Sanlam : Ranks in Top 50 Women CEOs in Africa

While they made the list, there are many other women across the Sanlam Group who are strong and impactful leaders. The Group has 162 women in leadership roles, more than 40% of total leadership, and 64% of the total staff complement are women. "We are working hard through various talent management strategies including leadership development programmes, coaching, mentorship and high-impact opportunities to fast-track more women into leadership roles."

Modise said that these leaders walk the talk, they are each passionate about equal opportunities for women in the workplace and in society. Kanyisa Mkhize says, "It's an honour to be included and I hope this goes some way to inspire young women to believe that they too can be CEOs one day. Often, we tend to inadvertently suppress women's expectations. We cap what they're seen as capable of, simply through how we frame conversations. We need to change the narrative, so people feel equally empowered to set ambitious goals and go after these."

Catherine Lesetedi says, "Women give so much to so many. We juggle myriad roles. We play powerful parts in our families and communities, and we bring invaluable talents to the world of work. It's time more women take a seat at the table. We need to take up space, to be tenacious and go after what we want. We are infinitely capable. We can change the world."

In the Africa.com study, researchers worked with data from Bloomberg. South Africa dominated the list more than any other African country. The list also revealed that more women CEOs are found in finance than in any other sector. The methodology covers three sections: 1) CEOs of African exchange listed companies with a market cap over $150 million USD; 2) division heads of African exchange listed companies, where the division itself would be valued at over $150 million, were it standalone; and 3) Africa region heads, or country heads, of globally listed companies with a market cap of over $50 billion.