Personifying the strength of a woman
WOMEN should not only be the pillars of strength at home or in their community, but also in the corporate world.
So says Joshna Premchand, who believes that if one is to succeed, one should strive to break barriers – not only for oneself but others along the way.
“Women need to believe nothing is impossible,” said Premchand, the sales planning and performance manager at AB InBev, which took over SABMiller last year.
She said the road to the top might sometimes be an extralong and arduous journey, especially for women.
The 42-year-old said, like other women, it was tough climbing up the corporate ladder but her burning desire to succeed in the workplace meant she was able to attain her goals.
“All you need in life is a willing heart, a positive attitude and burning desire to make it happen,” said Premchand.
She said she started her career in the industry in 1995, after she obtained a bursary from the SAB Bursary Programme to complete her bachelors degree in technology (food technology), majoring in food microbiology, at the Durban University of Technology.
“I was employed full-time as a lab technician while completing my dissertation, which was based on the propagation of yeast for our beer.
“After 18 months, I moved across to the analytical laboratory, where I spent two years performing quality checks across process.”
With no time to sit idle, Premchand made a career change and moved across to sales as the sales co-ordinator, serving both the Prospecton and Port Shepstone depots.
She then packed her bags and moved to Zululand in the role of sales co-ordinator.
“I was raring to go. I wanted to grow in the industry. It was in those four years, that I was in Zululand, that our team won three gold awards and an MD’s award for sales in our company. Those were one of our proudest moments as we were acknowledged for our hard work and dedication.”
Determined to progress, Premchand decided to diversify and learn more about finance, moving to assistant financial planner at the company’s, newly acquired, Transkei market in 2004.
After two years, she returned to Durban where she was appointed market analyst for the East Coast region.
“During my years as market analyst, I was part of the region’s business planning team that delivered the highest growth nationally. In 2017, I was appointed the sales planning and performance manager.”
She said she was proud of her accomplishments.
Her determination and drive to succeed, said Premchand, had finally got her to the top.
“We need to support each other as women and the younger generations. It is essential to nurture younger talent,” she said. “As you empower them, young girls would want to go out there and make a better future for themselves and realise their full potential.
“I always say, ‘Don’t be afraid of hard work and perseverance, as it is sure to reward you’. It really does pay off at the end.”
Premchand is married to Shannon and they have two children, Shravan, 14 and Diya, 12.
She said she managed her busy career and home efficiently, with her day beginning around 5am.
Premchand catches an early morning gym session, then returns home, to prepare her children’s lunch and get them ready for school, before heading to work.
“My day at the office is spent with a wonderful mix of people. I am inspired each day by those I work with as they take their roles in the company personally. They are a talented group, who are results driven, highly competitive and remarkably supportive.”
At the end of a long day, she can be found cooking up a scrumptious meal for her family and unwinds by chanting or reading a spiritual book.