National Women’s Day 2021 marks 65 years since the watershed 1956 march to the Union Buildings in Pretoria, where approximately 20 0000 women protested against draconian pass laws. The first National Women’s Day in South Africa was only celebrated years later on 9 August 1994. While there have been some incredible strides made since then in creating a more inclusive and equitable society, we still have a long way to go. According to the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Report 2020, at the current rate of change, gender parity will not be attained for another 99.5 years.
Our world and company leaders play an integral role in forging the path toward change, but it’s also up to each and every one of us to get involved – and there is no action too small to get started. I thought I would take advantage of this month’s August newsletter to shine the spotlight and introduce all the incredible women behind the 36ONE brand by celebrating and honouring all they achieve on a daily basis as career ladies, colleagues, some being the multitaskers of motherhood, wives, sisters, and friends.
Jacqui Ronne (Operations Team)
Jacqui ('Jax') joined me on the business development side of the business in May last year. Having spent over 15 years in the financial services industry in multifaceted business development roles, Jax brings a wealth of knowledge to the team. She spends the majority of her time developing, nurturing and maintaining key client relationships and networks within the industry. I work very closely with Jax and she has become a good friend of mine in the process - she is an absolute treat to work with.
What I value about her: her great sense of humour, she is very well organised, she is hard working, her rapport with clients and her can-do attitude.
Kirsten Campbell (Operations Team)
Kirsten (‘Kirst’) joined 36ONE in April this year to assist Jacqui and I on the business development side. Her responsibilities include due diligence questionnaires, client and portfolio reporting as well as overseeing 36ONE’s proxy voting process. She is incredibly intelligent and completed her Bachelor of Commerce degree in Investment Management, graduating with distinction. She is currently studying towards her CFA. Kirst is also an amazing sportswoman and is constantly setting new fitness goals for herself.
What I value about her: her enthusiasm, her management and organisational skills, her willingness to help and her perseverance.
Tanya de Abreu (Operations Team)
Tanya ('Tanz') has been at 36ONE since the inception of the firm in 2005. Prior to joining the firm she had previously worked with several members of the current 36ONE team. Tanya’s responsibilities are very broad and range from marketing and advertising to compliance and general office/client administration. On top of this she is a mother of three and never ceases to impress me with how she manages to juggle work and family responsibilities.
What I value about her: she is witty and has a great sense of humour, her attention to detail, willingness to help others, and her efficiency which lets me know that I can always rely on her.
Tumi Loate (Investment Team)
Tumi ('Tumz') Tumi was the first female to join the 36ONE investment team as an investment analyst in 2017. Tumi is exceptionally intelligent and obtained her BAccSci degree and MBA cum laude and was awarded the Thuthuka and Chevening scholarships. Tumi was also chosen as one of the Mail and Guardians most Powerful Women in 2020 and is recently a mother to a baby girl. Over and above her role as an investment analyst, Tumi spends a lot of time in the ESG space, presenting to clients and adding value in various chains of the 36ONE team. She is also a part-time MBA and PDBA Lecturer at Wits Business School. She is an exceptional woman and someone that I look up to. In my first few months at 36ONE, I had a conversation with Tumi where I was thanking her for all of her efforts and help in getting me up to speed and I recall her saying “I am here to serve 36ONE’’. This has always stuck with me, and it is a saying that I too have tried to adopt in the way I approach my work. She truly brings her authentic self to work and is a great asset to the team.
What I value about her: she holds herself confidently, she is kind, intelligent, reliable, and always willing to go the extra mile.
Thazline Stafford (Operations Team)
Thazline ('Thaz') joined 36ONE in March 2019. She is our office manager and makes sure everything runs smoothly across all areas of the 36ONE firm. Thaz has such a wonderful attitude in the way she approaches her job and puts her heart into every task she does. She is one of the most diligent people I have met. She received the top student award for her Bachelor of Commerce degree and is currently pursuing her studies with CIMA. Along with balancing work and studies, Thaz is also a mother of three.
What I value about her: she is highly empathetic, is extremely efficient and diligent, very reliable and always willing to go the extra mile.
Wendy Donaldson (Operations Team)
Wendy ('Wends') joined 36ONE 6 years ago and comes with over 10 years of experience in the financial industry. Wendy assists with private client segregated accounts as well as retail clients. She also assists with compliance related responsibilities such as checking and approval of fund documents. She is unbelievably studious and recently completed a Bachelor of Science degree in Applied Mathematics and Statistics and is now studying towards her CFA.
What I value about her: she is knowledgeable and is very intelligent.
Zandile Nkwanyana (Investment Team)
Zandile joined the 36ONE investment team earlier this month (August) as an investment analyst. She has a Bachelor of Business Science (Accounting and Finance Honours) from UCT, is a Chartered Accountant and also completed her MBA at London Business School. She has spent the last few years working in London and has decided to come back to South Africa and join 36ONE where we are very excited to have her as part of our team.
What I value about her: she holds herself confidently, is gracious and wise.
I am honoured to work with such incredible women. There’s no doubt that diversified teams are smarter and more effective. Team diversity brings in more perspectives and ideas, allowing organisations to think more creatively. 36ONE recognises the positive impact diversity has on company performance and the business has strived to increase workplace diversity. The 36ONE Transformation and Social Responsibility Team (TSR) which oversees Employment Equity, Skills Development and Corporate Social Investment Initiatives has placed an increasing focus on improving the team’s diversity profile (including gender, race, cultural background, and age). While it is pleasing to see significant improvement, we are on a journey where further progress is still required.