TARGETED TRAINING WORKSHOPS DELIVER WINNERS IN ‘PERFECTING YOUR PITCH’

(May 9, 2017) A strong contingent of some 80 women business owners participated actively in six information sessions and targeted business skills trainings on 9 May 2017 at EY in Johannesburg.  A winner and two runners-up took centre stage after the Perfecting your Pitch competition: Managing Director Janice Scheckter, Indigo New Media; Viloshnee Singh, V4 Group & Thembane Chemicals; and Managing Director Thanthi Sepeng, Reve Productions.

These trainings formed part of the two-day pre-events ahead of the WEConnect International in South Africa’s Annual Conference. Course presenters included EY’s Lorenzo Bell Jr and IBM’s Michael K. Robinson, Tony de Abreu and Angela de Longchamps, as well as several certified women’s business enterprises.

The interactive trainings aimed at useful and practical skills included:

• Agile-minded – presented by Michael K. Robinson (Program Director, Global Supplier Diversity, IBM); Tony De Abreu (Cognitive Workforce Management leader for EMEA,  IBM), Angela de Longchamps (Leadership and Talent Development consultant), and Shaheema Adams of Customer Experience Lab (a certified WBE with WEConnect International)
• Perfecting Your Pitch: facilitated by EY – presented by Lorenzo A. Bell Jr (EY Diversity & Inclusiveness Procurement); Jean Chawapiwa (WEConnect International in South Africa’s Country Director) and Tania Reid (CEO of iThemba Office Solutions and a certified WBE with WEConnect International)
• Boost Your Business with Facebook – presented by Linda Magare of Digify Africa  for  the Facebook Africa Team o BBBEEE workshop for SMEs – Mpopi Moloi-Khupe of Zevoli Consulting (a certified WBE with WEConnect International)
• Legal BootCamp for SMEs – Monisha Prem M Prem Inc. (a certified WBE with WEConnect International)
• Optimising processes within a business –  MJ Fick, Tania May and Zinhle Sithole  of Pétanque International (a certified WBE with WEConnect International).

The Perfecting your Pitch competition at the end of the morning’s session was hotly contested; judges finally decided on the three winners with two honorable mentions.

Significantly, trainings were done by certified women business owners, whose role has become the empowerment of fellow women business owners by teaching vital skills.  This virtuous cycle of teaching and learning among peers is one of the strong indicators of the gains to local entrepreneurs through the activities of WEConnect International in South Africa. Good attendance at the workshops indicated specific interest among women business owners for these information and training sessions.

For more information, contact: Jean Chawapiwa, Country Director of WEConnect International in SA I  jchawapiwa@weconnectinternational.org I +27 836606586