Heineken South Africa celebrates their women in brewing #WomenInBeer - Part 3

Simphiwe Mbalenhle Msani

She also noted that that as beer brands have evolved to be more inclusive of women in their advertising over the last few decades, this makes the beer industry as a career appear more welcoming to women. She says: “It definitely it breaks the narrative and such public displays give women the confidence that we can be part of this industry and thrive in it."

Msani gives thanks to the women who have had a particular positive influence on her life, including her grandmother. “My grandmother practically raised me, taught me to be resilient and goal orientated, and as with many grandmothers she taught me the power of prayer. My mother, a single parent, taught me that great things come from great sacrifice, hard plus smart work, you can’t have the one without the other. In order to achieve my goals and vision I need to be deliberate about it and make sure that I work towards what I want and give it my all. I also thank my mentor, my coach, Thandie Letshabo, who allows me to challenge myself and open myself up to brand new opportunities.”

Ogomoditse Galodikwe is a TPM (total productive management) coordinator at Heineken South Africa. Essentially total productive management is a modus operandi aimed at continuously improving the performance of all processes in our supply chain. Amongst other tasks, to coach teams in implementing and maintaining tools for achieving operational excellence within the brewery through continuous improvement.

Ogomoditse Galodikwe

Galodikwe says that there are several things that she loves about her work, but: “What I love most is the job itself – being a TPM coordinator. In my role, I do a lot of collaboration with others and coaching, engaging with others energises me greatly. My job allows me to identify strengths and opportunities for improvement. Working for a learning organisation such as Heineken where information and knowledge is easily accessible to employees makes my job easier and enjoyable, and this helps me in my career development. Lastly, brewery makes for an exciting workplace due to the nature of products that we produce. I’m a trained beer and cider taster and that’s part of what I do daily at work."

There are many inspirational women who have had a particularly positive influence in her life and Galodikwe says: “My mother has played the most influential role model in my life and continues to do so even today. She demonstrated traits such self-development, good work ethic, and she possesses grit; these have helped me a lot in my career. She has always influenced me and guided me in realising my abilities and potential. I also have several women that I looked up to in the workplace, there are three women that I would like to mention whom I met in the brewing industry: Dr Catherine Lephoto was a brewing training consultant at the time when I was starting in my role as a brewer. She offered to mentor me after she let me know that she noticed my potential, and she has contributed highly valuable guidance to me over the years. The second woman is Primerose Nxumalo, my colleague and senior, whom I’ve approached to be my mentor when I was fresh in brewing, after being impressed with her great work ethic. Cebile Xulu is another woman I feel blessed to have worked with in the same organisation when she was HR executive at Heineken. Cebile is someone who really advocates for women in the workplace, and I believe that through her voice women’s inclusion has been better. I also learnt via the impact of these women have had on my life and career, to strive to pay it forward as well.”

Lastly, what is Galodikwe’s favourite brew? “Heineken is my favourite beer, it really stands out for me due from its distinctive and crisp taste, consistent good quality and attractive packaging – for me the brand shouts 'I’m premium!'”

Heineken South Africa is proud of the company’s diversity and inclusion policies and especially the large number of talented women in beer, who make their mark on some of South Africa’s favourite brands.