What does success really mean, and what becomes possible for other people because of the way we lead?
These are some of the questions that will be explored this Women’s Month when Citizen Leader Lab’s National Marketing and Communications Manager, Dorcas Dube, joins a panel of influential women at ORT SA CAPE JET’s Business with Purpose: Women Shaping Social and Economic Change event on Wednesday, 26 August.
Dube will join former Cosmopolitan South Africa Editor-in-Chief Vanessa Raphaely, teacher and facilitator Alexi Kossew, and award-winning education leader and ORT SA CAPE JET CEO Bev Da Costa, in a conversation facilitated by acclaimed journalist and broadcaster Annika Larsen.
The conversation will challenge the familiar idea of women “having it all”. Instead, it will explore what women do with what they have: their careers, businesses, platforms, influence and opportunities, and whether these can be used to make life better for others.
For Dube, the conversation connects strongly with the work of Citizen Leader Lab, a non-profit organisation that has spent more than 15 years developing public and private sector leaders.
“I believe leadership is ultimately about what becomes possible for other people because you chose to lead. Success is important, but the greater question is: Who is better off, stronger or more hopeful because of the way we lead?” says Dube.
This belief is at the core of Citizen Leader Lab’s work. Through its leadership programmes, the organisation works with people who are leading in the heart of their communities, particularly in education, helping them become more confident, conscious leaders. The impact of that work extends well beyond the individual leader.
“For instance, a school principal who learns to lead differently can change the experience of teachers. A teacher who feels supported can create a better environment for learners. A leader in a business, corporate or SMME setting can use their influence to create opportunities for others, strengthen their communities and show that doing good and doing business well can go hand in hand,” explains Dube.
The Women’s Month discussion comes at a time when women continue to make their mark across business, education, media and community development, while challenging archaic stereotypes about what leadership entails.
For Dube, this is a conversation worth having. “Women have always been leading in ways that don’t always get recognised as leadership,” she says.
“Perhaps Women’s Month gives us an opportunity not only to celebrate what women have achieved, but to ask what kind of future we want to help create, and what part each of us can play in building it,” she adds.
Event details
Business with Purpose: Women Shaping Social and Economic Change
Date: Wednesday, 26 August 2026
Time: 17:30 for 18:00 start –20:00
Venue: Deloitte, V&A Waterfront
Commitment fee: R100
Seats are limited.
Book your place: https://sl1nk.com/b60j7rr
