I have always believed education is the most powerful tool to break cycles of poverty and open doors to opportunity. As CEO of ORT South Africa, I have turned that principle into daily action: building futures for thousands of young people, teachers, and entrepreneurs.
My leadership journey is also a woman’s story. When I took the reins in 2013, ORT SA was respected but modest in scale. I was a Jewish woman stepping into a space often dominated by men, determined to prove that strong, values-driven leadership could deliver both social impact and business results. Today, ORT SA is a national leader in digital skills, coding, robotics, and youth entrepreneurship, active in all nine provinces.
I think often of a young girl who typed her first line of code in one of our programs. She had never touched a computer before. The pride on her face mattered more than any spreadsheet. Moments like that remind me that leadership is about creating environments where others, especially young women, can see new possibilities for themselves.
Under my leadership, we built the Eric and Sheila Samson IT Academy, launched ORT2Connect to keep education alive during the pandemic, and pioneered coding and robotics in South African schools impacting 7000 learners (70% of them female). Nearly 4,000 young people have entered the workforce through our Workplace programs, and more than 3,200 small businesses have grown with ORT Jet’s mentorship. These are ripple effects felt in households, communities, and across the economy.
Financially, I led a turnaround from deficit to sustained surplus, growing reserves nearly fivefold and diversifying income streams. That stability has allowed us to be resilient in difficult times and to ensure we continue our work uninterrupted.
My leadership has also strengthened Jewish education. I initiated King David Schools’ affiliation with World ORT, connecting our community to global networks of excellence. We extended these opportunities to Herzliya schools in Cape Town, ensuring South African Jewish learners and teachers are part of a worldwide ecosystem of innovation and excellence.
I believe I was nominated because I bring both the discipline of a business leader and the resilience of a Jewish woman to my work. I know how to balance strength with empathy, vision with pragmatism. My leadership has shown that when women lead with conviction, they don’t just change organizations, they transform communities and economies.
Education is not charity; it is dignity, opportunity, and growth. That is what I have built, and that is the story I bring to this award.
My vision is rooted in possibility, for myself, for ORT South Africa, and for the country we serve.
For myself, the future means continuing to lead as a Jewish woman with foresight, empathy, and innovation. I see my role as a connector: bridging global networks with local realities, linking opportunity with need, and ensuring South Africa is not a step behind but a step ahead in education, technology, and entrepreneurship. As a woman in leadership, I want to expand my influence beyond ORT; shaping policy, amplifying women’s voices in decision-making spaces, and inspiring the next generation of female leaders to believe they belong at the forefront of change.
For ORT South Africa, the vision is scale with impact. We will expand access to coding, robotics, and digital skills while deepening our work in AI, green technologies, and data science. A central part of this vision is empowering more young women to pursue careers in fields traditionally dominated by men, especially IT and technology. By showing girls that they not only have a place in these industries but can lead them, we break old patterns and unlock new potential. Our mentorship programs for small businesses will also grow in reach and quality, creating ecosystems of resilience and opportunity where women entrepreneurs thrive.
I see ORT becoming a national hub for “human-centered AI” education: teaching not only how to code and innovate but how to apply technology ethically and creatively to real-world challenges. Women must be at the centre of this journey, shaping how AI and digital tools are used to build inclusive futures.
My vision for South Africa is one where the Fourth Industrial Revolution is not reserved for a privileged few but accessible to every citizen. Education and entrepreneurship become the engines of renewal. Our country’s greatest resource it’s people, curious, creative, and resilient, can break free from cycles of dependency and build cycles of opportunity. A future where women lead boldly in boardrooms, classrooms, and coding labs. Where learning creates dignity, businesses create stability, and leadership, female and male, creates trust.
I have always believed education is the most powerful tool to break cycles of poverty and open doors to opportunity. As CEO of ORT South Africa, I have turned that principle into daily action: building futures for thousands of young people, teachers, and entrepreneurs.
My leadership journey is also a woman’s story. When I took the reins in 2013, ORT SA was respected but modest in scale. I was a Jewish woman stepping into a space often dominated by men, determined to prove that strong, values-driven leadership could deliver both social impact and business results. Today, ORT SA is a national leader in digital skills, coding, robotics, and youth entrepreneurship, active in all nine provinces.
I think often of a young girl who typed her first line of code in one of our programs. She had never touched a computer before. The pride on her face mattered more than any spreadsheet. Moments like that remind me that leadership is about creating environments where others, especially young women, can see new possibilities for themselves.
Under my leadership, we built the Eric and Sheila Samson IT Academy, launched ORT2Connect to keep education alive during the pandemic, and pioneered coding and robotics in South African schools impacting 7000 learners (70% of them female). Nearly 4,000 young people have entered the workforce through our Workplace programs, and more than 3,200 small businesses have grown with ORT Jet’s mentorship. These are ripple effects felt in households, communities, and across the economy.
Financially, I led a turnaround from deficit to sustained surplus, growing reserves nearly fivefold and diversifying income streams. That stability has allowed us to be resilient in difficult times and to ensure we continue our work uninterrupted.
My leadership has also strengthened Jewish education. I initiated King David Schools’ affiliation with World ORT, connecting our community to global networks of excellence. We extended these opportunities to Herzliya schools in Cape Town, ensuring South African Jewish learners and teachers are part of a worldwide ecosystem of innovation and excellence.
I believe I was nominated because I bring both the discipline of a business leader and the resilience of a Jewish woman to my work. I know how to balance strength with empathy, vision with pragmatism. My leadership has shown that when women lead with conviction, they don’t just change organizations, they transform communities and economies.
Education is not charity; it is dignity, opportunity, and growth. That is what I have built, and that is the story I bring to this award.
My vision is rooted in possibility, for myself, for ORT South Africa, and for the country we serve.
For myself, the future means continuing to lead as a Jewish woman with foresight, empathy, and innovation. I see my role as a connector: bridging global networks with local realities, linking opportunity with need, and ensuring South Africa is not a step behind but a step ahead in education, technology, and entrepreneurship. As a woman in leadership, I want to expand my influence beyond ORT; shaping policy, amplifying women’s voices in decision-making spaces, and inspiring the next generation of female leaders to believe they belong at the forefront of change.
For ORT South Africa, the vision is scale with impact. We will expand access to coding, robotics, and digital skills while deepening our work in AI, green technologies, and data science. A central part of this vision is empowering more young women to pursue careers in fields traditionally dominated by men, especially IT and technology. By showing girls that they not only have a place in these industries but can lead them, we break old patterns and unlock new potential. Our mentorship programs for small businesses will also grow in reach and quality, creating ecosystems of resilience and opportunity where women entrepreneurs thrive.
I see ORT becoming a national hub for “human-centered AI” education: teaching not only how to code and innovate but how to apply technology ethically and creatively to real-world challenges. Women must be at the centre of this journey, shaping how AI and digital tools are used to build inclusive futures.
My vision for South Africa is one where the Fourth Industrial Revolution is not reserved for a privileged few but accessible to every citizen. Education and entrepreneurship become the engines of renewal. Our country’s greatest resource it’s people, curious, creative, and resilient, can break free from cycles of dependency and build cycles of opportunity. A future where women lead boldly in boardrooms, classrooms, and coding labs. Where learning creates dignity, businesses create stability, and leadership, female and male, creates trust.