Page 18 - Winning Women 2017

18 BWASA

ENTREPRENEURS

JOHANNA MUKOKI:
Co-founder of Travel with Flair

he entrepreneurial bug bit at a
young age for this year’s winner
Tof the category.
Johanna Mukoki was raised by her
teacher mother and bus driver father
in Soweto.
“They both worked their normal jobs
by day and then took me – young as I
was – to go sell soft drinks and food
in the streets after work and school. I
believe the hard work they put me
through at a young age has helped me
to develop a spirit of hard work and
great excellence,” she says.
“I watched them multi-task so that
they could provide the best life and
education for me and my siblings and
that has inspired me to stay the
course and persevere in my business
Travel with Flair.”
One of four children, Mukoki
attended public schools until
Grade 7. Hard work paid off there to be a significant With the initial slog of starting a
for her. improvement in this regard.” new business over, Mukoki believes she
“I was first in my grade Passionate about strikes “the perfect balance” between
and got straight As and was empowering women, Mukoki her work and home life.
chosen to attend a private is ensuring that her She is the mother of two “amazing”
school started by the company walks the talk. At teenagers, and believes that they are
American Chamber of Travel with Flair, 85% of her biggest achievement.
Commerce called Pace employees are women. “My business is established enough
Commercial College.” Travel with Flair provides now that it allows me to leave at 6pm
She graduated from Rhodes proof that “it is possible to empower each day so I can go and do
University with a BCom degree, women because we have actively done homework with my kids and cook for
did her accounting articles at it”. my husband,” she says.
KPMG, and went on to co-found Mukoki was the first person from But she also acknowledges that
Travel with Flair. Africa to sit on the global tourism “there are a lot of expectations on the
The company has come a long way board of the Association of Corporate home front that are placed on women,
since it started with only three Travel Executives where she and some women find it difficult to
employees at an office in Pretoria in represented the Middle East and successfully juggle their professional
1996. Today it is a leading corporate Africa. The association has members in and home life”.
travel business with six hubs across more than 86 countries. There’s no harm in asking for and
South Africa and boasts a team of accepting help, she says.
about 800 skilled professionals. “I have always told women in my
“ “
“What drives me is the passion I motivational talks that we need to
have for the travel industry and the embrace and accept the help around
compassion I have for my staff to us so that we can thrive in our
ensure I keep them employed,” she professional careers too.”
says. From a business point of view,
An accountant by profession, Mukoki I have always told Mukoki believes that companies need
loves the business that she is in: “I feel women in my to implement flexi-hours for working
like I am working my passion.” motivational talks mothers so that they can still be
She believes that there has been available for any emergencies “on the
stagnation as far as women leaders in that we need to embrace kids front and still be part of a
large companies go. and accept the help productive workforce”.
“I believe the government should around us so that we “Ultimately, your home life has to be
make it policy for companies to have a can thrive in our happy for your business life to thrive
minimum percentage of women and you cannot sacrifice one for the
representation on middle and upper professional careers too other, because you will end up
management and board level for unhappy.”

“ “
It is awesome that the Businesswomen’s
Association takes the time and interest to
recognise the role women play in society,
because in so many ways women’s work
remains invisible and unrewarded.
Professor Leslie Petrik – Science & technology winner, 2016