Looking at her experience at the Pinpoint Stewards Women in Leadership Conference, Taegan Devar, MD of People Smart, takes us through a mindset shift from inspiration to implementation, using the journies and shared experience of WiM and lessons learned – turning them into an opportunity for real transformation in the workplace, with lasting change.
| Taegan Devar is an industrial psychologist and the managing director of Organisational Development company PeopleSmart (www.peoplesmart.global). PeopleSmart is an organisational development consultancy working across South Africa and the continent. The company focuses on leadership development, the design of self-sustaining wellness and safety programmes, WiM, executive coaching, DEI and team building. For more information contact info@peoplesmart.global |
 Taegan Devar, industrial psychologist and MD of PeopleSmart. Supplied by PeopleSmart |
At the recent Pinpoint Stewards Women in Leadership conference, one phrase echoed throughout: “We’ve come so far, yet there’s still so much to do.” It captured the essence of the sessions, where powerful women in mining shared how they’re reshaping the industry – driving inclusion, mentorship, safety, and wellness through initiatives like Women in Mining (WiM). Like many delegates, I left feeling inspired and hopeful, energised by the remarkable women paving the way for future generations.
However, as I reflected after the event, I couldn’t help thinking, what happens when we all return to our workplaces? How do we ensure that the insights and energy from conferences like this translate into meaningful, lasting, systemic change, particularly in industries like mining, where women make up only about 15% of the workforce (South African Minerals Council, 2025).
This is made even more challenging by the fact that at women’s events, we tend to individualise the challenges faced by women. This is necessary to bring attention to the real and often very damaging challenges that women face. But it shouldn’t be done at the expense of tackling the systemic issues preventing an overhaul of the lived experience of women in mining. Issues that need our urgent attention include better work-life balance, infrastructure for women such as nursing rooms, creating understanding about what constitutes harassment, creating psychological and physical safety and fighting imposter syndrome. These are still recurring themes that continue to emerge.
One example of a needed systemic shift raised at the conference, was around the critical role of motherhood in shaping future leaders. Several women described the discrimination they faced during pregnancy; being treated as burdens, asked if they were “done having children,” or made to feel they had to justify their personal choices. Too many women internalise this bias, quietly struggling and carrying the weight of balancing work and family within systems that were never designed to support them.
In her 2021 HBR article titled, “Stop telling women they have imposter syndrome”, Ruchika Tulshyan, highlights that framing women’s struggles as individual shortcomings ignores the systemic biases that drive exclusion. The way forward is not to “coach” women into coping better, but to challenge and reform workplace cultures, policies and structural barriers.
When it comes to developing the next generation of leaders in mining, organisations have a vested interest in supporting women’s career growth. This includes implementing policies that acknowledge both professional advancement and family responsibilities.
Companies must also provide appropriate health, safety and wellness facilities – such as clean nursing rooms, properly fitted personal protective equipment (PPE), and maternity transition support.
Visible leadership commitment and genuine allyship from both men and women are essential. In addition, policy and accountability structures must go beyond compliance and drive meaningful cultural change within the organisation.
How do we tackle these structural issues in such a way that women and the choices they make for their lives, are celebrated? How do we move from conversations that provide inspiration to real transformation?
Moving from inspiration to transformation
Here are a few critical questions for leaders to consider:
- What conversation am I not having that I should have within my organisation?
Conferences and events such as these provide an opportunity to share the latest research and what other organisations are doing in this space. They can also provide impetus for asking probing questions that help to identify strengths and gaps in your WiM strategy. These conversations must go beyond knowledge sharing and into real and measurable change.
- What education needs to happen for others to shape the narrative and facilitate real change?
Before implementing anything, it is critical to identify the stakeholders that need to be engaged and educated to understand the importance of WiM. This could be a series of awareness sessions around WiM, sexual harassment, gender dynamics, policies or support structures that affect women. This ensures buy-in and support for the process and more importantly, an opportunity for others to understand the purpose and importance of this work.
- Who can support and champion the cause with me?
At the conference, women shared inspiring stories of how groups working together successfully fought for improved PPE, healthcare policies and training, that now benefit many. Collective action creates momentum. Identify allies – both women and men – who can move WiM onto/up the organisational agenda, who will support policy change, and help operationalise it.
- What can get in the way?
Delegates expressed a range of concerns, including: “It doesn’t feel safe to raise these issues”, “I’m still new in my role”, and “It feels intimidating.”These statements highlight common barriers to WiM. Acknowledging these barriers is an important first step, but it’s equally crucial to seek support from trusted allies who can help you navigate them. By doing so, you not only reinforce your own confidence and determination, but also begin to build the networks and support systems that are essential for driving meaningful and lasting change.
WiM events create powerful spaces for connection, inspiration and learning. But the real impact lies in taking those learnings back, translating them into policies and entrenching those policies into the day-to-day lived experience of every woman in the workplace.
Ultimately it is about all people – men and women – feeling a sense of safety and belonging.