Yes, the (female, no less) editorial team at La Gazette Mag likes to put women at the heart of cultural and socio-economic news. Although deliberately detached from any notion of militancy, it was nonetheless important for us to seize the opportunity of International Women’s Rights Day (March 8) to devote this entire issue to them.
For several years now, a number of organizations have been bringing together Mauritian women citizens and residents in the entrepreneurial world, in order to exploit their potential and offer them a promising synergy. One example is the local association AMFCE (Association Mauricienne des Femmes Chefs d’Entreprise), headed by Rima Ramsaran and affiliated to the Mauritian Business Association. FCEM (Femmes Chefs d’Entreprise Mondiales) unites the voices of over 100,000 women in business on five continents. Its motto speaks for itself: “Alone we are invisible, together we are a force.” The women’s forum at the MIoD (Mauritius Institute of Directors) is another local example, reinforced by the presence of a female CEO, Sheila Udoojha.
If we accept the fact that women no longer have anything to prove, that equality of competence is no longer associated with the notions of struggle and inherent victory, because it’s only normality, let’s nevertheless remain lucid! Our gender is no longer an obstacle to our ambitions, but the road to equity is still winding.
On the social and inclusive front, the Trampoline incubator of Mauritian company Currimjee Jeewanjee supports and promotes female leadership and the legitimate access of this segment to corporate boards of directors. For its part, audit and consulting specialist Grant Thornton is committed to community and universal respect, with its JA ITS TYME mentoring program for women entrepreneurs and its goal of empowerment. Within hotel groups, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) tends to give women their rightful place, at every level of the organization chart. Beachcomber’s FED (Fondation Espoir Développement), the Talk Series by Attitude, the Constance Foundation… and many others, demonstrate this through concrete, successful projects. For MCB, gender equality is not only a moral issue, but also an economic one. The banking group is committed to achieving 40% female representation by 2026, aware of the economic leverage this represents. As for the Mauritian retailer Espace Maison, it employs a growing number of women, largely reaching parity – a significant example of respect for gender equivalence in a male-dominated industry!
Instead of drawing up a non-exhaustive list of all the good governance initiatives in place in every business, we’ve chosen to paint a portrait of these business leaders, team managers and project managers who are, above all, women, professionally accomplished and personally fulfilled.
Resilient and dedicated, sensitive and passionate, Tessa, Rima, Sandra, Sloane, Karine and Sheila confide in us.
Tessa de Chalain – melodic techno
Mother of a 2.5-year-old Dior, the radiant Tessa is in charge of all marketing, communications and events at the Caudan Waterfront in Port Louis – a colossal job! While she loves her job, the business strategy and the challenges it represents, Tessa admits that her role as a mother has come up against the limits of her professional dedication over the past two years. Add in the daily commute, and time at home is limited. “It’s difficult, when you have such responsibilities, to switch off your phone, to disconnect, but it’s essential nonetheless!” So as soon as she can, Tessa heads for the beach, where sea bathing is her eternal resource!
Behind the working girlthe accomplished woman supported 200% by her husband and the happy mother, there’s also… a turntable operator! A DJ for ten years, Tessa hosts private parties, sets the mood for small groups and takes part in major local festivals such as Pure and Mystik. With passion, the young woman mixes contemporary electronic music in her preferred style, blending lyrics and rhythm: melodic techno. With frustration, Tessa admits that since December she has turned down several contracts that she can no longer honor. “The work involved in researching and preparing a sequence, which has to be different for each event, is enormous, and I just don’t have the time! But that’s going to change, because it’s a real escape!” She knows that reconciling her family life, her professional duties and her passion is possible. In fact, for her, the perfect balance would be 40% – 30% – 30%, in that order. Proud to be a woman and to have given birth – Dior’s birth was a minor miracle, due to health problems that troubled her for years – Tessa is fully fulfilled, because she has learned to love herself… and knows she is loved today!
Rima Ramsaran – the independent
President of AMFCE (Association Mauricienne des Femmes Chefs d’Entreprise), workaholic Rima’s hobbyhorse is above all the economic emancipation of Mauritian women through entrepreneurship. But although she has long thought that this essential step towards financial autonomy would inevitably lead to parity, she admits she was wrong. Pragmatic, she explains that the psychological and societal hold of men over women is still far too strong. “Even if a woman generates her own money in a household, she will never have the freedom to do what she wants with it, because it will be first and foremost for the family, the children… under the management of a brother, the father…” Today, Rima is working to help women break free from this cultural boundary.
Multi-hatted, Rima has always evolved in masculine circles and has never had to prove her legitimacy. For her, being a woman is in itself an advantage in society. Empathy, sensitivity, emotion… everything that makes “our special cachet” brings balance and complementarity, which is not the case in a 100% female community. “But we’ve always been conditioned, intimidated, carried away by feelings of insecurity and constant analysis… and we just don’t get anywhere!”
Independent and proud to choose where and when she wants to be, Rima knows that a good balance between personal and professional life is important, but remains convinced that a woman “is far too passionate and involved in everything she does to compartmentalize it!” In fact, she refuses to do so. Rima loves traveling, discovering the world and the unknown, and getting out of her comfort zone. Tolerant, she confides in me that she’s also extremely impatient and sometimes aggressive, underlining the masculine side of her!
