There was no shortage of sisterhood at the 2026 Executive Communities Women’s dinner which took place in August, observed as Women’s Month in South Africa. Almost 300 women executives gathered under one roof for a healthy dose of girl power, which included some men in the mix.
Themed The Power of Presence, Executive Communities once again brought together women from the CFO, CHRO and CIO South Africa communities for an evening of honest conversations about leadership, work and life, without having to wear a “corporate” hat. The dress code, in fact, called for heels taking a backseat. Instead, execs were asked to dress in suits and sneakers.
“Our events are community-centric and give executive women an opportunity to learn from each other. It is also a space where women lift each other up and open doors for each other. I have a genuine interest in women upliftment and empowerment. I believe in creating a safe space for women to become vulnerable and share their fears, successes and hopes,” says Nomahlubi Sonjica, ExCo’s champion for the women’s event and community manager for CIO South Africa.
One of the evening’s most anticipated conversations was the return of Ask A Man, which handed the microphone to three senior male executives to answer some tough questions. This year Njabulo Nyawo, CPO at Momentum Group; Kevin Wilson, Group GM for IT at Stefanutti Stocks; and Mikaeel Tayob, CFO at Bridgestone stepped up to the challenge.
“The #AskAMan segment was introduced after recognising that men need to be part of the conversation around gender diversity and empowerment. It has become a fan favourite and a distinguishing highlight of our ExCo Women's Event. We are truly fortunate to have men in our executive communities who are allies in the pursuit of gender equity and inclusion in the C-suite,” explains Sungula Nkabinde, head of communities for ExCo.
Nomahlubi adds that having been in a space with CIO women where they shared their experiences of working in a male dominated industry, it became clear that there was a need to have their male counterparts in the room to answer the questions the women often have and don’t get the opportunity to ask.
“I think that is what makes it valuable. It brings another perspective into the conversation without taking away from the women's voice. And because it is done in a fairly light and entertaining way, it opens the door to conversations that can sometimes be quite difficult to have,” she notes.
Business leader, entrepreneur, author, CEO of Awakened Global and Chancellor of Walter Sisulu University, Nonkululeko Gobodo, set the tone with a powerful keynote address. The evening also featured an interactive session led by Kate George Weaver-Gibbs, the CEO of the mental health platform Are You OK?
What stood out for Nomahlubi was the honesty in the room. “There were conversations about what it takes to be seen, heard and respected. I also loved having the mentees there. Bringing women at different stages of their careers into the room made the event feel bigger than just an event for senior executives. There was a real sense of paying it forward, which is something I think is very important to ExCo,” she says.
“For ExCo as a whole, I think it also says something about the kind of community we want to build. We want and always encourage people to challenge each other, hear different perspectives and have conversations that actually move things forward.”
Sungula adds that the Executive Communities’s Women's Month event is strictly organised and executed by the women in the organisation. “Its success speaks for itself. It has been growing by leaps and bounds, especially since Nomahlubi took the reins."
Click here to see pictures from the evening.
Executive Communities’s support and celebration of Women’s Month is made possible by a range of partners, including principal partners Cassava Technologies, Entelect, iOCO, MakwaIT, Old Mutual Employee Benefits, Regenesys Corporate Education; and executive partners BDO South Africa, Discovery, GIBS Business School, HCLTech, ITR Technology, Jem, Kaspersky, Marsh, STANLIB, and Workday.