At the 2020 FORBES WOMAN AFRICA Leading Women Summit in Durban on March 6, for the first time on the same stage, South Africa’s minister Dr Naledi Pandor and her entrepreneur-daughter Dr Aisha Pandor revealed their secrets to continued success.



It’s not often we get to witness a famous mother and daughter on the same stage sharing their lessons on success and legacy. And this duo was certainly doing so for the first time.



At the 2020 FORBES WOMAN AFRICA Leading Women Summit in Durban, South Africa, on March 6, Dr Naledi Pandor, the country’s Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, and Dr Aisha Pandor, CEO and Co-founder of SweepSouth, engaged in a stimulating and thought-provoking panel discussion titled ‘How To Raise A CEO’.



“Thank you very much to FORBES WOMAN AFRICA for the opportunity to be here with Aisha. I don’t often get a chance to see her. So it’s lovely to see you Aisha,” opened the much-loved minister, to laughter from the audience in the large ballroom at the international convention center in Durban.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="517" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Forbes-LWS2020KZN-2778-e1586614377306-1024x517.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-44166" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Forbes-LWS2020KZN-2778-e1586614377306-1024x517.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Forbes-LWS2020KZN-2778-e1586614377306-300x151.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Forbes-LWS2020KZN-2778-e1586614377306-600x303.jpg 600w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Forbes-LWS2020KZN-2778-e1586614377306-768x388.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Forbes-LWS2020KZN-2778-e1586614377306-1536x775.jpg 1536w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Forbes-LWS2020KZN-2778-e1586614377306.jpg 1623w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><figcaption>Gugu Mfuphi, Dr Aisha Pandor, and Dr Naledi Pandor </figcaption></figure>



The panel’s moderator Gugu Mfuphi began with a comic disclaimer that Dr Naledi has four children and that Dr Aisha is certainly “not the favorite”. As the audience lapped up the moment, the minister, with a broad smile, shook her head in disagreement, saying: “They are all my favorite!”



<figure class="wp-block-pullquote"><blockquote>“It was very clear – just nurture them in a wide range of things. That’s really important.”<cite>&#8211; Dr Naledi Pandor</cite></blockquote></figure>



There was more laughter and life lessons in store, as the audience got to see the lighter side of the minister.



“As a mother, what I tried to do is nurture her where she wished to grow, but also, to encourage her to have as much experience in a range of areas as possible. We would encourage academic work. We also encouraged sport, creativity; all my kids had to do speech and drama at school, it was very clear – just nurture them in a wide range of things. I think that’s really important,” said the senior Pandor.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="711" height="883" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Forbes-LWS2020KZN-2806-cropped.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-44176" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Forbes-LWS2020KZN-2806-cropped.jpg 711w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Forbes-LWS2020KZN-2806-cropped-300x373.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Forbes-LWS2020KZN-2806-cropped-600x745.jpg 600w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Forbes-LWS2020KZN-2806-cropped-242x300.jpg 242w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 711px) 100vw, 711px" /></figure>



While she mapped out her daughter’s career path, she later came to an important realization.



“She was really good in science. I love science but I’m bad at it. So I thought ‘God gave me Aisha, she’s going to achieve you know, because she was good at math and science’. And so she did very well at school, and went into the science faculty, did very well at the undergraduate level, was invited to carry on with an honors degree. She did very well and was asked to proceed to her Masters prior to finishing the honors. So, I was over the moon. It’s my dream, right? She continues from Masters into the PhD track, and completes her PhD with much fanfare and celebration on our part because now I’m thinking ‘here’s our senior research partner’. All these things I’ve been talking about science and technology, my child is going to live the example. Well lo and behold…”



The minister went on to offer more life-changing anecdotes about her daughter.



“One day, Aisha comes with her husband – who happens to be a software engineer – they tell us about this plan they’ve cooked up; that they’re going to start this tech start-up. And so I say to her ‘what about your research career?”. And she goes ‘this is what I want to do”. I say ‘what, but you’ve got a PhD, you could be a professor at the University of Cape Town, what are you talking about?’ And she says, ‘no mom, we’ve designed this program, we’ve started our company’. They began to tell me and her father all about it. Both of us were livid. I must tell you we thought ‘these kids are going to be a problem for us, they’ll be coming to beg for money and everything’. Few years down the line, and here we are! I’m very proud of her. I’ve learned my lesson. Let your children go where they wish to go!”



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="681" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Forbes-LWS2020KZN-2807-1024x681.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-44169" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Forbes-LWS2020KZN-2807-1024x681.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Forbes-LWS2020KZN-2807-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Forbes-LWS2020KZN-2807-600x399.jpg 600w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Forbes-LWS2020KZN-2807-768x511.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Forbes-LWS2020KZN-2807-1536x1022.jpg 1536w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Forbes-LWS2020KZN-2807.jpg 1623w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><figcaption>Dr Aisha Pandor</figcaption></figure>



Aisha, along with her husband, learned quickly that being a CEO will require significant sacrifice.



“I lived with my parents for probably four years after starting our business. We eventually ended up selling everything we had, to fund the business,” she said.



“Our parents brought us up to have the right moral compass. Education and the idea of learning and knowledge have been very important. My parents gave us freedom in the decisions we made based on the fact that they knew they had given us that grounding.”  



