Include to Grow: Female Leadership as a Business Strategy

Global Director of Human Resources – Jeta Africa Holding

Despite decades of debate around diversity, women still occupy less than 25% of executive leadership positions in many African companies — a clear misalignment between available talent and growth potential, according to data from the UN Sustainable Stock Exchanges Initiative (UN SSE), in partnership with IFC and UN Women.

This reality contrasts with something I learned very early in my professional journey.

I clearly remember the first team I led. It was a demanding environment, with strong pressure for results and fast decision-making. I was one of the few women in leadership and, in many meetings, I noticed that my approach — more analytical, more people-focused, and oriented toward medium-term impact — was not the most common at the table.

At a particularly challenging moment, we were facing a performance issue that seemed to require an immediate response. The initial solution was quick, but it ignored clear signs of team burnout. I insisted on pausing, listening, and analysing the problem more broadly. It was not the most popular decision at the time — but it was the one that delivered sustainable results.

That was when I consolidated a belief that has stayed with me ever since: leading well is not just about deciding faster, it’s about deciding better. And deciding better requires diversity of perspectives.

Today, as Global Director of Human Resources at JETA Holding, in a pan-African organisation with very different realities (Angola, Côte d’Ivoire, Senegal, and Cyprus), I see every day how female leadership contributes to more balanced decisions, stronger cultures, and more resilient teams. Even so, its presence at executive levels still falls short of its real impact.

Widely recognised studies by McKinsey & Company, Boston Consulting Group (BCG), and Deloitte confirm this experience: organisations with greater diversity at the leadership level achieve better performance, higher innovation capacity, and more sustainable decisions. This is not an ideological matter — it is about strategy, performance, and business longevity.

In a pan-African holding like JETA, operating across diverse markets requires more than scale and capital. It demands vision, cultural sensitivity, adaptability, and balanced decision-making. This is precisely where diverse leadership — and particularly female leadership — makes a difference.

At JETA, the presence of women in strategic positions is not symbolic. It is the result of systems that value merit, competence, and leadership potential. We work with women who lead critical areas, manage complex teams, and make decisions that shape the future of the business across different countries.

But I have also learned that diversity alone is not enough. It only creates value when real inclusion exists: when different voices are heard, when merit is recognised, and when people feel they belong. That is why we invest in mentoring programmes, performance-based progression, and policies that enable the balance between professional ambition and personal life.

The impact is clear: higher engagement, stronger talent retention, and teams that are better prepared to innovate and grow.

Promoting female leadership and inclusion is not just social justice — it is a business strategy. A strategy that accelerates sustainable growth and contributes to stronger, more resilient African economies.

At JETA, we will continue to include in order to grow. Because I have learned — and always carry with me, since my very first team — that the future of companies is built when all voices have a place at the table.