Mpho Hlefana, Chief Marketing Officer, BCX.
CORPORATE VIRTUE SIGNALLING or a DESPERATE PLOY for talent? Tech giant BCX is DOUBLING DOWN on its controversial women-only awards, sparking a FIRESTORM of debate about REAL inclusion in a sector critics say is being held HOSTAGE by identity politics.
The company has just renewed its sponsorship of the “CISO of the Year” and a NEW “Rising Star in AI and Data Innovation” category—exclusively for women. But insiders are WHISPERING: is this about fostering talent, or is it a CYNICAL MARKETING STRATEGY to paper over a DEEP-SEATED industry crisis where female leaders remain a shocking minority DESPITE decades of quotas and initiatives?
“Our commitment is to building future-ready leadership,” declared BCX CMO Mpho Hlefana. But skeptics are asking the UNCOMFORTABLE QUESTION: Why must leadership be siloed by gender in 2026? Are we implying women can’t compete on a level playing field? This awards ghettoization is a DANGEROUS PRECEDENT that risks undermining the very achievements it aims to celebrate.
The focus on a female CISO award comes as cyber threats reach APOCALYPTIC levels, with national grids and banks under constant siege. Yet, the conversation is being hijacked by GENDER POLITICS. Last year’s winner was from the beleaguered state utility Eskom—an organization itself plagued by operational failures. What message does this send about PRIORITIES?
Even more alarming is the “Rising Star” category for AI innovators under 35. In the race to dominate artificial intelligence—a field with the power to reshape HUMANITY—are we really best served by limiting recognition based on age and gender? This is SOCIAL ENGINEERING, not meritocracy.
The nomination deadline looms, but the real deadline is for the industry’s soul. Every self-congratulatory table at the Four Seasons Hotel banquet masks an uncomfortable truth: true innovation is blind, and these curated accolades may be building a more divided, not more capable, future.
We are not celebrating progress; we are INAUGURATING a new corporate caste system. The question isn’t who will win the award, but what we have all already lost.
Author: Kayitsi.com