Watch the full panel discussion below: 



<figure class="wp-block-embed-youtube wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<iframe loading="lazy" title="#LWS2020KZN: Mother &amp; Daughter - How To Raise A CEO" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/kqJiWcLTgGY?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
</div></figure>

Forbes LWS2020KZN-2791

How To Raise A CEO: A Mother And Daughter Share Lessons

Africa’s most dynamic thought-leaders, industry game-changers
and icons of social activism are set to feature at the ex<a>clusive
FORBES WOMAN AFRICA Leading Women Summit </a>presented by Mastercard (#LWS2020KZN)
and hosted by the KwaZulu-Natal government &#8211; taking place at the Inkosi Albert
Luthuli ICC Complex in Durban on Friday, 6 March 2020.



For the 5th edition of this globally-renowned
event, panellists and speakers will engage with the impactful 2020 theme, ‘The
Ceiling Crashers 2.0: Power with Purpose’. The day’s thought-provoking
discussions will be followed by the highly-anticipated <a>FORBES
WOMAN AFRICA Awards Gala Dinner </a>which celebrates the continent’s most
influential female ‘ceiling crashers’ across a number of key categories.&nbsp; 



“The <a>FORBES WOMAN AFRICA Leading
Women Summit </a>has grown to become one of the biggest female-empowerment
events, boasting a high calibre of attendees and unparalleled speaker line-up,”
said Renuka Methil, Managing Editor of FORBES WOMAN AFRICA. 



“This promises to be the biggest instalment yet,
featuring female pioneers and path-breakers across the continent. Audiences will
be exposed to dynamic discussions about the growing the number of women in
leadership &#8211; something government and business really need to factor into their
strategies. We will also get to grips with a new discourse that focuses on dismantling
power structures and the need for truly inclusive cultures in business and
society.”



This highly-anticipated event, which is hosted annually
in honour of International Women’s Day, is expected to draw an audience of
around 1 000 leading women. Through hard-hitting talks, fireside chats and
insightful panel sessions centred on ‘ceiling crashers’, attendees will be
inspired to make meaningful changes within their own industries, secure in the
knowledge that they have the support of these innovative allies. This year’s
programme promises an influential mix of leaders in healthcare and business;
advocates of social and environmental activism; award-winning artists and
internationally-renowned stateswomen. 



For the first time, FORBES WOMAN AFRICA will be releasing
its own list of ‘Africa’s Most Powerful Women’, many of whom will be attending
the summit. The list will be published in the March issue of the magazine, outlining
those who have been leading ideas and industries while purposefully
contributing to nation-building and positively impacting the lives around them.



The FORBES WOMAN AFRICA Awards Gala Dinner, which is
hosted the evening of the summit, is an opportunity to recognise the
trailblazers and role models who have created a new narrative within their
industries. By challenging authority and ‘old school’ traditions, they are
enabling future generations to live in a better and more equal world. 



Beatrice Cornacchia, Senior Vice President, Marketing and
Communications, Mastercard Middle East and Africa, said: “African women are a
vital source of innovation, prosperity, and economic growth. Yet inequality and
exclusion still hold women back in many aspects of their everyday lives &#8211; from
growing their businesses to having the financial tools to participate in the
formal economy; from joining the C-Suite to following their passions. We are
proud to partner with FORBES WOMAN AFRICA as we believe that it is only by
bringing diverse perspectives to the table that we can unlock Africa’s
possibilities to women.”



Managing Director of the ABN Group, Roberta Naicker, said
the organisation was excited that the KwaZulu-Natal government would, once
again, play host to this illustrious event, which serves to highlight the
continent’s most influential female leaders while also shining a spotlight on
this beautiful region. “A summit of this calibre showcases that KZN is being
positioned as a world-class events’ destination. We are excited to have
renowned speakers and attendees will get the opportunity to engage on hard-hitting
issues during the summit, while also affording them the chance to enjoy the
many recreational tourism sites and activities for which KZN is renowned.”



Tickets to the exclusive 2020 FORBES WOMAN AFRICA Leading
Women Summit and Gala Dinner are available at a cost of R3499, available
through Webtickets (<a href="https://www.webtickets.co.za/v2/event.aspx?itemid=1496991848">https://www.webtickets.co.za/v2/event.aspx?itemid=1496991848</a>).
Tickets are limited and interested parties are urged to book early to avoid
disappointment. There are also select opportunities to get involved with the event
sponsorship, exhibiting at the on-site marketplace or by sponsoring a mentee. Please
visit website for further details.



The 2020 FORBES WOMAN AFRICA Leading Women Summit is
presented by Mastercard (@MastercardMEA) and hosted by KZN Provincial
Government (@KZNgov). Keep updated on all the latest news and announcements on
Twitter @LWSummit and join the conversation using the hashtags #LWS2020KZN
#DOKZN.



Contact details:



Office: +27 (11) 384 0300



Sponsorship and exhibition opportunities: <a href="mailto:Sales_South_Africa@abn360.com">Sales_South_Africa@abn360.com</a> 



Media partnerships and press accreditation: <a href="mailto:oj@oliviajones.co.za">oj@oliviajones.co.za</a> 



Event-related queries: <a href="mailto:events@abn360.com">events@abn360.com</a>



Website:<a href="http://www.Leadingwomensummit.co.za">www.Leadingwomensummit.co.za</a>

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Africa’s Most Dynamic Thought-Leaders, Industry Game-Changers And Icons Of Social Activism Set To Feature At The Exclusive FORBES WOMAN AFRICA 2020 Leading Women Summit

Tag: Leading Women Summit 2020

FORBES AFRICA SOCIAL MEDIA

How To Raise A CEO: A Mother And Daughter Share Lessons

Africa’s Most Dynamic Thought-Leaders, Industry Game-Changers And Icons Of Social Activism Set To Feature At The Exclusive FORBES WOMAN AFRICA 2020 Leading Women Summit