TOP GENDER EMPOWERMENT AWARD FOR COCA- COLA MD

COCA- COLA Beverages South Africa ( CCBSA) said yesterday its managing director, Velaphi Ratshefola ( pictured), had emerged as the winner in the Top Gender Empowered: Male Driving Gender Empowerment category at the 17th annual Standard Bank Top Women Awards for the second year running. The awards cover all major economic sectors, and recognise businesses of all sizes in the public and private sectors. In 2018, the company launched Women@ CCBSA, a women- led network that gives women the space to engage, coach and mentor each other and ensure they reach their full potential. The company now has 40.5 percent women in senior management, 44 percent in middle management and 33.2 percent in junior management. CCBSA has transformed R3.4 billion of its preferential procurement spend in 2019 alone, supporting 805 black- owned suppliers, 413 of whom are black females. Ratshefola said he felt tremendously honoured to be recognised again. “This award was a testament to the hard work, dedication and belief that we hold as an organisation that women are phenomenal and capable leaders. When we embarked on our transformation journey, it was never with the aim of getting recognition externally, but what we sought to do was commit ourselves to doing what is right in terms of correcting past imbalances and ensuring the inclusion of women in all spheres of our organisation, especially at executive and senior leadership level, where they are a critical part of decision- making. I believe that no institution will survive the future if women are not given the chance to play an integral and strategic role to make a tangible contribution towards the success of their organisations,” Ratshefola said.