Leading with grit, tenacity – and in heels
Wolkberg Casting Studio is positioned at the intersection of industrial design and material science. +Impact asked founder Ramielle de Jager what having a female-led manufacturing business means for other young women and how she can create more opportunities for them.
Women-led manufacturing businesses are still rare, especially in Africa. What has your journey as a black female founder and CEO in this space taught you about resilience, innovation and the power of representation?
Manufacturing requires grit and tenacity, no matter what gender you are. Women are underrepresented in manufacturing because historically, the factory was a man’s place, unless you were a woman working in a clothing factory. Times are changing, though. Some jobs are more suited to males, but from a management perspective, I believe women are fair game and should not be afraid to step into this role. I have learned that with the right team around me, I can achieve anything. I realised that the way I manage the business is different to that of my male mentors in manufacturing. Women have the potential to lead with empathy. I’ve had to learn to strike a balance between being empathetic and firm.
You’ve developed a globally unmatched product in the design and manufacturing space. What role has your leadership, as a woman, played in pushing those material boundaries, and how does it feel to be at the forefront of such innovation?
I think my role as a leader in pushing boundaries and creating innovation has a lot to do with who I am as a person, coupled with a perfect mix of circumstances. I pride myself on being a collaborator and enabler: I love bringing people and ideas together to create beautiful things. The opportunity revealed itself to me subtly when working on a tap made from concrete in my previous work life. While researching, the marketer in me identified a gap in the market and I simply could not let it go. Wolkberg is now 10 years old and it has been a long, tough road. Innovating is anything but cheap, efficient or easy, so you truly have to believe in your idea to see it through to the point where it can be recognised as unmatched globally. Being the last man (woman) standing at Wolkberg proves that perhaps a woman has a certain endurance for playing the long game.
You’re intentional about creating opportunities for women in your business. Can you share how you build those pathways, and why it’s so critical to develop female talent in the built environment and manufacturing sectors?
Radical change happens when we do things with intention and don’t allow our unconscious bias to infiltrate the decisions we make. I made a conscious decision to employ females in critical roles, where in the past I’ve witnessed only males in those positions. This opens up a world of different outcomes because women just operate in a different way to men. Having a woman leading Design, Olebogeng Mathibe, and watching her grow from a shy young lady to a fierce and bold Head of Design reaffirms my thoughts and feelings about holding space for other women, and giving them a safe space to learn and grow.
Looking ahead, what legacy do you hope to leave, not only through Wolkberg’s material and design innovations, but as a woman who redefined what leadership in manufacturing can look like?
I want people to know that hard work pays off. When you want something badly enough, you will make things work against all odds. My dream for Wolkberg is for it to become a brand that lives on forever, and it truly was designed to be a business that can grow with the times, continuously innovating and improving. I hope people will look back at Wolkberg’s humble beginnings and say, well ,if she could have created a momentous brand in an environment that wasn’t conducive to entrepreneurial success, then anything is possible. I want them to look at Wolkberg and say, “Yes, it makes sense that this is a female-owned and run brand.”
