Asanda Jama, Internal Auditor at Sanlam
A little while ago, Asanda Jama’s manager sent her a video highlighting how girls are taught to be perfect, while boys are encouraged to try everything, and how that impacts young people as they grow up. Men who meet 60% of a role’s requirements often try for a promotion while women will only apply when they meet 100% of the requirements. This resonated with Jama, who, at 27, is just entering the world of work.
Having recently completed Sanlam’s Graduate Programme, Jama is currently a fulltime member of the Sanlam internal audit team. She says she loves the travel prospects her new job brings, “As a young person, I’m learning not to be scared to ask for opportunities. Since January, I’ve already been to Kenya, Zambia and Botswana.”
The Graduate Programme exposed Jama to powerful women who showed her anything is possible. Originally from the Eastern Cape, Jama says this is something she wishes she’d had more of growing up, “Girls in rural areas need more exposure to powerful women. If you’ve never seen something, how can you aspire to be that? One day, I want to be that woman who inspires them.”
One of the women Jama admires at Sanlam is Azola Zuma, Chief Executive Officer of Sanlam Investment Management, “She’s still so young and it’s amazing what she’s achieved. She said we need to know that no-one owes us anything. You have to get up and get it for yourself.”
And that’s exactly what Jama plans to do. “Right now, I just want to learn. Sanlam opens up so many doors. I’m excited to get on the next plane and see where the opportunity takes me.”