Driven to succeed

To an already bursting CV, Williams (24) has recently added the distinction of being selected to participate in the VWV Phakama Women’s Academy, which launched its pilot programme in August.

The academy seeks to provide young women with the skills and confidence to succeed in the professional workplace. For Williams, it is a new and comforting experience to find women reaching out to support each other.

“In high school, girls were always bashing each other down,” she said.

“Phakama is grooming us to turn our weaknesses into strengths, and to make the best of our strengths.”

Williams has no shortage of strengths, not least of which is an impressive grasp of time management. The lectures and assignments making up the Phakama programme have added to her already packed schedule, which includes working part-time and completing her degree in marketing and communications at the AAA School of Advertising.

“I enjoy keeping busy,” Williams laughed, but the real key to her success she believes, is a zeal for her profession.

“Marketing is in my personality,” she declared.

“If you enjoy what you’re doing and you’re passionate about it, there’s no way you can fail.”

Williams’ passion, she hopes, will make her a leading name in the industry, seeing her concepts come to life in the digital and advertising world around her. But she also intends to ‘pay it forward’ by inspiring other young women – particularly those at school and in disadvantaged areas – to believe in their power to succeed.

“I’d love to see myself as a brand ambassador for Phakama. I’d like to encourage young women to know what they want to do, and to find themselves,” she said.

South Africa today provides the opportunities needed for a young woman of Williams’ ability and ambition, she believes. But it is up to women themselves to capitalise on those opportunities.

“It’s all about keeping [your] composure, being able to be a certain person when you need to be… No one will take you seriously if you don’t take yourself seriously,” Williams concluded.