The North-West University (NWU), in collaboration with ArcelorMittal South Africa’s Women of Steel (WOS) forum recently hosted a women’s empowerment event on the Vanderbijlpark Campus. The event attracted more than 70 participants and was the second women’s event hosted at the NWU. A third event – Femmegeneering – is planned for August.

The event – aimed to empower women, particularly those in male-dominated industries – included participants from ArcelorMittal South Africa's WOS programme as well as selected NWU women. The initiative focused on fostering personal and professional development among women.

Chantell de Villiers, manager for talent acquisition, development and performance at ArcelorMittal South Africa, shared an inspiring presentation on the "Happiness Advantage." She emphasised the importance of well-being in one’s personal and professional life, and highlighted the key components of happiness and how individuals can cultivate a more fulfilling life, setting a positive and engaging tone for the day.

The main event featured a compelling session by guest speaker Saffron Baggallay, a sociologist and human behaviourist, who explored the concept of psychological safety. She provided valuable insights into creating environments where individuals feel safe, valued and empowered to express themselves without fear of negative consequences. Her discussion on “Filling one's Mug” resonated with the audience, offering practical strategies for enhancing psychological safety both at work and in daily life.

Chantell said the WOS participation has seen a significant increase from 53 women in 2022 to 115 in 2024, and that ArcelorMittal South Africa aims to expand the forum further.

The NWU has also launched its own Women in Leadership programme in August 2023 and recently appointed 28 ambassadors to assist in steering this initiative.

"Social networking events play a crucial role in the WOS forum, allowing professionals to connect, build relationships, and collaborate on initiatives aimed at driving positive change. We are also sharing the event information with other employees within our wider organisation to trigger them to start up a WOS initiative in other segments,” said Chantell.

She added that they are planning to partner with universities to ensure they reach female students with the possibility to offer them bursaries to fill their talent pipeline.

She also revealed a success story from the programme. "One of our WOS members, Anika Steytler, received an ArcelorMittal bursary to pursue an MBA. She recently shared a video about her experience at the NWU, which we again shared with other members in the community. They were amazed at how women support each other," said Chantell.

"We are considering expanding the WOS initiative to other segments and we are exploring alternatives such as providing access to free online university courses and facilitated sessions on topics such as emotional intelligence and psychological safety," she added.

Prof Linda du Plessis, vice-principal and deputy vice-chancellor for planning and Vanderbijlpark Campus operations, emphasised the significance of the event, saying that it served as a source of inspiration for all those in attendance.

"The university encourages events that empower women and actively support initiatives aimed and gender equality. We are proud to be in partnership with the WOS initiative.”

More than 70 participants representing the NWU and ArcelorMittal South Africa's Women of Steel programme attended the second women empowering event that was hosted at the NWU.

Picture by Loveness Hulwane