As the Corporate Affairs Director for HEINEKEN Beverages, Millicent Maroga, affectionately known as Milly leads the Corporate Affairs agenda and is responsible for HEINEKEN Beverages South Africa's relationship with governmental- legislative- and other stakeholders.

Millicent grew up in Daveyton, a township in the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality of Gauteng. She is the second born of five siblings and is inspired by her mother whom she refers to as a true township entrepreneur. Her drive is also drawn from the women who operate in South Africa’s informal economy – the women who run taverns and are dubbed ‘shebeen queens’. “They not only operate thriving businesses, employing numerous members of the community, but in periods of crisis, they are usually the ones who run food kitchens to help feed the community and support where they can. These women are often the ones you can turn to in times of need and support the community a great deal”, says Millicent.

Q&A

The theme for Women`s month focuses on Women`s Socio-Economic Rights and Empowerment – tell us how Heineken Beverages promotes gender equality.

Heineken Beverage South Africa is a business that values driving a fair, diverse, and inclusive workplace ethos that benefits everyone.

We provide equal opportunities for women to grow and thrive. We encourage empowerment by aggressively striving for women’s representation in various management positions within the business. Our Evergreen 2025 global strategy, entails developing women to hold senior management positions both globally and locally – our goal is to achieve 30% and 40% women representation by 2025 and 2030. We pride ourselves in that, in South Africa and our International business, we are making considerable strides towards increasing the number of women in senior management roles. For us, promoting equality of opportunity for all and achieving diversity at all levels, is a cause that is close to our hearts.

Heineken Beverages South Africa has always been a champion and long-standing supporter of the protection and empowerment of women, not just in the workplace, but also in our communities and the broader society. Our social responsibility initiatives echo this where we partner with government, NGO’s, and industry bodies to effect change in the communities where we operate our business. We acknowledge the harmful effects of alcohol abuse and aim to empower, educate, and effect behavioural change.

These are some of our social responsibility initiatives that we as Heineken Beverages South Africa have been driving to bring about real change for women in our communities:

  • Our partnerships with FARR and FASfacts offer support and education to pregnant women about the dangers of drinking alcohol while pregnant and encourage them to make healthy choices not just for themselves, but also for their unborn babies. Since May, this year we have reached 320 pregnant women through our Pregnant Women Mentoring Programme. Furthermore, we had 53 women participating and 371 were supported in other programmes relating to Fetal Alcohol Syndrome education and prevention.
  • In June, this year our first ever Mzansi Tavern Chef winner was the dynamic Moud Kgomo, who took the top prize and showed her talent to elevate a simple dish to culinary heights. This exciting campaign promotes food serving in Taverns to a more sociable environment and helps to regulate how much patrons drink, as well as helping to prevent intoxication.
  • Through our partnership with PROCARE, a leading Employee Wellness company in South Africa we empower communities and employees. Since 1 May 2023, we have conducted 11 interventions reaching 197 individuals, mostly women, and equipping them with valuable skills to address South Africa's challenges. PROCARE focus on critical public health and social welfare issues like substance abuse, harm reduction, and gender-based violence.
  • Our partnership with Memeza is powered by “Umuntu ngumuntu ngabantu” – “We are who we are because of others”. This programme has given 46 young females across 7 provinces an opportunity to earn an income through the Responsible Trading Programme. The focus is to educate and ensure outlets trade responsibly and comply with the liquor licensing conditions.

Across all industries and countries, the more you climb the corporate ladder, the fewer women you see, tell us briefly some principles you`ve applied in your career to breakthrough barriers and overcome challenges as a woman executive.

Always seek to improve yourself. I'm always eager to learn new things, and I think that with this way of thinking, you'll be able to outperform the person you were the day before. because of your eagerness to advance in your work.

Accept failure as a learning experience and use it to develop and progress. One of the key characteristics every leader needs to thrive is resilience. You must stand with your head held high in the face of challenges and be determined to not only overcome them but to thrive.

Take calculated risks - be willing to step out of your comfort zone and pursue new opportunities and challenges.

If you could sum up your leadership purpose in what statement – what would it be?

It would be to inspire and drive transformational change, creating a better future by challenging the status quo and envisioning innovative solutions.