Reaching the bare minimum of 50% representation of women for many organisations remains a tall order. Sometimes, for the few that have achieved this, in reality, it becomes a tick box exercise for the sake of fulfilling compliance requirements.
Sadly, many of the women referenced in the statistics would neither be in decision-making positions nor key areas in an organisation’s core business. But blazing a trail, NSDV has achieved a South African milestone – it could be even an African record, now it boasts 70% of the women-led legal team involved in various areas. NSDV is Africa’s first fully integrated law and consultancy firm specialising in mining, construction, energy, and environmental law. Lili Nupen – Director at NSV; Nel de Jager – Senior Associate; and Nicole Kruger – Mining and Environmental Law Associate fields questions from Mining Business Africa on the milestone. de Jager and Kruger recently joined the firm to bolster the legal offering.
MBA: NSDV seemed to be managing pretty well, now you have brought two additional legal minds on board. What has necessitated the appointment of people with their skill sets?
LN: We have been fortunate enough to be busier than ever. I think the market has recognized the value of our integrated professional offering combined with our legal and practical approach to mining-related matters.
An important business value for us is to attract and retain top-tier talent, and part of maintaining our specialized services is preventing burnout and creating a space where our talented team can maintain a balanced lifestyle.
We’re all about sustainable solutions that are good for business and the people we do business with. The busier we get, the more people we will keep appointing.
MBA: How relevant are their skills concerning the vision and mission of NSDV?
LN: We purposefully look for talent focused on the mining, environmental, energy, and construction sectors. Nel and Nicole complement our existing skillset perfectly.
MBA: Why do you think the legal profession needs more women to be involved in positions of influence specifically in mining, construction, energy, and environmental law?
LN: I never like to generalize but have observed and experienced that women have a different approach to matters than men. Generally, I find women are more collaborative, more inclusive, and more aware of all stakeholders’ so-called ‘softer elements’ within a transaction.
Our male counterparts can be more fixed on the bottom line – the financial upshot or commercials of the transaction.
When you take industries like mining and construction that are known to be male-dominated, the ‘softer’ elements are often overlooked. In my experience, this ‘softer’ approach has been welcomed and all stakeholders are seeing the benefit of varying approaches from men and women. It would be great to see this at an operational level within the mining and construction industries too.
Where you can see this difference in approach is women’s willingness to collaborate and create relationships with stakeholders and regulators as opposed to merely taking them to court to obtain a favourable outcome.
MBA: You have gone beyond the threshold of 50% women. What is your advice to other legal firms on how they can break the glass ceiling without reducing the appointment of women into a numbers game, so to speak?
LN: Have more flexible policies to allow women who love their career and their families to manage both. It’s incredible how loyal and dedicated women are when they know that they are valued and that their employer understands the importance of their family commitments and life outside of the firm.
MBA: Are we going to see more additions to the staff complement at NSDV this year?
LN: Watch this space!
