Cleo makes her mark in ICT, dismissing stereotypes
SANDTON - Resident Cleo Becker is proof that being driven and determined in your career does pay off.
The qualified attorney’s move to diversify from working at a law firm to becoming legal counsel for Hitachi Data Systems broadened her horizons – quite literally.
Becker is the company’s only lawyer in Africa responsible for providing legal advice in Sub-Saharan Africa, Middle East, Turkey, Pakistan and Israel.
Among her many roles, including negotiating contracts and providing compliance training to employees and partners, Becker is a member of two global leadership teams for the company.
However, the path towards her desired career was not always smooth.
“Both my parents work in the creative industry, so when I finished school my father asked me to study either art or drama… but I’ve always considered myself to be an analytical thinker so I was always drawn to a career in the legal field and I just went ahead with it,” she explained.
Becker later relocated from Cape Town to Joburg to further her career, which she believed provided her with the platform to build her career.
“My view is that Johannesburg has a lot more opportunities because I feel like the majority of larger multinational and South African companies are head-quartered in Johannesburg and they’re using that as a platform into the rest of Sub-Saharan Africa,” she said.
She said typically the information and communications technology sector was male dominated, particularly on the technical side, which more women needed to enter into, but in other areas such as sales and legal departments there was a fair representation.
“In different industries like construction, mining and things that involve physical labour, I think those positions might be better suited to men, but in the office environment I don’t think there is any position that is more suited to a man or a woman.”
Although she had not experienced any gender-based discrimination or inequality at her workplace, Becker said women were at a disadvantage to their male counterparts in many industries. Therefore, she said, women should not let any societal preconceptions hinder them from pursuing their goals.
“If you want to reach a particular position in your career you just have to give it your all, whether you are a man or a woman,” she said.
“I think that women, particularly, should realise that they could bring a new perspective to business decisions, so they should realise the value they can bring by voicing their opinions.”
