I founded in 2018. It has been a labour of love. I work with a fantastic team of lawyers and support staff and truly believe I can keep doing what I do because of the support structure I have at work and at home.

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• What message do you have for women and young girls looking to get into the tech industry or are already in it?

Lesedi Mmereki: The exclusion of women and Girls from professional recognition in technology science fields is only a fraction of their struggles.?The ILO Bureau for Employers Activities (ACT/EMP) revealed that unconscious gender bias remains a significant barrier to women’s career advancement, particularly in areas the likes of technology. The research found that women perceived themselves as less likely to grow into leadership positions due to “stereotypes against women and inherent gender bias in recruitment and promotion”. I, therefore, would like to encourage women and girls to break the barrier and the stereotypes with an ‘I Can’ attitude. I encourage qualified candidates to apply for certain perceived male-dominated jobs, technology, machinery and mechanical jobs. I hope for a diversity of gender mentors and role models so that leaders of corporate businesses can adjust to the change to and expand the talent pool.

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• What message do you have for women going into business?

Chabo Peo: I have come to realise that my proficiency as an attorney pales in comparison to my ability to nurture and maintain client relationships to ensure return business. There is not a lot of conversation about how hard it is to get the business off the ground. Owning a business requires a lot of self-reflection and awareness. Working with people and personalities is challenging but presents opportunities to better oneself and the experience people have of you. You must be prepared to learn more about yourself and be willing to change for growth to happen. And I urge you to read, foster growth and open yourself to a world of different perspectives.

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• What does it mean for your business to have reliable, unlimited connectivity to the internet?

Lesedi Mmereki: It’s difficult to keep up with the rampant and ongoing evolution of technology and telecommunications. If we don’t ensure that connectivity keeps up with the evolving needs of the business, we cannot hope to stay productive, competitive and profitable. The internet of things has allowed banking to transition from traditional to digital and is vital to every business’s operations and beyond.

Chabo Peo: Before covid, we relied on the internet for research, internet, news updates and general keeping up to date with the world. In today’s world of Zoom, Google Meet and Teams, the internet is critical to the functioning of our business. We service clients locally and internationally and without reliable connectivity, we are not able to communicate with our clients.