BIHL GROUP CEO CATHERINE LESETEDI AMONGST TOP 10 AT THE AFRICAN.COM DEFINITIVE LIST OF TOP 50 WOMEN CEOS

The Botswana Insurance Holdings Limited (BIHL) Group is excited to announce that GCEO, Catherine Lesetedi, has been nominated at the Africa.com Definitive List of Top 50 Women CEOs. Ms. Lesetedi is nominated amongst the Top 50 senior women in Corporate Africa, and indeed within the Top 10, flying the national flag high on this continental platform, as well as that of this proudly Botswana business.

The Africa.com Definitive List of Women CEOs is distinguished in that it is data-driven.  The researchers started by working with data provided by Bloomberg and evaluating the over 1,400 companies listed on the 24 African stock exchanges. The list noticeably yielded more women from South Africa than any other African country, followed by Nigeria and Kenya, and we are proud to have Botswana represented. The finance sector had more women CEOs than any other sector, followed closely by technology.

The methodology includes three sectors: 1) CEOs of African exchange listed companies with a market cap over USD$150 million; 2) Division heads of African exchange listed companies, where the division itself would be valued at over USD$150 million, were it standalone; and 3) Africa region heads, or country heads, of globally listed companies with a market cap of over USD$50 billion.

Said BIHL Group CEO, Catherine Lesetedi, “As the BIHL Group, we pursue the goal of improving  services we provide for our stakeholders by sharing the value we generate, fostering personal growth and respecting the corporate ecosystem. Being recognised at such a level and amongst women CEOs who have demonstrated exceptional leadership in advancing diversity, inclusion, and other governance best practices in Africa is an honour. This is a big milestone not only for me but for the BIHL Group and I hope for all citizens in our beautiful Botswana as well, as it will motivate other women to strive for excellence and be visionary engineers of their own legacies and of the legacies of those around them.”

Lesetedi has over the years received a number of honours and accolades, all of which she believes are shared with colleagues, clients and community, for none would be possible without the input of so many. This she further attributes to a shared Group belief in creating shared value for and with others as part of a broader organisational and national purpose.

Said outgoing BIHL Group Chairperson, Batsho Dambe-Groth, “This is a true definition that women empowerment is very important and as BIHL Group we encourage women no not limit themselves. We continue to work, to further showcase that it is possible for the girl child’s dream to come true. We hope that as the girl child see’s one of our own excel and is recognized for such achievements, that they too can see themselves through hard work and perseverance building themselves to attain the same.”

Lesetedi believes that empowering women and girls is essential to the health and social development of families, communities and countries. It is also key, she notes, to economic growth, political stability and social transformation. “Corporations can be powerful forces for positive social change, and women leaders on corporate boards have been given that opportunity to continue driving that change. We are also able to help fuel sustainable economies and benefit societies and humanity at large; it is about more than just the individual, and this is something I am incredibly passionate about,” concluded Lesetedi.