OCE ANA S E TS A CO U RS E FO R
women
Combining Talent, Determination, Training & Opportunity
Bronwynne Bester embarked on a journey that would take her from the familiarity of landlocked Jozi to being responsible for nearly 5 000 people globally at Africa’s largest fishing company. Since graduating from Wits University with an M.Com, Bronwynne’s journey to the headquarters of Oceana in Cape Town, where she is now the Chief People Officer, has seen her step way beyond what she once thought she was capable of.
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B RO NW Y N N E B E S TE R C h i e f P e o p l e O f f i c e r : O c e a n a G ro u p
THE WORLD OF WORK IS TOUGH; OUR EXPERIENCES SHAPE US AND THE OPPORTUNITY TO OVERCOME ADVERSITY IS AN OPPORTUNITY TO GAIN KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND LEAD.” 28 | Public Sector Leaders | August 2021
“I think we place a lot of pressure on ourselves to be the best or first. I wasn’t the best, nor was I always first, but I have grit and determination, and that has stood me in good stead.”
She demonstrated this in 2009 when she was placed on a project that required her to travel to Richards Bay every week. It came at a time when she had just met her now-husband. The work was intense, and being away from home, she had no family, friends or support structure.
“I was given the opportunity to be pushed out of my comfort zone professionally, carried out tasks that I didn’t know I could do, which have added greatly to my skillset and taught me the real value of relationships.” Today she regards the providing of skills and creating compelling careers for people who want to get ahead as one of the greatest challenges of her job.
