Woman of the Week

Women in Tech of the Week: Vhonani Queen

Jan 24, 2022 in Operations, Profiles, Woman of the Week, Women in Tech

Name: Vhonani Queen
Designation: ICT Specialist: Unified Communications
Company: Government Printing Works

What do you do every day?
Managing SCCM (i.e. Patch Management, Antivirus Management, Manage 3rd Party Applications etc.) – Managing Microsoft Active Directory – Managing Microsoft Exchange Server – Managing Microsoft Lync / Skype for business Server and Teams – Managing DHCP & DNS Servers – Managing ICT Service Desk (Microsoft System Centre Service Manager) – Managing SCOM – Managing Windows Server 2008 R2 / 2012 R2/ 2016/ 2019 – Supporting VMware Infrastructure (Servers, VDI’s and view-persona) – Managing GPO’s – Supporting Microsoft SharePoint sites – Managing Fileserver and Printers.

How did you get into the tech space?
I studied Bcom Business Information Systems motivated with the interest of working with computers and how they function.

What was the best advice anyone ever gave you?
You can be anything you want to be and there’s nothing anyone hasn’t experienced out there in the world when you come across challenges in this field make google your best friend and you will be exposed to so much information to help resolve your issues.

What advice would you give to someone wanting to get into tech?
My advice would be do not be friend of challenges and embrace failure for that is where real learning happens, be self motivated and don’t be afraid as well to push yourself to the limit.

What motivates you to get out of bed every day?
Knowing that my environment is operating as expected and thinking of how to make it better from what it is by looking at what’s new out there and what benefits it bring to make work more interesting and fun.

Who do you want to be when you grow up?
There’s not a lot of female CIO’s so one day I would love to see myself adding to the small ratio.

Women in Tech of the Week: Liesl Rossouw

Dec 5, 2021 in Business development, Profiles, Woman of the Week, Women in Tech

Name: Liesl Rossouw
Designation: Business Analyst
Company: SPAR

What do you do every day?
A bit of everything. Business process mapping, data analytics, a lot of small project management etc.

How did you get into the tech space?
Studied Industrial Engineering

What was the best advice anyone ever gave you?
Proof you worth to yourself, not to others!

What advice would you give to someone wanting to get into tech?
If you have a passion for it, go for it! Dont back down because it looks like a male-dominated environment.

What motivates you to get out of bed every day?
The opportunity to learn (the working of) something new. To understand a new process.

Who do you want to be when you grow up?
Still pondering on this one…

Woman in Tech of the Week: Adel Adams

Dec 5, 2021 in Owner, Profiles, Woman of the Week, Women in Tech

Name: Adv.Adel Adams
Designation: Legal practitioner
Company: Legal Chain

What do you do every day?
I currently work on my startup in legal tech with the assistance of the I’m IN pre-accelerator program.

Adel Adams is a practising advocate of the high court, born and raised in Boksburg, with a special interest in labour law, amongst others and founding director of a start-up namely Legal-Chain. Exposure gained to the broad world and ease of use in technology while working for a JSE listed corporate.

What was the best advice anyone ever gave you?
Never give up. Be the game changer.

What advice would you give to someone wanting to get into tech?
Be the change you want to see. Life is a blessing the opportunities are endless. Stay positive.

Who do you want to be when you grow up?
I would like to be the owner of more than one female only tech empire.

Women in Tech of the Week: Nadine Murray

Dec 5, 2021 in Developer, Profiles, Woman of the Week, Women in Tech

Name: Nadine Murray
Designation: Software Developer
Company: Momentum

What do you do every day?
I work as a software developer in the IT department of Momentum TYB. My responsibilities include the analysis, creation, development and testing of software applications to improve business processes.

How did you get into the tech space?
I’ve always had a passion for problem solving and finding new ways of doing things more effectively. As a teenager I was told to stay away from IT because it’s a man’s world. I decided to prove them wrong.

What was the best advice anyone ever gave you?
Today’s hell is a gift later. Every challenge in life is an opportunity to grow and improve yourself.

What advice would you give to someone wanting to get into tech?
Go for it! Believe that you can and persist no matter what. There is still so much to be done in the industry.

What motivates you to get out of bed every day?
My personal goals, my family and a desire to make a difference.

Who do you want to be when you grow up?
I’m a wife and mom of two beautiful kids. I have 15 years experience in IT and I hope to be a mentor to young girls starting out in the field.

Women in tech of the Week: Katlego Mabunda

Nov 29, 2021 in Business development, Profiles, Woman of the Week, Women in Tech

Name: Katlego Mabunda
Designation: Business Process Engineer
Company: FNB

What do you do every day?
I work on process mapping, analysis, and digitisation and/or automation of processes. I am also a tutor at a university and also a business owner for an online store. I pack orders and dispatch them.

