Women leaders gather to drive growth in Africa and beyond

The road to genuine gender equality is long and in flux. Cue the Standard Bank Top Women 2021 Conference. A stage across which trailblazing women excelling in society will gleefully dance. Gather to learn the motions, gain insights from their “award-winning choreography,” and offer your unwavering support for their show-stopping performances.

After all, gender parity is a nuanced kind of movement. A tango between what was, what is and what could be. The Top Women conference is a giant and courageous leap towards a realm in which brave conversations are celebrated. A space where powerful women band together and rise by lifting each other.

“Success comes in all forms, and at Topco Media, we maintain that it starts with your thoughts, habits, beliefs and actions. At the Top Women Conference, we will give you some epic stories and case studies from throughout the world to inspire you into massive action” - Ralf Fletcher, Topco Media CEO.

Generating awareness locally and internationally, Standard Bank Top Women honours impactful movers and shakers. If you are searching for effective networking, practical solutions and advice that will propel you to the next level, you have certainly struck sheer gold.

Top women together

The Standard Bank Top Women Conference is about shattering old perceptions and barriers and drawing on a trusted network of over 10,000 women entrepreneurs and leaders in the public and private sectors to unleash economic potential. In the name of investing in women for growth, Standard Bank is once again the event’s platinum sponsor and, together with Topco Media, will host the virtual conference on the 6th and 7th of October 2021.

“Being a courageous leader means showing up all the time and speaking up too, whilst listening. In times like now, one has to be very deliberate and conscious of the energy that you transfer. At Standard Bank, we believe that empowering women can accelerate growth in Africa. We also recognise the positive societal impact made by phenomenal female entrepreneurs by sponsoring initiatives like Top Women, among others,” says Lindy-Lou Alexander, head, Brand & Marketing, Consumer & High Net Worth at Standard Bank Group.

Top Women has also strategically partnered with the Commission for Gender Equality, the British Chamber of Business, Silicon Cape, Exxaro, Unilever, UNISA, Wipro, Servest, Netstar and Implats.

Emboldening women’s voices

Join us, this year, as we reshape the conversation, change the dynamic and attend to the unfinished business of empowering women, with brave conversations 2.0.

Honourable keynote speakers include Khara Jabola-Carolus, executive director at the Hawaiʻi State Commission on the Status of Women; Masana Ndinga-Kanga, Crisis Response Fund Lead at CIVICUS, SA; Eva Mwai, regional director for East Africa at the North Star Alliance, Kenya, and Nahla Valji, senior advisor of the United Nations’ Executive Office of the Secretary-General, Canada.

Another world on her way

According to Arundhati Roy, “Another world is not only possible, but she is also on her way. On a quiet day, I can hear her breathing.” The collective strength of both women and men will enable us to achieve economic growth of grand proportions.

Topco’s vision is to inspire the world to do good business and encourage women to grow their businesses and themselves. By building the world’s fastest-growing platform for women who lead, we are cementing with great zest and purpose, a future our daughter’s daughters will be proud of.