I am energised by learning and sharing my knowledge; helping others build their own unique brand < Back Nicky Thompson Head of Prestige Banking for Standard Bank KwaZulu-Natal Nicky Thompson has had a long career with Standard Bank. After leaving school, Nicky joined Standard Bank in 1982, so 2022 will be her 40-year milestone with the bank. ”I joined the bank 40 years ago. I had just finished school and, financially, university was not an option at that time. As the bank has always been considered a very reputable organisation to work for, I remember my dad saying, ‘go and get a job in the bank’. I have been really blessed to work for Standard Bank and they have supported my growth and development.” Determination and hard work In her later thirties, Nicky was afforded the opportunity to study and qualify through the bank. “This provided a platform for my strategic development, and I was fortunate to continue my studies through Standard Bank’s continued support and investment in me,” explains Nicky. She built a solid foundation of both financial and operational skills, working through various banking roles and found her passion for people and leadership. Through determination and hard work, Nicky moved into managerial leadership roles at an early age. Following various branch manager roles, she was appointed the first female on the KwaZulu-Natal Executive in the early 2000s, as an area manager responsible for Personal and Small Enterprise across various metro regions in KwaZulu-Natal. In 2007, Nicky moved into a more specialist role of Business Support and was accountable for Sales and Service management. However, she says her leadership calling took her back to leading and managing large teams. In 2017, she was appointed as Head Personal and Business Banking for the Dolphin Coast and eThekwini areas and then moved into her current role in affluent markets as Head Prestige for KwaZulu-Natal. Nicky says that she has had an incredible journey. “I really have witnessed the digital transformation of banking and how it’s evolved over many years, and I can honestly say I have never ever been bored. I’ve always been challenged, and I am still open to learning new things. Banking has changed drastically over the years, so I think building the future ready skills that we are doing now and continuing the digital journey has been very exciting for me.” However, Nicky’s career has not been without its challenges. Being one of the first women on the KwaZulu-Natal Standard Bank Executive was very difficult as this was mostly unchartered territory in a male dominated industry at the time. She said, “Back in those days, the bank was a very male dominated environment, and it was a bit of a boy’s club. So, as a woman, it was very tough to be taken seriously, but when I reflect on those years, I’m thankful because they made me very determined and resilient, they made me really persevere and work hard to be able to prove myself. I think that’s where I adopted two different types of leadership styles. My natural leadership style is supportive and nurturing, so learning to be a bit tough in that environment brought through an assertive leadership style in me. I still, to this day, use both when necessary.” In reflecting what has motivated her career, Nicky says that it is ‘people and leading people to success’. “I am energised by learning and sharing my knowledge; helping others build their own unique brand. My passion is developing and growing individuals, especially female talent. It is encouraging to see how Standard Bank has transformed and I am proud to work for a company that now strives to drive gender diversity and female empowerment.” Nicky has often worked closely with the teams and individuals that show potential. She commented. ‘You have worked with them, you have coached them, you’ve given them those opportunities and to see them grow and achieve success is particularly rewarding for me.” This success, says Nicky, is especially poignant when the individuals have come back, many years later and they’ve said, ‘Thank you so much for the support or the encouragement or believing in me back then’. Her advice to young women following in her path is to take ownership of your own development. “Don’t wait for others to do it, just be confident in yourself. Be prepared to stretch and test yourself, to take yourself outside of your comfort zone and just be resilient and be fierce.” Great customer service Commenting on the demands of her role, Nicky believes that for her great customer service really is about treating the customers as individuals and not as numbers; really understanding what their needs are and what matters to them. “That is very important, and I think to treat every single customer with respect and dignity regardless of their appearance or their status.” In addition, Nicky says it is necessary to keep customers up to date, and to provide them with feedback, to avoid their frustration. She notes that businesses and individuals need to be able to be agile, to make sure that they are building those future ready skills so that they remain relevant to the industry, they remain relevant to customer demands, and adapt to the changes in the environment. Nicky is the proud mother of two lovely daughters, and she has a supportive husband who has encouraged her every step of the way. She concludes, “Standard Bank is an amazing company to work for, not only for their investment in my personal growth and development but also in recognising and rewarding my success through various Top Performers awards and incentive trips to travel to Greece, Turkey, France and Spain. My family have been truly blessed through the opportunities created and provided.”

