Looking to broker deals in unexplored markets across Africa
JOHANNESBURG - Award-winning
brokerage firm CM Trading has appointed young businesswoman Gracia Senga as its Business Development Executive as it positions itself to penetrate unexplored markets across Africa.
Senga, 31, was promoted from office manager to the new position by CM Trading founder Daniel Kibel in June.
CM Trading, which was voted the Best Performing Broker in Africa 2017 by Africa Investor, offers trading across various investments including forex, indices, stocks, commodities and cryptocurrencies.
In an interview with Business Report, Senga thanked Kibel for showing confidence in her, saying she has already hit the ground running.
“I’m currently in contact with clients from different countries. I want to try uncharted markets such as Kenya, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Tanzania and my home country the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC),” says Senga, who is originally from Lubumbashi, DRC, but moved to South Africa in 2005.
She says lots of people have already shown interest in trading. “They are just looking for a good broker and most of them are ready to work with me, basically.”
CM Trading, based at Sandton in Johannesburg, already has an international footprint with offices in Europe, the Middle East and Asia.
Senga, who earned a BA honours degree in industrial psychology from Nelson Mandela University in Port Elizabeth in 2011, commended Kibel for showing confidence in women leadership.
“He is a very good boss and very understanding I must say. He follows through with everything, and is always available to help and assist,” she says.
Senga says there should be more women in leadership roles and criticised those who did not believe in women empowerment.
I think that gender lines should be eliminated, women are just as capable as men and it is quite sad that in 2018 some people still think otherwise,” she says.
“Women should be placed in, encouraged, trained and equipped to be in leadership positions. Above all, they should be given the opportunity to hold leadership positions.”
Senga effortlessly drops the names of billionaire philanthropist and media mogul Oprah Winfrey, University of Cape Town vice-chancellor Mamokgethi Phakeng, French illustrator Nicholle Kobi, and Dr Sindi van Zyl as some of the women business leaders she looks up to.
Senga, who has lived in Zambia and Zimbabwe, says she is now working on creative ways with which to reach out to new markets and places “we never thought we could go to”.
CM Trading, she says, would also tap into the opportunities presented by social media to reach out to new clients.
Senga says the company has afforded her the opportunity to learn a mix of skills that have benefited her both professionally and personally.
“I have learnt about communication, gaining clarity, critical thinking, how to fuse ‘street’ smartness and ‘book’ smartness and subsequently use the combination of the two to my advantage in the workplace.”
She has called on young women to follow their dreams, adding: “Nothing is impossible, nothing is too good for you, if you think you can do it then you probably can so why hold back, do it! We need more women in forex!”
- BUSINESS REPORT