Sandra Rabier – the dedicated
For the past six years, Sandra has been the head of the Paul et Virginie French school in Tamarin, a position which, despite almost 20 years in education in Mauritius, has required her to “fight a bit harder and face a few ego wars.” Rather committed but not combative words. “In a feminist discourse, there’s a lot of violence, whereas it’s our sensitivity and intuitiveness that should come to the fore, enabling us to react at a moment’s notice and deal with a multitude of things simultaneously. I’m still convinced that a man’s mental load is different from a woman’s.” Once more of an activist, Sandra now has other weapons with which to move the lines and impose her leadership. Acting for a community – the micro-society represented by the school – and investing herself in a meaningful profession with impactful actions… is what makes her tick. I sense that she is totally dedicated to her company and her students (over 400), and has a clear legitimacy with them, parents and other hierarchical bodies. But I also detect a kind of resigned loneliness in this woman, who is necessarily hardened to the risks of psychological destruction; experience obliges. “Making decisions upsets, divides… doesn’t unite, because it’s not free. My position is complex, and I have no (or few) friends or confidants.” Armed with this self-knowledge, so fundamental to advancing… and helping others to advance, the woman who has often felt different, outside codes and stereotypes, and whose studies propelled her to the rank of engineer, nevertheless feels she belongs. An ultra-perfectionist, passionate, creative, organized and intuitive, Sandra admits that she should “have more fun, be more light-hearted”, but also confides: “It’s better to live passionately, than not to live at all!”
Sloane Vian – the spiritual one
Brilliant, cultured, multilingual, she has walked the catwalks of the world, walked the runways for the greatest, rubbed shoulders with the world of Haute Couture, turned her childhood dream into reality… but always knew her luck, her privilege! In the 1990s, Sloane founded the Indian Ocean’s first model agency on Réunion Island and successfully launched her own line of women’s ready-to-wear. Today, as a stylist, colorist and artist, she brings out the very best in women, whom she welcomes one-on-one at her showroom in Grand Baie. Guided by a deep spirituality and the circulation of positive waves… she feeds off fabrics!
Her unique collection pieces, imagined and designed in her Mauritian workshops, exude her formidable creative energy. What she loves about her work is the human touch! The service and exclusivity she offers “in a dehumanized world! The authenticity of an exchange. The dimension of trust that unites her with each woman… whom she welcomes with kindness, advises with sincere passion, and dresses with all the colors of her life.
In the course of our discussion, she admits to being impatient, “like all fast brains!”, but recognizes that this means she gets things done quickly. Sloane can drive anything, change a wheel, assemble a piece of furniture… and embraces her masculinity 200% (what an antithesis!), convinced that if she were a man, she’d be able to do so much more! Ambitious, she follows her dreams to the end, indefatigably connected to her little inner voice. “I’m a true Sagittarius. I think before I launch, but when it goes off, nothing disturbs me!”
Impose your luck, squeeze your happiness and go for your risk. They’ll get used to watching you. I didn’t know these words by the poet René Char, through which Sloane defines herself… but I love them!
Karine Perrier Curé – the leader
Brand and Communications Manager at Beachcomber Resorts & Hotels, Karine is also President of the group’s Fondation Espoir Développement. While she relishes the feeling of being in her rightful place and the chance to do a fascinating job, this is not a sine qua non for self-fulfillment: “My ambition in life has not been to make a living from my passion, but always to do the best I can, to have fun, to learn and grow from my experiences.” For this knowledge-hungry woman, sharing, exchanging, stimulating… is fundamental to her self-fulfilment, as is recharging her batteries with her husband Christophe and their three daughters, Maëva, Clémence and Romane. “After a long day at work, I need to think about other things, spend time with them and worry about personal matters. Creative and hands-on, she laments her lack of availability to shut herself away in her bubble and indulge in baking, sewing, reading… ” However, I’ve come to understand that I shouldn’t wait until I have the time, but rather take advantage of the little opportunities offered.” Audio books are one of her solutions, and she’s patient about family trips, thinking that when they become possible, these experiences will be all the more enjoyable!
When it comes to the status of women, Karine refuses to engage in stigmatizing debates, but does ask herself some questions. Why is it always surprising to recruit a young pregnant woman? Why do women sometimes feel the need to justify their position? When I ask her if there have been any repercussions on her career path, she replies, “Yes! but I’ve chosen to break free from them, to turn them into strength!” She adds, “We still have a long way to go before our daughters can answer that question in the negative tomorrow!”
Sheila Ujoodha – the benevolent one
The Mauritius Institute of Directors (MIoD) is a non-profit organization with 13 founders, 34 sponsors and entrepreneurial members from all sectors. At its helm to support good corporate governance is a woman, Sheila. At MIoD of the forum for women directors, an initiative of MIoD, she tackles diversity measuresequity and inclusion. ” L ore and more women are taking up management positions, but there’s still a lot of work to be done. They have the experience, qualifications and skills to run companies! And this woman at the head of a large company knows what she’s talking about! Faced with sexist obstacles in her career, and to assert her skills, she has had to fight sectarianism: “I will always take a stand for those who refuse to work for true equality!”
The bubbly, sweet Sheila, with her comforting smile and naturalness,has always been supportedby her father, peers and husband. She believes quality of life results from balancing work, friends and family, “which can help you become more productive and less prone to burnout, but requires careful planning.”
In the course of the interview, Sheila tells me about one of her faults, curiosity, and one of her qualities, authenticity. Confides in me that she has been practicing yoga and swimming for many years. In the office, she defines herself as confident and daring; at home, as disciplined (what a funny word!) and caring. She is wholehearted, passionate and caring. She concludes: “I’d like to thank all the incredible men in our lives. Their unconditional support that helps us grow and spread our wings. I’d love to see them join us in change for equality everywhere!”
“To be liberated, woman must feel free to be herself, not in rivalry with man, but in the context of her own capacity and personality.” Indira Ghandi’s words could have been uttered by any of the women I met this month, for all of them, without exception, confided in me that being free to be oneself, loving oneself and trusting oneself inevitably leads to fulfillment.
