From a young age, Stellenbosch Business School alumna Triya Govender has challenged societal inequities through a lens polished by a feminist upbringing. Cape Town based, she heads up Marketing and Client Experience at FloatPays, an innovative FinTech start-up, since 2021.

She is also the 2022 winner of the TransUnion Rising Stars Award in the Banking and Financial Services category. Triya has worked with corporates like British American Tobacco and Diageo, and under the retail banners of Pick n Pay and Shoprite, among others. She says her postgraduate degree in Future Studies at the Business School informed her day-to-day approach to her work – to set up businesses for future success. Triya also holds qualifications from UCT and Yale School of Management. “But I’m a kid of a very politically active family.” Her “feminist” mom raised three children as a teacher and has done ground-breaking work towards maternity rights for teachers, and her aunt is a well-known women’s rights activist. Triya herself has been involved in skills development and tutoring at grassroots level through NGOs focused on education – one of her passions. The need to uplift people in a sustainable way, was what got her into the financial services sector. “It’s one of the sectors where you can make the biggest impact.” Access to financial security for women lies close to her heart and getting into this industry meant she’d be aligning her personal and professional drive. The industry has not always been welcoming. “Not only am I operating in financial services – largely white males in positions of leadership – but also tech. It has this dynamic ‘bro culture’ which can be very exclusionary to women. Especially those who are also moms and have the caretaking responsibility in the home.”

She feels exclusion is often part of male-dominated industries, fuelled by the “grind culture”, where women carry the “mental load” of the home and are practically penalised over basic rights such as maternity leave. Women of colour also must “jump through even more hurdles because there’s a bias at play around competency and commitment”. “Challenging the system to improve the position of women or other marginalised groups is necessary but one has to be strategic about how you do it!” She says accrual of positional power and influence – social capital – is crucial to affecting change. Now that she has a voice, she challenges the system “more head-on”. “I want to do it for the women coming after me. Just like the women who have gone before me have made it easier for me.” Triya’s advice to building the influence required to affect change, is to establish a strong network. “You will draw strength and security from them. When you can sound-board with other women, it becomes hugely beneficial.” She also advises on finding mentors and learning from their wisdom. “There were plenty of women next to me, giving me a hand and pulling me up.” She encourages younger women to invest in building a network early on in their career. “Even if you haven’t gone to elite schools or universities where these networks are easier to come by, look to peers within your workplace or even platforms like LinkedIn. Reach out to people but do your research.” Her only critique over commemorating International Women’s Day, is that it’s become a bit of “pink-washing”. “They’re offering spa and pamper days, lip service, and the fundamental changes aren’t being made: equal pay, maternity rights, employment rights, et cetera. There must be a shift in how employers, brands, organisations and industry bodies are commemorating this day. It’s not a fluffy thing.” She also advocates for systemic change by educating boys. In conclusion, Triya is critical of the so-called “Queen Bee syndrome”. “We have to stop with that.

“Be conscious of where you sit in the bigger scheme of things, what your privilege and power is, and how you are using that power to uplift other women.”

Triya is part of a panel of incredible Matie women set to discuss the topic, ‘The Gender Gap: Creating Transparency for Women to Thrive’.

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