Empowering Women in BPO: Leadership and Gender Equity
Author(s): Scott Douglas Jacobsen
Publication (Outlet/Website): The Good Men Project
Publication Date (yyyy/mm/dd): 2025/08/05
Kiona Bodasing, Head of Talent Acquisition at CCI South Africa, talks about the company’s commitment to women’s empowerment and inclusive leadership. Bodasing highlights success stories like Lizelle Strydom and Anusha Ramraj, who rose from entry-level roles to executive positions. CCI Global supports female talent through mentorship, hybrid learning, leadership boot camps, and performance tracking. With over 50% female leadership, CCI fosters equity by redesigning systems and ensuring accessible growth opportunities across Africa’s BPO sector.
Scott Douglas Jacobsen: Today, we are joined by Kiona Bodasing, Head of Talent Acquisition at CCI South Africa, a division of CCI Global, a leading business process outsourcing (BPO) company operating across Africa. Based in the Durban Metropolitan Area, Kiona plays a pivotal role in recruiting and developing talent for the organization.
Bodasing: Yes, thank you for having me.
Jacobsen: Kiona is an alumna of IIE Varsity College and the University of South Africa (UNISA), where she studied BCom in Human Resources. In her role, Kiona has been instrumental in expanding CCI’s workforce, particularly in South Africa and Kenya, aligning with the company’s commitment to creating meaningful career opportunities and promoting diversity. Her efforts contribute to CCI Global’s mission of transforming communities through employment and skill development. Thank you for joining me today. Let us begin. What CCI Global success story illustrates women’s empowerment in leadership?
Bodasing: Two standout examples are Lizelle Strydom and Anusha Ramraj. Lizelle began as a call center agent and has risen to become the Managing Director of CareerBox, CCI Global’s talent development arm. Anusha started in a junior finance role and is now the Chief Financial Officer of CCI South Africa. Their journeys demonstrate how we prioritize internal mobility and support high-potential women with structured career planning and skills training. We have seen multiple examples across Kenya, Ethiopia, and South Africa where women rise from entry-level roles into management positions within just a few years.
Jacobsen: How does CCI Global support high-potential talent?
Bodasing: We invest early and consistently, from onboarding to performance coaching. Our learning programs are tailored to help women build confidence, skills, and visibility. We also track performance through a gender lens to know who is ready for the next step and proactively match them to opportunities.
Jacobsen: What strategies have worked to achieve over 50% female leadership at CCI Global?
Bodasing combines intentional hiring, transparent promotion pipelines, and inclusive leadership training. We do not just look at who is ready—we look at who is often overlooked. We design for equity, not just equality; that mindset drives real representation.
Jacobsen: How has the company’s gender parity impacted operational performance?
Bodasing: Our gender-balanced teams are more collaborative and empathetic and often outperform in customer service and customer experience metrics. This also improves retention. People stay where they feel seen and supported.
Jacobsen: How does CCI Global ensure leadership development opportunities are accessible?
Bodasing: We ensure that leadership development opportunities are accessible by implementing mentorship programs, offering continuous learning and development courses, and creating clear pathways for career advancement. This approach helps us identify and nurture talent from within, ensuring that all employees have the opportunity to grow into leadership roles.
Jacobsen: So, access means flexibility?
Bodasing: Yes. We offer hybrid learning, local mentorships, and leadership boot camps that do not require sacrificing family or personal time. We also partner with CareerBox to reach young women from underserved communities, expanding the talent pool from the ground up.
Jacobsen: What are mentorship, sponsorship, or peer support programs in place?
Bodasing: We have formal mentorship programs, but some of the most powerful support comes from our women-led circles—informal, peer-driven spaces for coaching, storytelling, and career navigation.
Jacobsen: How is the long-term impact of gender parity initiatives measured?
Bodasing: We track promotion rates, performance scores, and retention through a gender lens. However, we also gather qualitative feedback—how empowered women feel, what barriers they face, and what changes they want to see. It is not just about numbers. It is about transforming the lived experience of women at work.
Jacobsen: What promotes gender equality and women’s leadership?
Bodasing: intentional. It does not happen by chance. We bake equity into every decision, from job design and pay transparency to who is in the room when leadership decisions are made. We do not just ask, “Why aren’t women leading?” We ask, “What systems are in the way—and how do we redesign them?”
Jacobsen: Thank you very much for your time today. I appreciate it.
Bodasing: Thank you. It has been a pleasure.
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”We Don’t Wait for Women to Lead—We Build the Systems That Let Them.”
At CCI, we don’t wait for women to lead—we build the systems that make it inevitable. Here, women don’t just get a seat at the table; they’re redesigning the table itself.
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