South Africa's Jayshree Naidoo on supporting the growth of innovative and tech-driven startups

Jayshree Naidoo is considered a thought leader on Innovation and Entrepreneurship and the CEO of YIEDI, a company that focuses on Entrepreneurship Development and Innovation. She was recently identified as one of Fast Company SA’s most Creative People in Business for 2018 for “Putting Entrepreneurs First”.

Jayshree has developed several frameworks and models for innovation and incubation and has created several structured acceleration programmes for start-ups and growth-stage entrepreneurs as well as leadership programmes for corporates. Her company was recently appointed to deliver the IBM Techcale programme for emerging technology startups. Jayshree created a customised programme for the startups which includes development, mentorship, incubation and investor readiness as well as funding.

Jayshree is also a recipient of an Inspiring Fifty SA award, an initiative introduced in 2017 by former Dutch Consul General, Bonnie Horbach  to increase the visibility of successful women in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) in South Africa, by celebrating the diversity of the country's Top 50 women in STEM annually.

"I completed my high school at Glenover Secondary School. But I could not go on to study at a tertiary institution due to financial constraints.  My original plan was to study law.  However, after my dad was declined a bursary to help me pursue this, I decided to study Computer Science instead, opting to pay for my studies by doing sign writing part-time."

• When did you realise you had a passion for technology?

"Not being able to study law due to the financial constraints actually opened up a door into the world of science and technology.  As part of my computer science course, I was exposed to a totally new language; that of coding, and I remember how fascinated I was to see my first line of code rendered.  At the time, the language that was being taught was COBOL. I was really fascinated by the world of technology and what it could offer.  I went on to get positions in many large corporates but was always drawn to the innovation and technology space.  This passion saw me further my studies with computers and I went on to complete an MCSE (Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer) course as well an E-Commerce Management Qualification at an honors level through UNISA SBL.  My MBA research was also focused on the key drivers of innovation and entrepreneurship, with a major focus on the impact of technology. My studies and passion has allowed me to work with some amazing corporates, both locally and internationally, including but not limited to the DBA, Discovery, Absa, and Standard Bank."

• You are an Inspiring Fifty winner. How does this make you feel, and how has it influenced you to create an impact in South Africa?

"Its an amazing accomplishment, and I feel truly humbled to be a part of an amazing group of women in STEM fields.  The women who have been selected for this accolade have such wonderful profiles and track record.  As with many of the other women, I consider myself a thought leader on certain topics.  I have used my public profile to increase awareness in the space of entrepreneurship support and development, and I have tried to positively influence the innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem."

• What one accomplishment achieved are you most proud of, and why?

"I am most proud of being a mum.  It is one of life's greatest blessings, and I feel truly privileged to have an amazing son and daughter.  One of the reasons I am so proud of them is that they are both creatives and they are both aspiring entrepreneurs.  I am so pleased that they have chosen paths that fulfil their dreams and are destined to be job creators in fields that are much needed. We need to raise more entrepreneurs in the creative space."

• An objective of technology is to make businesses run faster and smarter. We leverage technology to improve processes in business. Tell us about the projects you run at IBM to help tech businesses grow in South Africa.

"As a supplier for IBM, my company manages some of its Technology Development programmes like IBM Techscale and IBM Business in a Box. The programmes are designed to provide access to development support, technical mentoring and resources needed to grow and scale these businesses.  In addition, some of the beneficiaries of the programmes have managed to unlock grant funding and investment from IBM, as well as opportunities that extend beyond the normal structured programme, like being selected to attend the IBM Annual THINK conference, which will be held in San Fransisco during May this year.  My company has also been selected as a supplier to attend THINK2020, an opportunity we are really excited about."

• Do you think South Africa needs a female perspective in technology? Why/why not?

"I don’t think we need a female perspective. I think we need more female representation in the space of technology. I think we need more structured programmes and support mechanisms to encourage and incentivise women in the technology space."

Meet Ugandan Electrical and Electronic Engineer, Precious Kaijuka, working to improve railway systems around the world

Precious Kaijuka is a Ugandan Electrical and Electronic Engineer and currently a PhD student in Control Systems Engineering at Loughborough University in the UK.

Her research is focused on Railway Systems Engineering, developing a highly robust railway track switch that will improve functionality, safety and capacity of the railway network through the use of advanced model and non-model based control, condition monitoring and fault detection concepts.

"I was born and raised in Uganda and I’m the youngest child in my family. I started my earlier education in Uganda at Kampala Parents’ School and Mt. St. Mary’s College Namagunga for primary and secondary school respectively. I completed my A-levels at Peponi School in Kenya where I studied Physics, Computing, Mathematics and Economics. I moved to the UK in 2009 to study a 4-year Masters of Engineering (MEng) degree in Electrical and Electronic Engineering at Loughborough University. Following my graduation, I worked at Goldman Sachs’ London office in their Engineering division for about 3 years. In 2016, I received a research scholarship from Loughborough University to pursue a full time PhD in Control Systems Engineering where I am currently enrolled."

