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Natasha Makhubele, a Laidlaw Scholar at Oxford Saïd Enterprise Faculty is driving change by guiding and provoking different girls to pursue their ambitions.
I’m a Chartered Accountant with a background in audit, advisory, and administration consulting. I maintain a Bachelor of Commerce diploma and Postgraduate Diploma in Accounting from the College of Cape City. I totally loved my time within the skilled companies surroundings, particularly the teamwork and the possibility to collaborate with folks from various backgrounds. Being a part of initiatives the place I might assist clear up difficult consumer issues was notably fulfilling.
Publish MBA, I plan to transition sectors into impression investing, particularly specializing in training. I purpose to merge the talents acquired from my MBA with my monetary background to develop options that may improve each the entry to and high quality of training, whereas guaranteeing the long-term monetary sustainability of social impression organisations that help training initiatives.
I utilized for the Laidlaw Scholarship as a result of its mission resonates deeply with me: addressing the persistent underrepresentation of girls in senior management roles. All through my profession, I typically struggled to search out feminine mentors within the senior positions I aspired to. I additionally regularly encountered discussions concerning the troublesome decisions girls face as they advance of their careers, typically framed as an unavoidable trade-off between skilled development and private duties. These conversations not often supplied options on how girls might succeed at each.
Pursuing an MBA at Oxford is a part of my dedication to growing my management potential and gaining the talents and networks wanted to thrive in senior roles as a girl. The Laidlaw Scholarship has been instrumental in making this journey doable. I hope to bridge the mentorship hole I skilled by guiding and provoking different girls to pursue their ambitions and lead confidently.
What’s the largest life problem you could have overcome and what did you study from it?
The most important life problem I’ve overcome was leaving my first job. I genuinely beloved the work, my colleagues, and the surroundings—it felt like a second residence. However I knew it was time for a change and a brand new route. The transition was tougher than I anticipated, and I discovered myself lacking the familiarity and camaraderie of that office. Via this expertise, I discovered that grief isn’t restricted to the lack of folks; it additionally reveals up once we half methods with locations, relationships, and routines which have been significant. Letting go can really feel like a loss, and it’s okay to take time to mourn that. This lesson taught me to method transitions understanding that grief comes with the bundle, honoring the previous whereas embracing new beginnings.
What’s the most helpful/impactful piece of recommendation you could have been given in your life?
“Don’t simply settle for issues as they’re. There’s all the time room to barter and advocate for what you really need.”
Due to this recommendation, as an alternative of passively going together with the established order, I’ve discovered to ask questions, problem assumptions, and push for what aligns with my targets and values. There’s typically extra flexibility than we initially suppose and the worst somebody can say to your ask is not any.
Conversely, what’s the WORST piece of recommendation you could have been given?
‘Don’t pursue one thing until you could have a completely fleshed-out plan.’
Whereas planning is essential, I’ve discovered that ready for a ‘excellent’ plan can result in missed alternatives, having a common sense of route is adequate to take step one. A few of my finest experiences and achievements have come from leaping in, studying as I’m going, and adapting alongside the best way.
What are your prime 3 management suggestions?
- Have a transparent imaginative and prescient: When others can see and align together with your imaginative and prescient, it’s simpler for them to comply with and contribute meaningfully.
- Encompass your self with individuals who aren’t afraid to let you know when you might be improper.
- Pay attention, to grasp and never reply, folks admire leaders who make them really feel heard.
What does it imply so that you can be a Laidlaw Scholar?
Being a Laidlaw Scholar has given me the boldness to see myself as a future chief able to thriving within the enterprise world. I really feel honored and deeply impressed by my fellow Laidlaw Students, who’re championing girls’s causes globally. This expertise has empowered me to belief in my personal efforts and recognise the impression of each contribution towards advancing girls.I hope that receiving this scholarship not solely strengthens my personal journey but in addition evokes extra girls—particularly these from Africa—to pursue their desires and imagine of their potential to guide and make a distinction.
Which leaders encourage you probably the most and why?
The leaders who encourage me most are those that communicate with conviction, stand firmly by their beliefs, and have the braveness to confess when they’re improper. I like leaders who serve others with integrity and lead by instance.One chief who lately impressed me is Naledi Pandor, the previous South African Minister of Worldwide Relations. She has navigated advanced international coverage points with exceptional conviction, assertiveness, and grace—qualities I deeply admire and aspire to embody in my very own journey.
Describe a scene from the longer term you might be striving to create.
I envision a future the place it’s totally regular for ladies to pursue and excel in roles historically dominated by males—a world the place girls can thrive professionally with out compromising their private lives. I’m dedicated to advancing funding in training to make this future doable, with the hope that extra women and girls may have entry to high quality training, find out about various profession paths, join with mentors, and be empowered to pursue their ambitions with confidence.
Fast-fire Questions
📺 At present Binging:
📚 My prime guide suggestion:
The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis
Jeso O Ntekane – Mmuso Worship
🎧 Present Audiobook Obsession:
Cleansing up your psychological mess – Dr Caroline Leaf
🌈 One thing that made me really feel pleasure lately:
Seeing the Northern Lights in Oxford!
Comply with Natasha on LinkedIn!
Natasha Makhubele is a Laidlaw Scholar at Oxford Saïd Enterprise Faculty. Yow will discover Natasha on LinkedIn. The Laidlaw Ladies’s Enterprise Schooling Scholarship goals to assist construct a pipeline of future girls leaders via entry to best-in-class training, sources and international networks by offering full and half scholarships to girls who wouldn’t in any other case be able to reap the advantages of attending an excellent faculty.
🔦 Uncover extra Scholar Spotlights:
⚡️ Patrícia Gonçalves, a Laidlaw Scholar at Oxford College’s Saïd Enterprise Faculty, on navigating the crossroads of private and non-private sectors and championing a sustainable, equitable future.
⚡️ Lucy Nyamaah, a Laidlaw Scholar at Oxford College’s Saïd Enterprise Faculty, on pushing previous gender norms and envisioning a female-led future within the Power sector.
⚡️ Juliana Ruseva, a Laidlaw Scholar at London Enterprise Faculty, on volunteering, serving to girls break the glass ceiling and tackling points step-by-step.
⚡️ Adebusola Adegbuyi, a Laidlaw Scholar at Saïd Enterprise Faculty, on dealing with challenges with optimism and empowering younger girls to start careers in know-how.
⚡️ Aya Hammad, a College of York Laidlaw Scholar, on understanding the origins of most cancers, selling equality in healthcare, and studying to be adaptable.
