NICOLE SYKES

Women in business programme manager at FNB Commercial Transactional Solution SME

Having had over 17 years’ experience working in progressive corporates that partner closely with innovative entrepreneurs, Nicole Sykes’ most recent focus in entrepreneurship has been on female business owners. During this period, Nicole has had the satisfaction of assisting women entrepreneurs with their growth of their business and their success stories.

Through the journeys of her clients and her own personal experiences, Nicole has witnessed the difficulties of starting, running and growing a business in our rapidly changing environment. Her role at one of the biggest banks in the country is managing the FNB women in the business niche with the aim of assisting female clients with their growth, recognise their successes, and partner with them to increase their ability to influence the community in which they operate.

This role goes further, to include virtual networking events that are focused on resilience – especially during the Covid-19 pandemic; workshops to help empower women to be able to protect themselves; using female entrepreneurs to supply FNB services and needs; and creating networks for women to support and buy from each other. In addition to her leadership with supporting woman-owned businesses, Nicole has also played an active role in the social community. She has been a representative on the FNB CSI Fund Board whose focus is on education and on making a sustainable change in the lives of previously disadvantaged youth. Most recently, she has been involved with supporting early childhood development, which has broadened her understanding of the importance of the first 1000 days of a child’s life.