• What inspired you to pursue engineering?

"While studying Computing at A-level, we were required to complete a personal project. I chose to build an online voting system, inspired by the need to move to an online electoral voting system in my home country, Uganda. Through my experience moving my ideas from concept to building the final system, I found that I was highly motivated to fix any bugs in the program. I also really enjoyed the thought process behind building the final online voting system. I was awarded a Cambridge Outstanding Achievers’ Award for gaining the country’s highest mark in Kenya during the Computing A-Level Exam because of the voting system I built. This experience began and cemented my passion for problem solving where Engineering seemed like the obvious choice to pick for university."

• Why did you decide to pursue engineering in the UK?

"I was interested in studying abroad for university as there was a large variety of engineering courses available. I was motivated to choose Loughborough University as I was given a partial scholarship for the full duration of my undergraduate degree course. The career options available after university and extra co-curricular activities such as Model United Nations that I was a part of made the UK an exciting place for me to study."

• Your project on rail track switching technology aims to improve safety, reduce maintenance costs and increase capacity on railways in the UK and around the world. How did you and your team come up with the concept?

"The REPOINT concept came about when the Railway Safety and Standards board (RSSB) in the UK put out a call to answer the question ‘Could a fundamental re-think of railway track switching ease some of the current route-setting constraints to provide higher capacity, and provide a significant reduction in operational unreliability arising from points (track switch) failures?’ The team in the Control Systems’ Group at Loughborough University which I am a part of proposed this: The inclusion of inbuilt redundancy to faults through redundancy in actuation (as exists in safety critical industries like aerospace and nuclear industries) could improve reliability and increase capacity at the junctions. A new switch idea was then developed called REPOINT which stands for Redundantly Engineered points, that is a patented fail-safe switch that incorporates redundancy in actuation and a new mechanical design. The REPOINT switching concept is challenging over 200 years of thinking within the railway industry and has received a number of awards including the 2016 Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) Innovation award under the Transport category and 2015 Rail Exec Most Interesting Innovation Award. My PhD research focusses on the fault tolerant aspect of the REPOINT switch where I am developing a fault tolerant control strategy by implementing various fault detection algorithms from model-based concepts to be applied to this novel REPOINT switch. This fault tolerant scheme aims to improve the post-fault availability of the system."

• What do you find most interesting about your career?

"My career to-date has been very diverse which I credit mainly to my undergraduate degree in Electrical and Electronic Engineering. I have been able to switch between very different industries and different types of Engineering i.e. engineering in investment banking to Control Engineering research, however applying similar skills of problem solving and logical thinking remains at the centre of the work I do. Engineering for me also allows me to achieve anything I can imagine. I feel if I can imagine it, I can build it and execute it."

• What inspired your interest in mentoring and career development for ladies in STEM education and careers?

"Throughout my engineering career, I have been very lucky to have supportive managers who always encouraged me to go the extra mile and showed incredible belief in my potential. Through this, I had many opportunities for growth through attending extensive training programs in my first job after graduation as a Technology Analyst at Goldman Sachs. I was also a part of the Career Development committee for the EMEA Women in Technology at Goldman Sachs. The responsibility for this committee was to organize events to mentorship and equip the women in the division with relevant technical skills. Through this experience, I realized that mentorship and guidance is sometimes the extra step needed to catapult your career and confidence to achieve your goals especially for women. In the UK, women make up 9% of the engineering work force which is a very small number. I also believe that if girls are exposed to female role models in these fields at a younger age they will be inspired to study STEM subjects and pursue STEM careers."

• What would you consider has been your greatest achievement as an engineer so far?

"My greatest achievement so far has been receiving a first class degree with the highest overall marks in the Electrical and Electronic Engineering degree graduating class of 2013 at Loughborough University. It was important to me because as a young Ugandan student away from home and one of the few black female students on my course, I was able to prove to myself that hard work and perseverance is sometimes all that’s required to succeed."[/spb_text_block]

Freda Yawson on problem solving and innovation

In an article originally published by the Skoll World Forum, Dr. Mo Ibrahim, a Sudanese-British mobile communications entrepreneur – founder of Celtel, blamed the inability of Africans to solve their own problems on poor governance.

“Not any amount of aid is going to move Africa forward. The only way for us to move forward is to ensure good governance – the way we manage our economy, our social life, our legal structures and institutions – that is the basis for development. We cannot rely on people to come and feed our poor or treat our sick. This is the responsibility of our governments.” – Mo Ibrahim

Levers in Heels believes strongly that action and innovation in the adaptability of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) in Africa driven by good governance, as suggested by Dr. Ibrahim, can serve as a springboard for economic transformation in Africa. Politicians, decision makers, business leaders, economists and academics across the continent need to fully understand and employ this idea to kick-start the creation of new technologies suitable for Africa, thereby creating jobs for its people. This is indeed the way forward to enhance Africa’s economic transformation.

