Nicki Brivik Tracey Catania, the project manager at ORT Jet, co-ordinates the key projects that drive the organisation’s mission of supporting small and medium-sized enterprises. “Whether it’s identifying the training needs of our members, sourcing knowledge, or co-ordinating impactful events, my work is driven by a deep belief in each individual’s potential and the power of community,” she says. Catania’s commitment to promoting growth and development on a professional, personal, and emotional level informs the way she manages ORT Jet’s mentorship programme. “I create opportunities for meaningful connections that go beyond business, nurturing relationships that inspire, empower, and uplift,” she says. Her journey to ORT Jet began with her work as customer relations manager at Nando’s between 1993 and 2014. “My passion for working with people fuelled my efforts to enhance customer engagement and satisfaction, designing mechanisms for feedback, and working closely with various departments,” she says. “This experience of building relationships and ensuring high standards of service led me to ORT Jet, where I could continue to make a meaningful impact by supporting entrepreneurs and fostering business growth.” Catania empowers others through empathy, collaboration, and continuous growth. “I believe leadership isn’t just about directing, but about inspiring and enabling individuals to reach their full potential,” she says. “By leading with empathy and understanding, I create a culture of trust and respect, which drives innovation and commitment.” She prioritises lifelong learning and development both for herself and team members, which helps them stay ahead of trends and respond to new opportunities. “Ultimately, my goal as a leader is to cultivate a positive, inclusive environment where everyone is motivated to contribute their best, and where collective success is celebrated,” she says. Catania is proud of her successful transformation and growth of ORT Jet’s training and mentorship programmes, which support hundreds of businesses and entrepreneurs on their journey to success. “Seeing the tangible difference our efforts have made in the lives of entrepreneurs and knowing our work has contributed to the growth and resilience of small businesses is, undoubtedly, my greatest accomplishment,” she says. Catania says ORT South Africa Chief Executive Ariellah Rosenberg and ORT Jet Johannesburg Manager Helene Itzkin are two particularly important women in her life in terms of mentorship. “From Ariellah, I’ve learned the profound value of education and its impact on personal and professional development. Her emphasis on continuous learning has reinforced my commitment to education as a cornerstone of growth,” she says. “From Helene, I’ve gained insights into being a strong and resilient woman, understanding the importance of perseverance and inner strength in overcoming challenges. Both of their influences have shaped my approach to leadership and personal growth, guiding me in fostering education and resilience in my own life and work.” Catania says she would like to be remembered for her professionalism, kindness, and the meaningful impact she has made on the lives of her family, friends, and colleagues. “My aim is for others to see me as someone who navigated difficulties with grace and perseverance, turning obstacles into opportunities for growth, and inspiring those around me to do the same.” Tracey Catania A qualified attorney, business leader Tanya Cohen addresses complex issues facing the country, from youth employment to sector masterplans to crisis management. “I work at the intersection between business and government, building trust through action,” she says. “I’m a trusted intermediary, bridging the divide between business leadership and government for developmental impact. During hard times, it’s about coalescing around a common higher purpose and keeping people engaged in finding solutions rather than complaining.” Throughout her career, Cohen has filled key leadership roles including that of managing director of the Retail Association, and more recently chief executive of Business Unity South Africa (BUSA). At BUSA, Cohen was integral to forming social compacts including the national minimum wage and the Presidential Jobs Summit Framework Agreement. Along with leading BUSA, she counts these compacts among her greatest business achievements. “Leaving BUSA in 2019 and not knowing what I was going to do next was a significant career challenge,” she admits. “It was a process of selfdiscovery to find out what I wanted to do and how.” Yet she found her purpose in her work as a public-private impact advisor and as an astute business leader. These are roles she now fills as director and founder of Cogent Advisory, and as senior advisor to the Public Private Growth Initiative (PPGI). The PPGI is an initiative spearheaded by Roelf Meyer and the late Dr Johan van