IT executives share their views on what they think should be done and what they are doing to support women in tech pursuing leadership roles.
In honour of Women’s Month, CIO South Africa connected with Dr Bongani Andy Mabaso, group CTO at Altron; Khanyisa Mhlaba, CIO for Absa Personal and Private Banking Specialised Operations Technology; Greg Schroder, manager of solution architecture at Entelect and Gita Daya, CIO at Bank Zero; to learn how they are empowering women in their teams to rise into leadership.
Dr Bongani Andy Mabaso reflects on leading an all-women team that came together unintentionally. “The best people just happened to be women. Traditionally I have always had a very mixed team, but I love building teams and understanding what makes people tick. Right now I have an all-women team and I think it’s great. We always ensure that the women in our team are well taken care of, and we do it throughout the year, not only in Women’s Month,” he says.
For Khanyisa Mhlaba, the first step to empowering women in her IT team was ensuring their presence by prioritising the recruitment of women into core technical and operations roles, not only support functions. She highlights the growth she has seen among these women once given the opportunity to thrive in a technical environment.
“By openly sharing my own journey, I believe I have encouraged women to embrace who they are and focus on opportunities rather than barriers. I also make a point of actively supporting women when they seek help, working alongside them to ensure they succeed and stand out in their roles,” she explains.
At Entelect, Greg Schroder points to targeted programmes that have increased the number of women in the organisation. In January 2025, women made up almost 37 percent of the graduate intake compared to South Africa’s 13 percent national average for Stem graduates. He highlights initiatives such as GirlCode and Ladies that Code, which provide women with platforms to engage with technology.
Internally, Entelect runs ElevateHer, a female mentorship programme led by women leaders. “Through this initiative, a private express room for new mothers was set up in the office and there is a strong drive to elevate women’s representation through many of the initiatives that we do,” he says.
As an advisory board member of Women in Tech, Gita Daya is a strong advocate for bringing women into the technology space. She believes women in tech need authentic visibility, representation and support at every level of an organisation to feel empowered. “Seeing women in leadership and technical roles makes opportunities feel attainable and attracts more female talent, while mentorship and role models help break down misconceptions that IT is only about coding,” she says.
She adds that companies must also create inclusive cultures where women are treated equitably, supported through different life stages and given access to diverse career paths within technology. Importantly, organisations should share real stories of women’s journeys in tech to make success feel relatable and achievable.
