Reflect and learn as a leader and change agent at your own institution

The sound of the late Tina Turner’s What’s love got to do with it enveloped the conference room. As the last few individuals took up their seats, the rhythmic movement of those already seated, in tandem with the singer’s movements on the screen in front, suggested approval.

This was the opening scene on Tuesday, 20 June, at the launch of the Higher Education Leadership and Management (HELM) Women in Leadership (WiL) Programme, offered in a hybrid format (in person and online) on the East Rand in Gauteng.

In welcoming the 41 attendees, 11 of whom were virtually linked, Professor Denise Zinn, HELM Programme Leader, stated that her choice of this song was deliberate. “I chose this song to inspire each one of you gathered here today, to change your attitude and tune. After this [WiL] encounter, everyone must, like Tina Turner, hold their head high as they walk self-assuredly into those boardrooms.”