8 August 2024,
Schneider Electric’s Inclusion and Care by Design strategy is embedded in all its processes and behaviours, ensuring that inclusion is hardwired end-to-end, with clear accountability.
As the leader in the digital transformation of energy management and automation, Schneider Electric South Africa will be celebrating this Women’s Day with the theme, celebrating 30 Years of Democracy Towards Women's Development, which reflects on the all-important progress made and opportunities that lie ahead for women.
This year's celebration also sees Schneider Electric re-emphasising the importance of empowering women to embrace change, seek new opportunities, and foster a culture of continuous learning.
The company constantly puts its values into action, and this is reflected in the number of recent awards and accolades received, such as the World Economic Forum (WEF) recently naming the company a Global Parity Alliance Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Lighthouse for its Global Pay Equity (GPE) initiative in. Bloomberg also recognised Schneider Electric for its drive towards equality in the Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index (GEI), and the Financial Times recently named the company a Leader in Diversity.
“At Schneider Electric we foster a culture where women feel valued, empowered, and able to contribute their best work. By continuously measuring our progress and aiming for improvement, we can ensure that our females work in an inclusive environment,” says Nimmita Maharaj, Diversity and Transformation Director, Anglophone Africa at Schneider Electric.
Programmes in action
In the past six years, Schneider Electric’s ‘How Women Rise’ programme has impacted almost 120 females in the business, and it has seen at least a 30% rise in females being promoted, moving roles laterally or taking on stretch assignments to grow their careers. From here, the ladies graduate into the ‘Still I Rise’ programme, which prepares them for future management and leadership roles.
In 2023 Schneider Electric AAF launched SELF (Schneider Electric Ladies Forum), a coaching and discussion platform for continuous engagement on the challenges that women face both in the workplace and personally.
“We have also identified the need for an accelerated development programme to nurture the skills for young females and are proud to launch the ‘How Women Rise Graduate Edition,’ for all female graduates, interns, and learners across Anglophone Africa,” says Modlay Davids, Talent Acquisition and Employer Branding Lead, Human Resources at Schneider Electric.
The programme aims at equipping our young ladies with the tools and providing support so that they can build awareness and be better prepared for the gender challenges and barriers they may face, in what is for many of them, their first roles in a corporate environment.
To supplement this, Schneider Electric continues to evolve the T-Shaped career model where professionals possess deep expertise in a specific area (the vertical bar of the T), while also developing a broad range of skills and knowledge across various other areas (the horizontal bar of the T). This commitment to multiple skills development means more versatility and opens the doors for many opportunities in the future.
“At Schneider Electric, our focus is on creating environments where women can develop their careers, continuously reinvent themselves, and thrive alongside their male counterparts. Encouraging such careers and ‘dynamic duos’ helps us inspire and empower our female workforce to adapt, innovate, and excel,” notes Maharaj.
Testimonials from the Schneider Electric team
Schneider Electric celebrating female employees in the month of August with the theme; “You can be anything!.”
Tsakane Leshabane – Business Analyst - Transactional Channels, Channel Marketing and Sales
Growing up in Mamelodi, a township situated east of Pretoria, Tsakane found joy in crafting. Her grandmother introduced her to the world of knitting during her primary school years. Career days were her favourite, as she transformed old clothes into “unique outfits.” Her childhood dream was to become a fashion designer, but the trajectory of her life changed in high school. Suddenly drawn to numbers, she pursued a Bachelor of Commerce in Financial Science at university.
In 2022, she joined Schneider Electric as a Finance Graduate Intern. The exposure she gained to various commercial areas in the business led her to another significant career change in 2023—she transitioned to the Channel Marketing team as a Business Analyst. Now, she thrives on data analysis.
“If I could travel back in time and offer advice to my eighteen-year-old self, I would say to her, it’s okay to not know what you want to do with your life. Your path will unfold, trust your intuition, and follow your passions,” says Tsakane.
Modlay Davids, Talent Acquisition and Employer Branding Lead, Human Resources
Born and raised in Uitenhage, a small town in the Eastern Cape, Modlay spent most of her time playing with dolls, 'teaching' them, and writing on concrete fence panels.
However, growing up in an industrial town, Modlay was exposed to conversations about unions, strikes, and negotiations, which sparked her interest in Labour Relations and Law. She pursued an HR qualification and started her career as a Branch Administrator at a recruitment consultancy.
Six years later, she left the mountain and beautiful beaches behind and spent a couple of years in the mining town of Phalaborwa. She then moved back to Johannesburg, where she worked in financial services and engineering consulting organisations.
In 2022, Modlay joined Schneider Electric as a Talent Acquisition and Employer Branding Specialist. “The trajectory of my career has taught me that I can do anything I put my mind to. This has helped me build networks that have contributed invaluably to my career and personal growth and has opened doors for me. The one thing I’d tell my 18-year-old self is: ‘Stay focused and don’t worry too much about other people’s opinions. Yours is the only one that matters. You can do it!” says Modlay.
