Professor Nasima Carrim of the Department of Human Resource Management in the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences (EMS) at the University of Pretoria (UP) has been appointed as the new President of the Society of Industrial and Organisational Psychology of South Africa (SIOPSA).

Prof Carrim's term of office at SIOPSA coincides with Women's Month, as she officially stepped into her new role on 1 August 2024. SIOPSA is a member-based, non-profit organisation established to enhance the industrial and organisational psychology profession in South Africa.

Prof Carrim, who is ecstatic about her new role, is a gender and diversity expert and no stranger to leadership. She previously served as Chair of SIOPSA's Diversity and Inclusion Committee and currently chairs the EMS Faculty's Diversity and Inclusion Committee.

As President of SIOPSA, her role will entail fostering sustainable and beneficial collaboration with internal and external stakeholders on various projects to ensure the organisation's financial viability, while developing strategies that will propel the mission and vision of the organisation.

South Africa has made advancements in gender equality; however, there are still too few women in leadership positions, Prof Carrim says.

"Women, especially women of colour, are still underrepresented in the C-suite and senior management positions within organisations. There is a need to place women in key strategic positions and to leverage their ways of leading and decision-taking," she says.

In her capacity as an academic in the Department of Human Resource Management, she specialises in gender and diversity in the workplace. Her research focuses on the marginalisation of women and how they are impacted by factors ranging from their ethnic and cultural identity to issues like office gossip and lookism.

She notes that gender discrimination is a stark reality within workplaces and manifests in different ways in the lives of working women.

"These patterns of marginalisation and discrimination can take place at different junctures in the careers of women. Race differences, dis/ability, embodiment, lookism, class differences, marital status and the myriad of identities that women display can form the basis of their marginalisation within organisations," she explains.

Prof Carrim's latest research investigated the effects of office gossip on black gay and lesbian South Africans. The study found that office gossip perpetuated stereotypes and prejudices, and exacerbated feelings of anxiety and distress among those targeted.

Remarking on the observation of Women's Day and Women's Month, Prof Carrim notes that while these calendar events are important, women's contribution to society or organisations and their achievements should be celebrated all-year, and equal opportunities should always be given regardless of gender.

"Women should be valued as much as men in the workplace. Their contributions in the workplace should be celebrated. The glass ceiling that hinders their career progress should be eliminated so that they are enabled to contribute to the overall progress within their respective organisations."

Prof Carrim has built an illustrious career, with a list of notable achievements to her name. She completed her PhD at UP in 2012 and was soon promoted to Senior Lecturer and later to Associate Professor in 2018. She has been awarded a merit certificate for teaching excellence and innovation from UP and in 2017 was named EMS’ Best Junior Researcher in the Management Sciences discipline.

A resolute and goal-focused individual, Prof Carrim attributes her achievements to God. When faced with failure, she always tries again. This has been a winning recipe for her.

"I believe in the adage: ‘It's better to have tried and failed than not have tried at all.’ When I fail, I go to plan B and try again. I am persistent and focused on my goals and ignore all negative comments and suggestions. That's what gets me ahead in my career," she says.

She advises women to be fearless in pursuing their dreams and never to give up. "Dream big and have courage. Work towards your dream. What is meant for you, will find its way to you, even if it's buried below a mountain. Keep trying, the sky is the limit. Just ignore all the negative people who tell you that your dream is impossible to achieve."