Women in ICT honoured at Wired4Women Awards in South Africa

1st for Women Insurance hosted an empowerment event for women in ICT through its mentorship of the Mentor of the Year Award at the 2026 Wired4Women Award.

The event recognized the trailblazers shaping South Africa’s digital landscape and addressed the importance of moving from professional resilience.

This came at a pivotal time as this was held in conjunction with International Girls in ICT Day 2026, celebrated globally on April 26.

Titled Putting Her First, this served as a call to action for the entire ICT sector.

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‘’Women are doing the heavy lifting but often lack a safety net. By Putting Her First, we are advocating for a shift where her success, her peace of mind, and her professional growth are prioritized.

We want to see more women in tech move past the ‘grind’’ so they can thrive,’’ said Seugnette van Wyngaard, Head of 1st for Women Insurance.

The impact of the Wired4Women Awards extends beyond the event through a partnership with iSchoolAfrica, supporting coding and robotics for girls in under- resourced schools like Soweto.

Speaking at the awards, Michelle Lissoos, Founder of iSchool Africa shared by celebrating women who are leading in AI, coding, and digital design, it is proof that there is space for girls at the top.

The award recognized two exceptional leaders who were named joined winners of the Mentor of the Year Award for their work dismantling barriers for the next generation of tech talent:

Dr Kgopotso Magoro (PhD), Director: Learning and Innovation at National Treasury, brought along a philosophy rooted in her upbringing to everything she does, where she grew up watching women led stokvels, burial societies and collective economic systems, she learnt that women do not need to be fixed- they are a force to be reconned with.

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She told us that the recognition means that her efforts are seen and they count.

‘’When conditions are not favourable, I focus on recognizing what women already have rather than what they lack. Women have capabilities, they understand collective intelligence and are solution- driven,’’ she said.

‘’Resilience is second nature to women- we learn to survive and adapt, to push through being overlooked, underestimated or excluded. But resilience alone is not enough.

We do not want women only to survive in the industry; we want them to thrive. Mentorship helps make that shift because it gives women more advice; it gives them confidence, perspective, connection and permission to dream bigger,’’ said joint winner Thenzie Stewart, Senior Manager: Financial Systems at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research.

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Stewart added that ‘’Putting Her First’’ means truly seeing the person in front of you- as a human and a woman with her own strengths, aspirations and challenges.

Putting Her First was designed and dedicated to make sure that the next generation doesn’t have to knock as hard with less grind, more growth, and leaders who thrive out loud so that others know it is possible.