The Botswana Insurance Holdings Limited (BIHL) Group has announced that Group CEO, Catherine Lesetedi, has been named as part of the Africa.com Definitive List of Women CEOs, an initiative that recognises depth of female talent across the African continent.
Lesetedi has been named alongside 74 women recognised in the prestigious list that was published on the International Women’s Day, 8 March 2022. It is the second year that she is included.
The list is a unique research effort that highlights women who lead big businesses in Africa, based on data by Bloomberg. No other list of successful African businesswomen is grounded in quantifiable research like this, making the Definitive List of Women CEOs among the most data-driven on the continent.
Said Mahube Mpugwa, Acting Chairman of the BIHL Group Board: “This is an incredible honour to see Catherine named on the list once more in such outstanding company and recognised for the incredible commitment and contribution she makes.
“Sitting at the helm of such a behemoth entity as the BIHL Group and wielding positive impact and progress even in the most challenging of circumstances is no small feat.
“Catherine does it with poise, commitment, passion and visionary leadership. We celebrate her and we celebrate this milestone achievement. It is a testament to the calibre of talent we have in the Group, and indeed across Botswana.”
According to Africa.com, all of the women-run businesses featured must see revenue of $100 million or more. Africa.com is not only reporting on women in corporate Africa but also runs large scale, free training for African women in the first five years of their corporate careers.
Lesetedi is among such other visionary women leaders as Natascha Viljoen, CEO, Anglo American Platinum; Nompumelelo Thembekile (Mpumi) Madisa, CEO (Executive Director), Bidvest Group; Bertina Engelbrecht, CEO, Clicks Group; Lizé Lambrechts, CEO, Sanlam; and Nneka Onyeali-Ikpe, Managing Director and CEO, Fidelity Bank Nigeria, to name just a few.
She also stands along with Keabetswe Pheko-Moshagane, Managing Director of Absa Bank Botswana Ltd., and Faith Mabu Nteta, Managing Director of Sechaba Breweries, as the only three women named from Botswana.
Said Lesetedi: “It is a privilege and an honour to be named amongst so many other women whom I look to with great admiration. I am grateful to Africa.com for the humbling gesture and for recognising the work of so many women across Africa. May this list grow stronger with every year, for our continent and indeed our country is rich with phenomenal leadership and leadership potential.
“Let us not waste this but leverage the progress we have made and the potential we carry to impact the next generation of women leadership. This is how we break the bias, challenge the status quo, and advance ever closer to the sustainable goals we have set before us, from the UN SDGs to our very own country ambitions for diversity, inclusion, and impact.
“We need to continue to empower women and girls, for it is essential to the health and social development of families, communities and countries. It is also key to economic growth, political stability and social transformation.”
Africa.com names Catherine Lesetedi in Definitive List of Women CEOs
