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VOLUME 7 ISSUE 37
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Dalene Allen
Co-founder & Underwriting Director
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women
leading
men
Whos the boss?
BlackB_El_037.indd 1 2013/09/08 9:56 PM
unis, Buenos Aires,
Seoul, Warsaw, Istanbul
and South Africa are
some of the 11 coun-
tries in which Zagury
has lived and worked,
using her brand of busi-
ness acumen to trans-
form and grow global
business operations for
the likes of Citi, CNBC,
Yahoo and Blackberry. Now, as Manag-
ing Director of Blackberrys Research In
Motion (RIM) South and Southern Africa
Division, Zagury is deploying her skills
honed across the mobile, leisure, fnancial
and media industries, to oversee all opera-
tions, sales and marketing.
I am excited by the role of Managing Di-
rector for the Southern African region, one
of RIMs most important growth markets.
We are proud of the companys success
in this area, particularly in South Africa
where BlackBerry is the leading smart-
phone brand. I believe there is still tremen-
dous opportunity for growth, says Zagury.
To be at the forefront of technology, with
products like the Blackberry 10, does as-
sume a level of interest in innovation, and
Zagurys appetite for the ever-developing
mobile frontier knows no limits. Describ-
ing herself as a wannabe geek, Zagurys
dream is to complete a computer science
degree, explaining: I need a lot of data to
synthesise and analyse. Thats the way my
brain works.
When I was a kid, I thought Id be an
astronaut. That fantasy soon gave way to
the more grounded goal of managing a
business in keeping with family tradition.
Growing up in a business family opens you
to a world of possibilities, in that you can
do whatever you set your mind to. Born
in Brazil, Zagury describes her childhood
as privileged. She had the support of her
parents, who valued education and sent
her to an English-instruction school, and a
role model in her grandmother, a pioneer-
ing businesswoman. When she was seven,
the family moved to Portugal where they
established a successful property and lei-
sure group. With an ethic for hard work
frmly rooted in these formative experienc-
es, Zagury went on to achieve a Masters
of Science and Management Degree at the
London School of Economics and Political
Science in 1997.
I live for those moments when I can add
value or continue my journey of personal
learning. Most artists who depend on crea-
tive inspiration say the key is to keep trying
until you move from a plateau to a spark
moment. This is how you learn and grow.
For growth to be achieved, it is almost al-
ways done so in facing challenges head-on
and by understanding the cyclic nature of
business. People in the technology indus-
try need to understand those cycles and
try weather them. The biggest learning
occurs when the whole world thinks your
company isnt doing well. Here Zagury
refers to the global results for Blackberry
with job cuts and net losses of $235 mil-
lion recorded for the three months ending
September 2012. Zagury remains upbeat:
Any business with 80 million paying sub-
scribers isnt a bad business. We added
two million customers in the last quarter.
You dont have to be everything to eve-
rybody. Technology companies are cycli-
cal and you are only as good as your last
quarter, your last innovation, your last
product. Having been headhunted from
Yahoo on the back of her successful turna-
round strategy with the company, there is
overwhelming evidence that if anyone can,
Zagury can help shape a new direction for
Blackberrys RIM. Appropriately, Zagury
as a woman at the helm, mirrors the glo-
bal phenomenon wherein the rise of mo-
bile technology is directly correlated to the
growth of women-owned companies. The
benefts of being in touch - with a mobile
offce in your pocket or purse - supports
the multi-faceted requirement to harmo-
nize work and family. The Blackberry has
allowed me to be at a school play in the
morning and reply to important emails be-
fore I get to the offce. Success in business
means kissing work/life balance goodbye.
It is more about trade-offs.
global entrepreneur
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Alexandra Zagury
At the forefront of technology
ALEXANDRA ZAGURY | MANAGING DIRECTOR
RESEARCH IN MOTION (RIM) SOUTH AND SOUTHERN AFRICA DIVISION
RESEARCH GRAHAM COOPER | STORY JACKIE LAGUS
If variety is the spice of life, then Alexandra Zagurys personal and
professional journey reads like a banquet of colour and avour.
Since then the global stage
has been her theatre and she
has amassed knowledge in
each new country where she
has made her mark.
34 THE BUSINESSWOMAN MAGAZINE ISSUE 37 Women lead the way
BlackB_El_037.indd 2-3 2013/09/08 9:56 PM
his is the mantra that Cindy Nell Roberts
lives by. And the testament of its power
lies in the long line of successes behind her
name: former Miss South Africa, model, TV
presenter, author, businesswoman, mother
and wife.
Inspired by other high-achieving women
such as Precious Moloi-Motsepe, Helen
Zille and Catherine Zeta-Jones, Nell Roberts
clearly subscribes to the work ethic of keep
your head down and your feet on the ground whilst reaching for
your dreams. Put in the hours, when others are watching TV
you need to be doing something towards your goals. Utilise this
time to network; if you want to be the best, you need to do the
most. To be the fttest you need to train the hardest, regardless
of how talented you are, says Nell Roberts.
When asked what she could not live without, she doesnt hes-
itate: My Blackberry. In a world where being on top your
game means being in touch at all times, this comes as no sur-
prise.
With these fundamentals in place - and the all-important Black-
berry - Nell Roberts is able to allocate her time and attention to
her company, Cosmetix, as well as modelling work, an upcom-
ing TV show, and her family. Work and family life balance is
something you work at, it does not come naturally. I stopped
watching television so I have my nights free to do emails, and
when I am with my children I give them my full attention.
Nell Roberts has learnt to say no to the small things whilst keep-
ing the bigger picture in her minds eye. There is however some
things that are indispensable to her weekly routine, such as her
regular takeaway of Osumu chicken salad, a frm contender to
her prized beer chicken recipe. But that is just detail. One thing
that Nell Roberts is unequivocal about when asked what she
knows for sure, her response is immediate: That I love my
family.
beautiful business
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Cindy Nell Roberts
Blackberry

Ambassador
CINDY NELL ROBERTS | BRAND AMBASSADOR | BLACKBERRY
RESEARCH GRAHAM COOPER | STORY JACKIE LAGUS
Stay positive, take risks, stay in touch, follow
through and prepare to put in the hours.
Dont answer emails once a day. To be dynamic
you have to act dynamically. Answer your emails
immediately so that you get things done and they
do not overwhelm you.
36 THE BUSINESSWOMAN MAGAZINE ISSUE 37 Women lead the way
BlackB_El_037.indd 4-5 2013/09/08 9:56 PM