MICAELA FAITH MEYER is a multitalented independent businessperson and entrepreneur in several activities, mostly related to the health and fitness industry. A qualified personal trainer, Micaela instructs groups and individuals in Pilates, ballet and yogaMicaela Faith MeyerMICAELA FAITH MEYER is a multitalented independent businessperson and entrepreneur in several activities, mostly related to the health and fitness industry. A qualified personal trainer, Micaela instructs groups and individuals in Pilates, ballet and yogaMICAELA FAITH MEYER is a multitalented independent businessperson and entrepreneur in several activities, mostly related to the health and fitness industry. A qualified personal trainer, Micaela instructs groups and individuals in Pilates, ballet and yoga. In addition, she is a dietician and nutritional therapist. Along with being an event planner and coordinator, Micaela does marketing on behalf of organisations and does business networking, mainly through the Upper Highway Pure Lifestyle page. An independent, self-sufficient woman Micaela is an unusually self-sufficient person, who has had to help herself to get to where she is today. She remarks, "Nobody really helped me, I mostly had to work things out for myself. I built the right connections to get where I am today by following my passion along life's unpredictable paths." She has had to recognise or create her opportunities and describes these as "blessings aligned with her purpose". She adds that enjoying what she does has also helped her along the way. Micaela's independence started at a very young age. Her father works for non-profit organisations internationally. This work takes place mostly in rural communities where he participates in community and social development initiatives and makes participatory videos. Her mother is a paramedic. Micaela says of her, "She is the hardest working woman that I know. Regardless of her age, she works 24/7. My mother is more of an inspiration to me than anyone else." Micaela adds that her parents were "very hands-off" meaning she had to grow up very quickly, be self-sufficient and become independent. Consequently, she says she has lived mainly on her own and started working when she was only fourteen years. "This has driven me to be ambitious, strive for great goals and set high standards for myself." Another person who has been an inspiration for Micaela in business and life is Rolene Strauss, a former Miss South Africa winner as well as the Miss World in 2014. Rolene inspires Micaela because she has done much to empower many women through giving back to the community and uplifting people, especially women, though her various organisations and by her general example. "I share Rolene's values about health, business, and life," commented Micaela. More than a fitness instructor Micaela started her working career by working for a non-profit organisation in the Drakensberg. "At least in part because I love being outdoors in nature, and I am an adrenaline junkie," she commented. In so doing, Micaela immediately realised that she wanted to work with people and empower them. She decided to get involved with the health and fitness industry, and studied aromatherapy, nutrition and completed several other courses. Micaela worked at Cotswold Downs where she did personal training, and instructed yoga and Pilates groups. A position at Fit 24 Gym in Waterfall followed, where, in addition to instruction classes, she undertook marketing for the gym as well as small businesses in the area. Micaela worked closely with Strut Active, an active clothing brand offering swim and dancewear. Along the way she also managed the DMA gallery and gained experience dealing in art. During 2018 she started doing event planning and co-ordinated a big event at Cotswold Down that involved dieticians, fashion designers and fitness workouts. "I am passionate about empowering people through living a healthy, active lifestyle, and this became the reason for my involvement in lifestyle events," she explained. Success depends on the individual In Micaela's view, women and men should generally have the same approach to business. "Women do however need to be a bit more subtle and more focused on personal relations, rather than just financial wealth," she says. In addition, Micaela believes that women have the same ambition and drive as men in the business world and that success depends on the individual. In reflecting on her achievements, Micaela says that she is happy to have reached the place where she is, and also happy about where she is going. "There is still much left that I want to achieve, and I have big things planned for 2020, especially in terms of event coordination." She is planning and organising a major lifestyle expo to take place during October 2020 at "The Venue", a wedding and conference centre in the Shongweni area. Micaela believes that she has achieved a work-life balance even though work is her main focus. "I enjoy most things considered as work, like instructing Pilates, ballet, and yoga. I instruct and work out every morning and evening, but make sure that I have time for myself - I usually rest on a Sunday." There are no limitations If she could go back in time and give her younger self advice, Micaela would confirm that there are no limitations to what she can do. She would add that "Education is