Today, Levers in Heels’ interview is with a young problem solver who is passionate about such a transformation in Africa. She works at it both in theory and in practice.

Meet Freda Yawson.

Freda is the Programs Coordinator at Accra-based think tank, the African Center for Economic Transformation (ACET). Outside of work, she constantly seeks to merge theory with practice and is passionate about the intersection of engineering, manufacturing and technology with development in Ghana. This includes the improvement and development of sustainable Infrastructure (water, energy, rail, air, marine, communications) as well as the development of light manufacturing in the country. Since 2005, Freda has been a part of volunteer projects with Engineers Without Borders, the Millennium Villages Projectand Blue-Lab Michigan focusing on water purification in the Dominican Republic, Ghana and Honduras. Through her work, she has gained International development experience in multiple African countries like Rwanda, Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Ghana.

Freda received her Masters in International Affairs from the School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA) at Columbia University; and her B.Sc.E in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Michigan where she focused on Product and Automotive Design. In this space, she had the opportunity to work with General Motors and Toyota in evaluation, design and materials processing. Prior to this, she attended high school at the Wesley Girls High School in Ghana, and in Michigan, USA.

Ms. Yawson is also the founder of Innovate Ghana, an annual design competition and workshop, where Ghanaian students can apply their existing knowledge to development problems of today.

• What prompted your interest in Mechanical Engineering?

“As a child of two scientists – a chemist and a doctor, I have grown up around Science and have always been fascinated by why and how things and people work. Throughout school I did well in Math and Science and continued to pursue those tracks in high school. In the 11th grade, I had the opportunity to enroll in a pilot program, Southfield High School’s Engineering Academy established for students interested in pursing engineering as a career. At the same time I had developed a fascination for cars (no doubt spurred on by the movie “Fast and Furious”) and decided to see what skills I needed to design them. My experience at the academy exposed me to AutoCAD, manufacturing process and offered me the opportunity to work at General Motors.  I was hooked and decided to pursue Mechanical Engineering from there.”

• What have been your greatest achievements?

“I have been privileged to hold a number of leadership roles in organizations I have been a part of, but some of the most memorable have included:

1. Membership in the University of Michigan’s solar car team

2. President of the Columbia University SIPA Pan-African Network

3. Founder of SIPA Infrastructure Network

4. Resident Fellow at International House

5. Women’s International Leadership Program Fellow

6. Davis Peace Prize Award, 2013”

• Why did you start Innovate Ghana? What are your short and long term goals?

“During my undergrad, I realized that my experience in Ghana as a student had conditioned me to “chew, pour and pass” so much so that when I was faced with problems requiring critical thinking, I began to falter. I realized that while my brothers and sisters at home were academically good, we lacked real practical and experiential learning that brought theories to life. We learned about computers without using them and were producing engineers who were grounded in theory.

I had been looking for a way to bring this kind of learning to Ghana when I received the Davis Peace Project grant in 2013. Realizing the opportunity to use practical learning to empower unemployed youth, I started the Innovate Ghana Workshop and Competition with my father. The objective was to encourage Ghanaian students to apply practical engineering knowledge to national development issues. The two week workshop and a competition focused on concepts of Design for Development, Engineering and Entrepreneurship and was held at Takoradi Polytechnic. 50 students took part in the competition designing products from recycled plastic waste. This year, the two-week design challenge in November tackled one of the most pressing issues in West Africa today. Students designed low-cost isolation units for patients in Ebola affected countries, with the aim of developing working prototypes for development.”

• In your opinion, what are Ghanaian educational institutions not doing to help their students fight unemployment? What should be done?

“The issue of unemployment is a systemic one that requires more than our educational institutions, but they are a good place to start. I would say that the system as a whole needs to set experiential learning and the development of critical thinking as a goal and engage members of society as partners. If educators can sign on to this vision, teachers can adopt new teaching methods, private sector can partner with schools to bring the real world to classrooms. There is so much we can do for little cost if willing.”

• Is gender balance really necessary in STEM fields to promote development?

“As much as I support and encourage women to enter STEM fields, I would not necessarily say that gender balance is essential in these areas. These fields have historically been dominated by men, and I am not sure we should strive to achieve gender balance for the sake of achieving it. I prefer to encourage women to pursue STEM fields because they can be problem solvers in a society that desperately needs them. Problem solving is no respecter of gender – and STEM is a tool that allows you to tackle so many interesting issues from health to sanitation to infrastructure and more. At the same time, it is necessary to break the stereotypes we have created for ourselves limiting men and women to certain careers for gender sake. Diversity in STEM fields will go a long way to show that people can make a difference with creativity, innovation and hard work regardless of their gender.”

• What are your plans for the future?

“I believe that through training, critical thinking, and practical application; we as Africans, can transform our economies through innovation in our own backyard. I will continue to push these limits through Innovate Ghana, and with the help of amazing partners like Levers in Heels and others. I am grateful for God’s grace and support. I am striving for a vision of you who see no limits to building a brighter future through STEM.”