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Jennifer Lopez: What Her Vogue World Milano Moment Says About the Power of Reinvention

Jennifer Lopez: What Her Vogue World Milano Moment Says About the Power of Reinvention

“I’ve always responded to Dolce & Gabbana because it feels like they really love women through their clothes.”— Jennifer Lopez Jennifer Lopez has spent more than three decades building a career that refuses to fit neatly into one category. The American singer, actress, dancer, producer and businesswoman rose from the Bronx to become one of the most recognisable figures in global entertainment. From her early career as a dancer to her breakthrough role in Selena, her success as a recording artist and her ventures across beauty, fashion and business, Lopez has repeatedly demonstrated an ability to reinvent herself without losing the identity that made her a cultural force. That ability to transform was on full display at Vogue World: Milano 2026, where Lopez arrived for the fifth edition of the global fashion event on September 22, during Milan Fashion Week. Staged inside the historic Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, the event…

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Amazons on Boards

From Alexandra to FirstRand: The Remarkable Rise of Mary Vilakazi

From Alexandra to FirstRand: The Remarkable Rise of Mary Vilakazi

By Blossom Ukoha “Growing up I would not have said I would be CEO of the largest bank in South Africa, but it is [the outcome of] a series of opportunities I was fortunate to have. I always say I was not the brightest or the most gifted, but I managed to get opportunities… without access to them I would not be here.” For Mary Vilakazi, becoming Group Chief Executive Officer of FirstRand is not a story she attributes to a single defining moment. It is the result of opportunities accumulated over time, combined with preparation, performance and the willingness to take on increasingly complex responsibilities. Her journey from Alexandra township in Johannesburg to the leadership of one of Africa’s largest financial groups illustrates how access to opportunity can transform ambition into executive leadership. Vilakazi became FirstRand Group CEO on 1 April 2024, succeeding Alan Pullinger. Her appointment made her the…

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Amazons on Boards

What Does Lytania Johnson’s Rise to FNB CEO Mean for Women in Banking?

What Does Lytania Johnson’s Rise to FNB CEO Mean for Women in Banking?

By Blossom Ukoha “My trajectory [was] an accumulation of different chapters across finance, risk, human capital, and corporate management.” For Lytania Johnson, becoming Chief Executive Officer of First National Bank (FNB) was not the result of a single career-defining move. It was the culmination of more than 25 years of experience, built across different functions and responsibilities within FNB and FirstRand. Her journey illustrates how breadth of experience, continuous learning and the willingness to embrace unexpected opportunities can prepare women for the highest levels of leadership. Johnson became CEO of FNB and of the newly configured Retail and Business Banking (RBB) segment on 1 April 2026, succeeding Harry Kellan. The new structure brings retail and business banking closer together, with a focus on households, entrepreneurs and small businesses. The scale of the appointment is significant. FNB traces its roots to 1838 and is FirstRand’s largest franchise. In the year ended June 2026, FNB…

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Amazons on Boards

Emrie Brown: How a “Jungle Gym” Career Led Her to the Top of RMB

Emrie Brown: How a “Jungle Gym” Career Led Her to the Top of RMB

By Blossom Ukoha A career does not always move in a straight line. For Emrie Brown, it has looked more like what she calls a “jungle gym” than a traditional ladder, a journey shaped by different roles, unexpected turns, difficult decisions and opportunities to begin again. “Your career can be much more like a jungle gym than the traditional career ladder in your journey to achieve success,” Brown has said. “How you define success and the sacrifices that you are prepared to make, are decisions that will be required along the way and will be different for each person.” Her own career is a powerful illustration of that philosophy. From qualifying as a chartered accountant to becoming an investment banker, taking a temporary step away from the industry to navigate motherhood, returning to RMB and eventually becoming its first woman CEO, Brown’s path demonstrates that professional success does not always follow…

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Amazons on Boards

Dubai’s Women-Led Power Story: Beyond Luxury, Into Business and Influence

Dubai’s Women-Led Power Story: Beyond Luxury, Into Business and Influence

By Blossom Ukoha She is not there as a guest. She is not there to represent a family name or add diversity to a photograph. She is there because she owns the company, leads the strategy, sits on the board or has a decision to make. Outside, Dubai continues to project its familiar image of glass towers, luxury brands and spectacular ambition. But behind that polished skyline, another story is taking shape, one in which Emirati women are increasingly becoming builders of businesses, leaders of institutions and participants in decisions that shape the UAE economy. The numbers tell part of that story. In March 2026, the UAE Ministry of Economy and Tourism reported that the country had 48,257 Emirati women entrepreneurs, while Emirati women owned or co-owned 114,050 SMEs across diverse economic sectors. The National SME Programme alone had attracted 2,700 Emirati women entrepreneurs. These figures matter because entrepreneurship is not…

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Business Clinique

Equal Pay Day: Who Gets to Decide What Women’s Work Is Worth?

Equal Pay Day: Who Gets to Decide What Women’s Work Is Worth?

By Blossom Ukoha She sat across from her manager, salary review letter in hand. Her responsibilities had grown. She was leading projects, mentoring younger colleagues, staying late when deadlines demanded it and becoming the person everyone turned to when something needed to be fixed. Then she saw the number. There was an increase, but it was smaller than she had expected. She also knew that a male colleague with similar responsibilities earned more. The familiar questions came quickly: Should I negotiate harder? Do I need another qualification? Am I not doing enough? But perhaps there was another question worth asking: Who decided that her work was worth less in the first place? That question goes to the heart of Equal Pay Day. Because the gender pay gap is not only about women receiving smaller salaries than men. It is also about how society decides what work is valuable, which skills…

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Artificial Intelligence

Women and AI: Who Gets to Lead the Businesses of the Future?

Women and AI: Who Gets to Lead the Businesses of the Future?

By Blossom Ukoha Artificial intelligence is creating some of the fastest-growing and highest-paying opportunities in the global economy. But as the technology accelerates, another question is becoming harder to ignore: who is actually getting the opportunity to build, lead and profit from it? The answer, according to new LinkedIn data, is still disproportionately men. In the United States, women accounted for just 26 per cent of new hires into AI roles in 2025, compared with 50 per cent of hires into non-AI occupations. Across 27 countries, women held only 13 per cent of C-suite AI leadership positions at AI companies. Meanwhile, AI job postings have roughly doubled since 2023, with a typical listed salary of about $177,000, compared with $80,000 for non-AI roles. That means the issue is no longer simply whether women have access to technology. It is whether women will have a meaningful share of the economic power being…

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