Old Mutual Malawi Chief Executive Officer Edith Jiya made a call to women to believe in their potential and never let any stereotypes pull them down.

She said this when leading a staff engagement activity marking the commencement of the commemoration of International Women’s Day at the organization’s head office in Blantyre.

This was after earlier in the day she participated in International Women's Day celebrations at Puma Energy.

The event included a panel discussion on women's inclusion. Jiya recounted her experience of stepping out of her comfort zone and developing new hobbies.

“As women, we need to be bold and take risks in our pursuit of greatness. Let us not only pursue opportunities for which we are 99% qualified, but also dare to go after those for which we are only 50% or less qualified,” she said, while expounding on how she developed an interest in soccer to facilitate conversations with other male CEOs.

One of the participants, Gudrun Malunga, Sales Manager for Retail Mass Market, praised Old Mutual Malawi and the Old Mutual Women Network (OWN) for the opportunities and mentorship programs provided to women within the organization.

She stated: "The fact that I am here as one of the panelists is evident enough that there is inclusion within the organization."

Apart from reaching out to its female staff, the company, through its Financial Education Manager, Benard Chiluzi, delivered a personal finance management workshop to women at Airport Development Limited (ADL), addressing topics such as financial mindset change, financial goal setting in the modern world, and the basic principles of personal money management.

The sessions were delivered to equip participants with the necessary knowledge to attain financial comfort, freedom, and wealth.

The CEO of ADL, Thokozani Unyolo, commended Old Mutual for the free financial education session, which she said was enlightening and empowering.