Advice for Young Women in Corporate by a Female Managing Director

“Every girl and every woman, has the potential to make this world a better place, and that potential lies in the act of thinking higher thoughts and feeling deeper things. When women and girls, everywhere, begin to see themselves as more than inanimate objects; but as beautiful beings capable of deep feelings and high thoughts, this has the capacity to create change all around. The kind of change that is for the better.”

– C. JoyBell C.

I’m currently engaged in a Teams call with our Managing Director, Jenny Gill, conducting an interview for our upcoming August blog. This interview with our esteemed female Executive is particularly apt, aligning perfectly with Women’s Month and celebrating her achievements.

Jenny has been involved in the rental finance industry since its inception in South Africa in the late 1980s, participating in pioneering the funding of operating rentals through a securitisation vehicle during her tenure at Sasfin Bank.

She has worked with various major finance houses until she started her own brokerage in 1999. In 2002, Jenny became a founder director of Centrafin and has served as its Managing Director for the past 19 years. She has seen the company grow from a brokerage to a fully-fledged finance house, employing over 50 staff, and managing a book of R1.5 Billion in 2023.

However, she also embraces roles as a spouse, mother, and grandmother and she adeptly maintains a harmonious equilibrium between her professional commitments and personal life, making it appear effortless.

Therefore, I posed 7 significant questions to her – the kind that any young woman would likely inquire about, given the chance:

Let’s jump right in.

Q: You started your career in the 1980s at Sasfin, and today you are the Managing Director at Centrafin – one of the top second-tier funders in South Africa. How does a young woman build a successful career in the corporate world?

Jenny Gill: To quote the CEO of Sasfin at the time [1980s] – you must have chutzpah. There is a place for academics as well, but personal drive is just as important if you want to make it in business. In fact, you don’t need a string of letters behind your name in order to make it in business – and this probably offers some hope to those who aren’t academically inclined. You must have drive, you must have personality and you must be prepared to take risks.

 

Q: What would you say is the most important skill that is essential for a successful corporate career, and how can a young woman develop them?

JG: Learn to integrate your home life with your work life.

Q: How can a young woman maintain a healthy work-life balance while pursuing a successful corporate career?

JG:

As you go along in life, you tend to take some wisdom from other people. A very important quote that comes to mind is by Jordan Peterson: “Some women should rethink how they value career vs motherhood. So the lie 19 year-old women are fed, is that a career is their ultimate purpose in life.”  For me, I wanted to retain my identity as a woman, as a mother and more recently as a grandmother. After a hard day’s work, I cook dinner for my family. I didn’t have someone else take over the cooking or look after my children, although I am privileged to have a husband who shared the load.  I realized the importance of delegation and hiring incredible individuals who are skilled in their respective fields, so that I don’t have to juggle it all. It’s also important to bring a little of your “home life” to work, as you almost always bring “work life” home. So it is important to integrate the two worlds to achieve some sort of equilibrium.

Q: What book would you recommend to a young woman who is starting her career in corporate?

JG: It has taken me quite some time to work through all of the great books on my list, but one that comes to mind would be “Boundaries: When to Say Yes, How to Say No, to Take Control of Your Life” by Dr. Henry Cloud and Dr. John Townsend. If you end up saying “yes” to everyone you will run yourself ragged. I am a bit of a people pleaser, so I tend to get myself into trouble trying to please everyone, but luckily I now know my boundaries. This book will also aid a young woman when it comes to maintain a healthy personal life.

Q: How do you approach negotiations?

JG:

I read the book “Never Split the Difference: Negotiating As If Your Life Depended On It” by Chris Voss and Tahl Raz. I would say you have to negotiate knowing what you want in the end. Know your worth, and know your end game because that will determine how you will negotiate.

Q: How can a young woman build a professional network and establish meaningful connections in the industry?

JG: Well you certainly cannot do it sitting on your bum and waiting for the phone to ring. I think you need to get comfortable putting yourself at risk. You need to give a bit of yourself in order to get something back from the other person. Part of that comes from having interests. If you don’t have a wide variety of interests, you won’t be able to relate to other people and build connections. Fortunately for me, I happen to be a [motorcycle] biker so in a male dominated world, I can sometimes add to the conversation by reverting to this shared interest. So you need to acquire multiple interests in order to not be rendered as boring or irrelevant. Listen to others when they talk as well – ask people what makes them tick. Lastly, fake it until you make it.

Q: What are some common mistakes to avoid as a young woman entering the corporate world?

JG: This ties in with how to negotiate once more. Not knowing your worth, and settling for less. The competition is stiff out there. You better give yourself the best chance of succeeding by being the best. If you are okay with being second best, you will face tough competitors who are vying for the top spot. It is also all about relationships in the end – so it is important to be able to work with people and build rapport. This topic is actually covered in one of my favourite movies, The American President. Perception is everything. It’s better to be a little more tenacious and “voor op die wa” as opposed to shying away and disappearing in the crowd. [End]