Zyl. “It aims to promote sector-based growth strategies and projects by unlocking constraints and opportunities for economic growth and investment together with government,” Cohen says. “I enable future-fit outcomes that stimulate economic growth, transformation, and employment,” she says. “I work with multiple stakeholders across a variety of sectors to unblock complex national and international developmental challenges such as regulatory and administrative inhibitors for sectors to grow.” She also co-creates and delivers innovative and workable policy solutions. One of her many projects at the PPGI has been to lead a steering committee to identify the training gap for nurses in South Africa. Though she’s disappointed that she hasn’t cracked this challenge yet, the journey is continuing. Cohen remains driven by her commitment to the country’s development, and is actively working with others to attain this goal. “Engaging with others at a human level seeking to understand where they are coming from, and what our common interests are, is something I would do over and over again,” she says. In empowering future leaders, Cohen is on the board of Khula Education Trust, which provides quality education to underserved communities, and NextUp, which bridges the gap between high school, training, and employment. “I have a strong values orientation in relation to dignity, equality, and development, and a commitment to making a positive social impact on South Africa,” she says. In her downtime, Cohen enjoys long-distance running. Inspired by her late father, who completed 22 Comrades Marathons, she says she’s most proud of completing the marathon herself. Cohen clearly has the resilience needed to navigate the most challenging of journeys in every aspect of her life. • Tanya Cohen is also nominated in the Absa Business Leadership category Tanya Cohen A former attorney, Nicki Brivik left her practice after more than 20 years to follow her passion and become a sex coach. Today, she’s a qualified integral practitioner coach, and applies these life principles to sexual health through her brand, Ask Nicki. Brivik empowers people to embrace their sexuality, communicate openly, and cultivate fulfilling relationships. “I’m shining a light on the often-ignored topic of sex, liberating the conversation around it, and debunking the myths that hinder our understanding of such an important aspect of our lives,” she says. Brivik takes a positive approach to sex by not focusing on problems, rather how to amplify pleasure and supercharge one’s sex life. “Sex is one of the most positive and life affirming things we can do for ourselves and can enrich our lives enormously,” she says. “It can add excitement, pleasure, adventure, and confidence into our lives and infuse these characteristics into everything we do. Yet there’s a secrecy and dishonesty that shrouds sex, resulting in a lack of honest and open conversations and a perpetuation of false facts and ignorance.” The shame and inhibitions that are often associated with sex are learned behaviours that we pass on to our children, perpetuating a taboo on something beautiful and natural, Brivik says. “I realised the need for sex-positive environments where it’s safe to have conversations and the sexual part of a person can speak freely. This knowledge coupled with my desire to help people made me become a sex coach.” Through her work, Brivik helps her clients overcome erotic barriers usually rooted in upbringing, providing insights into how to improve their sex lives and discover their sexual voice. She also provides tips to optimise sexual experience. “Pleasure is our birthright and what makes us human, and I want to empower people to claim this right,” she says. Brivik believes her greatest achievement is to build a brand and a business from a topic that’s widely misunderstood and rarely talked about or focused on. “I truly believe that sexual healing is a thing, and that if you can upgrade your sex life, you can upgrade your whole life,” she says. “My energy and passion, along with my distinctive style has helped to bring this topic to the forefront.” Although she has no problem discussing sex, Brivik has had to hone her public speaking skills to spread this message. “While I’m an extrovert, I’ve never been able to do public speaking as I always become overcome with emotion, no matter the topic,” she says. “Accordingly, when I was first approached to give a talk, my first instinct was to decline. However, I knew that if I wanted to get my message out, I needed to embrace the fear. I still feel myself well up as I start a talk, but I manage to overcome it through sheer determination and passion for my topic. I also ensure that I’m extremely well prepared, even overprepared, so that I can impart my knowledge in an easily digestible way.” Europcar Women in Leadership Award nominees 31
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