"I want to help women achieve their career goals and navigate obstacles, and provide our alumnae with ongoing education and the opportunity to share their experiences."

"In corporate culture there is a language of gender bias that we are unaware of: it’s called “benevolent sexism”.’ An example of this is when a male colleague or supervisor refers to a highly trained, qualified female engineer as “honey” or “meisje”. ‘Everyone acts as if it’s okay. It’s not. Deconstruct it. It’s not being friendly. It’s a power thing."

"I’m always slightly embarrassed thinking back to how I just didn’t see things that are often blindingly obvious to me today. For instance, the way business education often perpetuates gender bias, through texts, cases, business speakers, and even faculty. The turning point came when I undertook research into social networks amongst our MBA students. I wanting to see if there was real collaboration amongst the extremely diverse student population in the RSM classroom. Were the Japanese working with the Spanish? Were the Nigerians socialising with the Dutch? Were the Mexicans exploring innovative ideas with the Chinese?"

"The results of the research showed that women skewed towards men in trust situations at work. The question I had asked was, if you had a risky project, who would you ask to be on your team, and many women chose men. At first, I blamed the women. This is ridiculous; I wanted to say to them! Open your eyes! Thankfully, we had some very good reviewers who thought that the results of the research were good but suggested that a more critical appraisal was necessary."

"I wanted to show people that although I had cancer, was not ill. I was still able to add value and do things in spite of the chemo and the damned tumours it was desperately fighting. This was important to me because a cancer diagnosis often gets one marginalised."

"Many women stay in job or remain in a toxic environment because they are scared. My message to them is do not sell out who they are in exchange for safety. It takes courage to move because it takes you outside your comfort zone, especially the first time you do it. However, you will soon realise that your world does not collapse when you find the courage to change and get off the hamster wheel."

"Throughout my life, I have had great mentors and sponsors who believed in me, probably more than I believed in myself. They gave me the courage to do what I wanted to do."

"If you cannot find something positive to say about another woman, say nothing at all."

"Go out of your way to find reasons to amplify the good work women in your organisation and network are doing."

"Your credibility is built when others speak positively about you. Do the same for them whenever, and wherever, you can."

"You can lead from wherever you are. Even if you are in a junior position, you can mentor and speak positively about other women. It is wrong to think that you can only lead when you are in a leadership role."

"It will push women to move outside their comfort zone and give them the confidence to be less modest and allow their talent to shine. They will learn to push boundaries in innovation, accept risk, and welcome leadership roles."

"The bias against women’s progression is more of a systemic problem. What needs to change are the social views and attitudes in society that hold women back from taking leading roles in organizations of all types."

"I would advise that women remain aware of gender stereotypes and the implicit bias that this produces—in others and in themselves. They should not be afraid to debate and question issues of diversity within and beyond the classroom."

"An MBA is a movable asset, you take it with you wherever you go."

"An MBA is truly a transformational experience. You learn so much about yourself, you gain business knowledge, and you make invaluable and lasting friendships. I would encourage more women to think about doing an MBA."

"The challenge South Africa is having is poverty and unemployment and the biggest barrier to this is the skills gap."

"We women in leadership need to be mindful that we are [doing this] not just for ourselves but for the women who come after us. So, let’s get on and do it boldly."

"Places, where patriarchy is the norm, allow men to cause discomfort, embarrass, berate, harass, and sometimes even violently attack women for their existence as the opposite sex."

"In a place where patriarchy is the norm, public space is defined as belonging to men, and women are outsiders made to live in accordance with parameters set by men. How women dress, act, and engage in those spaces is strictly regulated by these social habits/norms."

"When you work with young people, it’s important to be visible on social media because that’s where young people hang out."

"As a leader, my priorities are transformation, excellence and sustainability. These priorities are interrelated because excellence without transformation is not sustainable, and where there is transformation without excellence, there is no integrity."

"Those of us in positions of power should be willing to invest our time in supporting those who are willing to be the ‘right people’. Don’t always look for the finished product, get involved in the process of creating the right people."

"Truth is that you cannot make a comeback if you are never lost."

"Believe that something positive will happen even in the absence of any supporting evidence."

"Sometimes, all you need to do is take the first step with the faith that everything will be fine."

"I have become my own cheerleader and because of that, positive things are happening around me."

"Make sure you choose mentors whose ethical choices you admire"

"Your good name and reputation are bigger than the job, the deal, the promotion and the money."

"It’s never too early or too late to learn or get your ethical act together."

"Your good name and reputation make you who you are. Don’t give them away"

"Your actions have consequences. When you choose an action, you are also choosing its consequences"

"Most of my life is faith. When I have a dream, I pursue it without thinking about what would happen if it doesn’t work and this is what makes me"

"We are always in the process of becoming and so I remain a work in progress."

"There was a time in my life when I thought everything about me was not right and needed fixing. I thought I was not smart enough, I thought my bum was too big and my eyes too small. It has taken me many years to be okay with being different."

"Keep the feeling of endless possibilities alive for as long as possible"

"Starting at the bottom makes you hungry and determined."

"Starting at the bottom builds character. It is the best way to learn."

"Nowadays, everyone wants to be an overnight success."

"Talent that is not supported by hard work ultimately runs out of steam and fails."

"Success requires hard work whether you are a tennis player, an artist, a scientist, a writer or an entrepreneur."

"Start with the “why” and then the “what” and the “how” will be clear"

"You can’t win on talent alone. Talent on its own does not produce success."

"It is only through “doing” that we can find solutions."

"Stay true to your dream. Believe in your dream and keep pushing until you see it happen."

"A sense of urgency in our young people about succeeding in higher education."

"There are people today, who tell our young people not to work hard but to work smart."

"If you want to travel, be clear about why you want to travel."

"There is no doubt that I work hard."

"Hard workers do not wait for things to be done for them. They make things happen."