How did you get into the tech space?
I studied Masters in Information Technology Management

What was the best advice anyone ever gave you?
There’s always a price for everything you do whether good or bad, so choose your path well.

What advice would you give to someone wanting to get into tech?
It’s better to fail than to never try

What motivates you to get out of bed every day?
Life – the minute I open my eyes and realise that I am alive. I get up with gratitude knowing that I am given another chance to make my life right.

Who do you want to be when you grow up?
A leader who follows servant-leadership principles. I want to change the definition of leadership in corporate. Leadership should be given to those who understand and live by this principle.

Women in Tech of the week: Vinoliah Martin

Nov 29, 2021 in CIO, COO, Profiles, Woman of the Week, Women in Tech

Name: Vinoliah Martin

Designation: Chief Technology Officer/Client Technology Lead

What do you do every day?
I am currently a Client Technology Lead viewed as a virtual Chief Technology Officer and part-time Non-Executive Director, Conference speaker, visionary and goal-oriented professional with over 12 years experience in strategy development and execution, project leadership and technology. I am at the forefront of digital transformation efforts for enterprise businesses and help enterprises innovate and digitally transform their operations, products and business models.

How did you get into the tech space?
I studied software development and then moved into a management role within the software quality assurance space and have been in the technology area for more than 12 years and love every bit of it. So much so that I am now embarking on a PhD journey focusing on digital transformation of organisations

What was the best advice anyone ever gave you?
Keep pushing to reach your goals and don’t be afraid to take risks

What advice would you give to someone wanting to get into tech?
Technology is all around us and constantly evolving, get into tech and become part of an exciting community and sector that is transforming everything around us from education to the way we do business, compete in the market and grow the economy. Get into tech and help build technologies that champions inclusion, privacy, safety, and transparency and builds a better more innovative future for all mankind.

What motivates you to get out of bed every day?
Knowing that I will continue to strive and make a positive change and difference in someone’s life, be that an employee, a client, a friend, family member or stranger. Also, knowing that it is a new day to get up, show up and work towards that next development phase and career aspiration

Who do you want to be when you grow up?
A person who ’empowers all nations to leverage technology capabilities for the greater good of society and effective economic growth.’

Women in Tech of the Week: Janine Harley

Nov 29, 2021 in Brand Manager, Profiles, Woman of the Week, Women in Tech

Name: Janine Harley

Designation: Account Manager

What do you do every day?
Each day I am inspired to go out and help my clients, friends and colleagues achieve their goals. I truly believe that we rise by lifting others.

How did you get into the tech space?
I got into the tech space by pure chance. In 2009, Internet Solutions gave me an opportunity and it changed my life forever. I believe I was put on this path for a reason and would not change a thing. I feel blessed.

What was the best advice anyone ever gave you?
Never give up and always do your best. The rest will follow.

What advice would you give to someone wanting to get into tech?
DO IT!!!! It is not easy by any measure but the feeling of being able to form part of the worlds future is so rewarding.

What motivates you to get out of bed every day?
The idea that I can help create something that can impact the future is what drives me. I also get to meet loads of really cool people.

Who do you want to be when you grow up?
I think I am pretty grown up already 🙂 My goal is to never stop learning and growing.

Woman in Tech of the Week: Fazlyn Petersen Petersen

Nov 29, 2021 in Profiles, Training and development, Woman of the Week, Women in Tech

Name: Fazlyn Petersen Peterse

Designation: Senior Lecturer

Company: University of the Western Cape

What do you do every day?
I am a Senior Lecturer in the Information Systems (IS) Department at the University of Western Cape.

How did you get into the tech space?
I joined academia to train the next generation of IS professionals. I teach Information Systems Strategy and Enterprise Architecture. The rising levels of youth unemployment has made me focus on including entrepreneurship into my courses so that students have an alternative to finding employment in the formal sector. Students need to formulate a business idea using Design Thinking then create a Business Model Canvas as the first step towards their business plan. We need more female IS professionals and entrepreneurs to make a difference to the South African economy.

I honestly didn’t want to become an Accountant, Economist or Statistician so this major was chosen by order of elimination lol I’ve heard a saying, “Sometimes a dog chases the wrong squirrel up the right tree”. IS was my right tree even though I didn’t realise it at the beginning. It works to my strengths of problem solving and creative thinking.

What was the best advice anyone ever gave you?
Nothing is impossible, even the word says I’m possible 🙂

What advice would you given someone wanting to get into the tech sector?
When I started a degree in IS I wasn’t even computer literate and I didn’t own a computer. I had never used the internet before starting university. Now I have a PhD in Information Systems. I’m proof that with hard work you can achieve anything. Challenges help you grow and what doesn’t kill you only makes you stronger 🙂

What motivates you to get out of bed every day?
I can make a difference using technology to help make a difference. I can design for the inclusion of the marginalised.

Who do you want to be when you grow up?
I wanted to be a doctor and now I am but without the needles, blood and Covid.