Women’s Day Brunch
The Transformation and Marketing Committee hosted a Women’s Day Brunch on Friday, 26 August 2022, celebrating women in chemistry/science in recognition of women’s month in South Africa. This was well received and attended by 50 women. The event was open to staff and students within the department.
The main aim was to create a space where women in chemistry could come together to network, be inspired, and celebrated. The chemistry boardroom was beautifully transformed into a welcoming space with delicious food, drinks, prizes, and a photo booth for the morning.
Upon arrival, guests were greeted with a welcome drink and their tickets were placed in a box for a lucky draw. Dr Dalielah Jappie, MC for the morning, perfectly captured the essence of this event as she officially welcomed all guests. Thereafter, Assoc Professor Anwar Jardine, HoD, shared on the importance of celebrating Women’s month and women who across the ages have bravely marched against the government, who often bear the brunt of conflict in the world and go to great lengths to feed and educate their children. He said it is fitting that the UN recognised the importance of women and bringing attention to the plight of women globally. Bringing the issues of women close to home at UCT, he said that it is important to remove the bias in the world of science where only 28% of the workforce in STEM and science are women. He also challenged the guests to raise sons who are respectful towards women.
Dr Dalielah Jappie, MC
Assoc. Prof. Anwar Jardine, HoD speaks about the importance of Women’s Month
The morning proceeded with much excitement and anticipation from all who attended. There was a series of inspiring talks from guest speakers who were invited to attend this brunch. These are women who have worked against all odds to rise above their circumstances and are thriving in their respective fields. These talks started with Dr Chanell Marthinussen, a medical doctor and founder of The F-word – a company that sells silicon menstrual cups which aims to encourage women to become more comfortable with speaking about their period and reproductive health. She fascinated the audience with her life story of the importance of hard work, determination, believing in your dreams and the freedom associated with being an empowered woman.
Dr Chanell Marthinussen sharing her life journey and inspiring the audience.
This was followed by three inspiring talks by scientists from Unilever with the common idea built around the theme- Fluid. Megan Becker, Research and Development Manager at Unilever, had flown in from Durban for an in-person presentation. She is a Chemical Engineer who completed her studies at UCT. She shared three of her life hacks – adaptability, courage, and curiosity. Megan emphasised the need to have the courage to be one’s true self in the workplace, recognising the unique qualities each of us has to offer. Saaliha Essack, CTI Manager-Personal Care, and Barbara Lack, R&D Director joined in virtually from the Unilever Head office in Durban. Barbara shared about the importance of never giving up and what it truly means to be resilient. She spoke about the importance of finding your fit, striving forward with excellence and about her experience in industry. As a fellow chemist at heart, she inspired the audience by sharing her journey which helped her find new meaning and appreciation for learning through failure and advised the audience to learn to find a way to flow around problems. She went on to remind everyone that as women, we are never alone. Saaliha shared her personal life story and the commitment it took for her to strive for a better life. She focused on the importance of creating and maintaining a healthy work-life balance and working through challenges with a positive mindset. The ladies from Unilever made a formidable team and truly inspired the chemistry postgraduates.
Megan Becker talking about what it means to uphold the principals of being fluid in life.
Barbara Lack and Saaliha Essack joining in the conversation remotely and sharing their journeys in life and science.
Following these talks, guests enjoyed a light brunch and had the opportunity to network and create fun memories using the photo booth. The atmosphere was filled with excitement, promise and much needed inspiration. The festivities concluded in a lucky draw which afforded several winners thanks to the various sponsored prizes. This event was kindly sponsored by UCT Department of Chemistry, Unilever, Mantelli’s and Bloom by Meredith.
Lucky draw winners
Tara Davids, winner of Bloom product hamper sponsored by Meredith
Taryn Golding, winner of gift sponsored by Mantelli’s
Sandisiwe Mdoda, winner of gift sponsored by Mantelli’s
Winners of menstrual cups sponsored by Dr Marthinussen:
Fatima-Zahra Ishmail
Dr Nabanita Chatterjee
Noluthando Ngqanya
Winners of Lindt chocolate prizes sponsored by Mrs Laa-iqa Rylands:
Larnelle Garnie (centre)
Christabel Hikaambo
Event organisers: Dr Dalielah Jappie, Dr Roxanne Mohunlal and Mrs Laa-iqa Rylands