power, you need to start as soon as possible, find your purpose and work on that." Cheryl Govender CHERYL GOVENDER is the founder and owner of The Cake House in Pietermaritzburg. She is a qualified chef and professional cake artist. The Cake House has become a leading provider of designer cakes including engineered life-size cakes. Cheryl's exceptional cakes, each a masterpiece, have been featured in magazines and on television, and The Cake House is recognised as a leader in new age sugarcraft. Cheryl is inspired by successful bakeries and cake artists. She explains, "This is a tough industry and requires not only talent, but a business mind, people skills, market insight, tenacity, and continuous learning and growth." One of her biggest inspirations is Buddy Valastro, an American baker who is the star of the reality television series 'Cake Boss'. Be clear about what must be achieved Cheryl believes she got to where she is now and reached her goals by being clear about what she needed to achieve and why she needed to achieve them. She says her career started when she was fourteen when she was handed down decorating tools that her sister no longer needed. "Although I was a real tomboy, beating the boys at their own games in the streets, I did girly stuff when I went home, like playing with cake decorating tools and my dolls," she laughed. Cheryl learned about sugar art by reading books from the municipal library and often left the kitchen in a mess after experimenting. Her Consumer Studies teacher recognised Cheryl's talent; arranged for her to attend a cake decorating course, and gave her a toolset, which she treasures to this day. This teacher, now a retired school principal, adopted Cheryl as a daughter, helped her to believe in herself, and became her mentor to this day. Cheryl won a Consumer Studies Inter School Award in matric due to her passion for cake decorating, but at that time she considered it a hobby, not a career. After a year at college, Cheryl married and became a mother. She joined the corporate world but kept on making decorated cakes as a hobby to supplement her income. When her son was two years old, Cheryl entered and won the Pietermaritzburg Royal Show sugarcraft competition. This led to her teaching sugarcraft on a part-time basis at the now FET College in Northdale, something she continued passionately for 25 years. This Cheryl said, was fulfilling: "empowering women has always been close to my heart". Focus on one thing and do it well Cheryl gained wide experience in the corporate world, including ten years in shipping and international travel, before she started her own export business. This business crashed during the worldwide financial crisis of 2008 and she "fell back on her hands", starting a food catering business that also provided cakes. Cheryl made a few designer cakes assuming there was little market for these due to the high prices, but word of her quality and expertise spread and orders increased. A traumatic divorce, the demands of being involved in catering, wedding décor, training and making cakes at the same time, made her realise that she needed to streamline her activities. In 2012 she decided to focus on one thing only and do it well and opened The Cake House. Cheryl, a single mom had herself, her mother's assistance, two children, and a house. As she had lost her vehicle, Cheryl went everywhere in running shoes while carrying cake ingredients and other items in a backpack. Nothing was handed to her; she had no money and could not get a bank loan. Cheryl understood the risks involved but her faith and trust in God helped her. She managed to buy all her industrial baking equipment from a helpful appliance store on a three-month cash basis. Her business remains debt-free to this day. Business skills are unrelated to gender In Cheryl's view, women and men need the same business approach, as the skills required for a successful business are unrelated to gender. "Tenacity, hard work, honesty, patience and endurance are equally required from men and women." She does, however, concede that women face more challenges. She has had to face abuse, being a mother, and a divorce. Achieving a work-life balance boils down to discipline for Cheryl. "It is necessary to make time for your family and yourself, and also to rest, but not working can be scary for a business owner with much to do," she says. "I've had to learn to set boundaries, say no, and cut myself off from work when it's time to relax and unwind." Gardening, time with her family and puppies, and doing things outside of the business help create a balance. Brand ambassador Cheryl is happy with what she has accomplished thus far and readily give others credit. Without her mother, she could not have set up The Cake House. Without the help of her husband Alan, her family, and staff members, she would not have been able to grow the business. She feels honoured having recently being appointed a brand ambassador with royal status, for Rolkem Colours, one of the world's largest food colourant providers. While Cheryl is satisfied with the place she has reached, she is not comfortable about remaining there. Cheryl dreams of making the province proud of The Cake House as a tourism attraction. With a growing support structure in place, she is prepared to take risks within her means and take the business to the next level. Back