The Huawei Women in Tech 2025 programme recently took place in Johannesburg, bringing together 40 women entrepreneurs and government leaders for three days of digital skills and leadership development. In collaboration with Stuff magazine, this year’s programme placed a strong focus on entrepreneurship and consumer technology, showing participants how start-ups can grow through smart marketing strategies while also exploring the evolution of technology from its early disruptors to today’s AI-driven world.
Entrepreneurship meets consumer tech
Entrepreneur Heidi Patmore of Manjaro Marketing inspired participants with her lessons from building in the start-up sector, emphasising the importance of funding, visibility, and sustainable growth as cornerstones of success. She was joined by Stuff Editor-in-Chief Toby Shapshak, who traced the evolution of technology and its everyday relevance, culminating in the opportunities presented by AI. Together, their sessions bridged entrepreneurial insight with consumer-tech context, energising participants to see their ventures within the bigger picture of South Africa’s digital economy.
Technology in practice
The opening day of Women in Tech 2025 was hosted at Huawei, where participants explored live demonstrations across 5G, cloud and AI technologies. Principal Marketing Manager, Nimrod Smit showed how 5G addresses everyday challenges such as moving data faster, improving field safety, and enabling real-time customer service. Huawei Cloud Senior Solutions Architect, Siphiwe Matore, guided the group through tools for digitising procurement, tracking spend with tags and budgets, and using AI to improve efficiency. Participants also had the opportunity to see how Huawei’s eKit solution, presented by Valerie Mhlongo, can help small businesses set up secure Wi-Fi, manage devices, and enable remote access for hybrid teams.
For Nyeleti Shikwambane of Setsibi IT Support Services, the sessions connected directly to her business challenges. “I’m leaving with a clear view that there are still big gaps women need to close in tech, and that we have a long road ahead. My main takeaway is that we are capable, and we don’t have to do it alone, you must pull in the right people to help you get where you want to go,” she said.
Leadership reset at Henley
The programme concluded at Henley Business School, where Executive Coach Christine Williams led a masterclass on personal mastery, work-life integration, and the neuroscience of leadership. For many of the women, it was a rare pause to reflect on how they lead themselves and others in a fast-changing world. “Being continuously curious about what we are consciously creating as the best version of ourselves allows us to positively contribute to the systems we are part of,” Williams told the group.
Participants also received certificates of attendance at Henley, celebrating their achievements and sharing a final networking moment. “This programme gave me both practical and personal tools. I found the change-readiness section of Henley’s Personal Mastery course especially useful,” said Sarah Smyth from Harambee Youth Employment Accelerator.
Since its inception in 2021, Women in Tech has empowered more than 300 women through a mix of leadership development and exposure to cutting-edge digital technologies. “Our goal is for participants to leave knowing how to use digital tools and how to lead confidently in a world being reshaped by those tools,” said Vanashree Govender, Senior PR Manager for Media and Communications at Huawei. “The true success of Women in Tech is seen in how these women go on to transform their organisations, their communities, and South Africa’s digital economy.”
