Cell C CEO Jose Dos Santos wants a woman to take over his position at the company when he steps down, stating that the mobile operator currently employs many \u201cgood-looking women and clever women\u201d in senior positions.<\/p>\n
Dos Santos explained his stance on empowering women in the workplace during a recent interview on CliffCentral\u2019s Leadership Platform<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n He said\u00a0African women have a higher tolerance level than men, something he noticed while working for Vodacom in\u00a0Mozambique.<\/p>\n When Dos Santos came to Cell C after working for Vodacom, he said there were few\u00a0female-empowerment initiatives at the company \u2013 and he promised to change that.<\/p>\n Dos Santos said Cell C\u2019s staff complement currently sits at over 60% female, with many women\u00a0at a senior executive or\u00a0management level in the company.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have good-looking women, we have clever women, we have smart women, and that has created a different environment,\u201d said Dos Santos.<\/p>\n \u201cI think we have to empower the female individuals. Today a lot of women are independent.\u201d<\/p>\n He stated that Cell C\u2019s next CEO should be a woman.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m hoping that one day when I step down from Cell C, a woman will be the CEO of the company.\u00a0They have a different way of managing, they have a different way of engaging in meetings, it creates a different dynamic,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cIf I can use the term on your radio station, you know women do have a bitch switch, and boy if you see two women fighting it is worse than two men.\u201d<\/p>\n Dos Santos\u00a0said Cell C \u2013 which sponsors the Miss South Africa pageant \u2013 also offers all Miss SA finalist an internship for a year at the company to assist them in gaining work experience.<\/p>\n \u201cIt brought a whole different atmosphere. Can you imagine you got 12 gorgeous women and you say four or five of them walk into your company \u2013 do you know what it does to the atmosphere in that company? The men dress better, they shave every morning.\u201d<\/p>\n Dos Santos said the Miss SA contestants who stay at Cell C after their internships are hardworking and loyal, and make valuable contributions to the company.<\/p>\n [Update]<\/strong><\/p>\n Cell C CEO Jose Dos Santos has responded the outcry following his comments:<\/p>\n \u201cAs a CEO with a strong track record in the empowerment of female employees, in South Africa and in many other African countries that I have worked in, I am saddened that my stance has been taken out of context,\u201d said Dos Santos.<\/p>\n \u201cThe comment I made when asked about women empowerment was part of a broader interview about leadership on CliffCentral. I regret my choice of words which I realise were offensive.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI mentioned that, in my experience, I have seen instances where women do not support each other to get to the top. This has purely been my observation and perhaps one of several reasons why women are under-represented in leadership positions.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThis is not an environment that was created by women, but one that has been entrenched in the general workplace. And that is why I have put a lot of effort and focus into the empowerment of all employees, but particularly women at Cell C.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Cell C launches uncapped fibre-to-the-home<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n Shareholder alleges Cell C running at a big loss: report<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n Cell C cheers Vodacom loss on Neotel spectrum<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\nWomen have a \u201cbitch switch\u201d<\/h3>\n
Miss South Africa interns<\/h3>\n
More on Cell C<\/h3>\n