Mind the (gender) gap

When Gudani Mukatuni was a child, STEM subjects – science, technology, engineering and mathematics – were not considered important for female learners. As a result, there were very few female role models available to a girl like her who wanted to pursue a career in the tech space.

Fast forward a decade or two, and Gudani, now the CIO at Glacier (by Sanlam) and a finalist in last year’s IITPSA President’s Awards in the Visionary CIO of the Year category, is on a mission to change that.

‘When I studied computer science back in the early 2000s, there were very few students who looked like me, and I want to change that for young women today. I want them to look at me and say, if she can do it, I can do it too,’ she says.

With a 20-plus year career spanning financial services, consulting and telecommunications, Gudani, who holds a BSc in Computer Science and Mathematics from WITS and an MBA from Henley Africa, is exceptionally well placed to do this, too. She has also served as an advisory board member of Women in Technology, where the focus is on empowering young women in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

The intersection of IT and business

Gudani has a passion for leading and developing teams and transforming organisations through the use of technology, but she says even at senior leadership levels in business, IT specialists still tend to be viewed as ‘techies’ rather than business leaders.

Obtaining a prestigious business degree was, for her, a solution to this dilemma. Gudani chose to do her MBA at Henley at a point in her life when, although she already occupied a senior technology role in her industry, she wanted to add to her level of business confidence.

‘My natural inclination is to learn first and then, from learning, I gain confidence. I wanted to go through a formal business education process where I could add to my understanding of what it takes to run a business end-to-end, adding credibility to my understanding of business processes and functions in the process.’

Gudani elected to study at Henley for a number of reasons, not least of which is the school’s international standing and affiliation with the University of Reading in the UK. ‘I also appreciate the fact that while the university has a global mindset, it stays true to its Africa roots,’ she says.

Most business education graduates are quick to admit that studying, working and holding together a personal life simultaneously can be challenging, and Gudani is no different.

‘Of course, doing the MBA was a tough journey, but I was fortunate to have a full-time helper at home at the time and a supportive husband who shared parenting duties of our son. The support of my family coupled with the supportive family-friendly structure at Henley enabled me to graduate in record time with my sanity intact,’ she says.

She adds that she also uses running – she has completed two full marathons – and reading to keep sane. ‘Running is my happy place, but I am also a keen reader: biographies, personal health books, and fiction all help lower my stress levels.’

Raised to shine

Gudani has come a long way since her childhood in Limpopo and teen years in Johannesburg. ‘I was born in Limpopo and raised in Soweto in a middle-class Christian family,’ says Gudani, who believes her upbringing shaped her values and her approach to hard work. She credits the matriarchal nature of her Venda culture and a liberal-minded father – who encouraged her to pursue engineering or computer science – with giving her the freedom to choose how to live her life.

‘I am the eldest of three children and the only girl, and in my culture, what girls have to contribute is taken seriously. I think this helped with my confidence levels in a male-dominated space.’

These days, she hopes to pass some of that confidence on to others by helping to nurture the next generation of leaders. She remembers how, at the start of her career, a handful of senior black women took her under their wings and nurtured her.

‘One of them was Johanna Mapharisa, back then she was one of the few black women Partners at EY. She and other senior partners in the firm mentored me, gave me hope in terms of the possibility of succeeding in a male-dominated field as well as succeeding in the corporate environment.’

She adds that she’d give the upcoming generation of young black women the same advice as she’d give her 20-year-old self.

‘I would tell her that failing is OK, because you will get the things you want in life, just not necessarily all at the same time. I would also tell her not to be afraid to pivot and reinvent herself when opportunities present themselves.’