Colleen was involved with the South African Women Entrepreneurs Network (SAWEN), an initiative of the Department of Trade & Industry (dti) to support women owned SMMEs. She was Chairperson of the Board of SAWEN Ltd, a Section 21 company set up by the dti to control the affairs of the network. She was instrumental in the establishment of the SAWEN national strategy, organisation and the constitution.

In November 2005, she became the founder and CEO Women in Finance now Business Engage Association NPC (www.businessengage.co.za).

To encourage private sector to buy-in to achieving more meaningful representation of women in the mainstream of business, Colleen through Business Engage launched the annual Gender Mainstreaming Awards (www.genderawards.co.za) enabling private sector to develop the business case for gender mainstreaming.  August 2014 will be the second event.

She is the author of two books :-

• Best Practices in Gender Mainstreaming for the Private Sector
• Gender Matters – A Practical Response to the Slippery Ladder (due out in August)

She is also:-

• Custodian of the 30% Club Southern Africa (see www.30percentclub.org.za).

• Representative on the Steering committee for the International Labour Organisation programme on gender.
• Colleen is one of eleven ILO cadre in South Africa accredited by the ILO as experts in women entrepreneurship development. 
• She is also accredited by the ILO to carry out participatory gender reviews in companies.
• Finalist in SA's Most Influential Women in Business and Government Award 2012 and nominated once again for 2013.
• Founding  member - New Faces New Voices – a group established by Mrs Graça Machel  to uplift women in the financial services industry & facilitate access to finance for women.

Colleen has judged a number of business competitions including the Enablis FNB Business Plan Competition, Citigroup Microentrepreneurship Awards and the BWA Achievers Awards.

Expertise Requests

• As a gender mainstreaming expert, Colleen was nominated to represent BUSA at the Regional Women in Business and Management programme which took place in November 2012.  The aim of the workshop was to strengthen employers’ organisations to support enterprises at the country level to develop and implement policies on advancing women in business and management as a strategic business goal.

Represented International Labour Organisation at the AU Protocol meetings in August 2013.

• Invited by the Economic Commission for Africa to attend a round table summit in November to discuss strategies for gender mainstreaming in Africa.

Colleen consults to companies in terms of the WEGE Bill in South Africa and how this fits into companies in terms of current legislation including BBBEE and Employment Equity and their overall transformation strategies and management of Employment Equity targets.

 Professional Highlights

Colleen is a networker and organiser, but more than that she is a visionary with a passion for empowering entrepreneurs and women.  She has the ability to take issues faced with the aim of growing the economy.

She is a collaborative individual with a passion for development of longstanding relationships.

She is a leader whose career spans experience within the financial services market which includes the pension fund and insurance direct marketing fields.  During her direct marketing career she was responsible for the management, development and growth of market share for 9 of the top companies in this field including AIG, FNB, ABSA, Standard Bank, and Diners Club.

For a period of 4 years Colleen managed the pension and provident fund accounts for both the South African Transport and Allied Workers Union and the Contract Cleaning National Provident Funds.

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