As the mining sector continues to evolve, conversations around empowerment are moving beyond the workplace to include financial wellbeing, inclusion, and long-term security. This year’s WiMSA Symposium, hosted by Women in Mining South Africa (WiMSA) on 23 and 24 July 2025 at Randpark Golf Club in Johannesburg, will spotlight these important themes under the banner ‘Step Up and Stand Out’.
One of the anticipated highlights of the event is a panel discussion titled ‘Securing Your Financial Future’, which brings together voices from finance, fintech, and financial education. Steve Mallaby, CEO of adumo Payouts, will join the panel alongside financial educator Nicolette Mashile, known as The Financial Bunny, and Investec’s Kgomotso Motloung. Moderated by Elzahne Henn from Forvis Mazars, the session will unpack key questions around saving, financial inclusion, and the practical tools available to help women in mining take ownership of their financial journeys.
For Mallaby, the conversation goes beyond theory. Through adumo Payouts, their team has developed card-based payout solutions that enable mining companies to securely disburse funds to employees, empowering individuals, particularly women, to directly access and manage their surplus income. This approach offers more than just convenience, it creates real opportunities for workers to save, build financial independence and plan for the future.
“Inclusion starts with access,” says Mallaby. “When women in mining are empowered to take charge of their earnings, they can make financial choices that benefit not only themselves but also their families, today and for the long haul.” Mallaby’s contribution to the panel will focus on the systemic and cultural barriers that inhibit saving, and why both employers and service providers have a responsibility to create environments that foster financial resilience.
He will raise important questions about South Africa’s savings culture, exploring how traditional and informal systems like stokvels can be integrated into broader financial strategies, and what lessons other industries or regions might offer. Additionally, he will highlight how adumo Payouts is helping reshape the financial landscape for everyday workers by providing secure, user-friendly payment tools that are widely accessible.
The panel promises to be a powerful forum for insight and exchange, especially at a time when economic challenges make financial security more critical than ever. While the conversation will cover practical strategies and new technologies, it will also delve into bigger questions around equity and access, exploring how the mining sector, and those who support it, can play a role in securing better futures for all.
“Our mission is to give people the tools and confidence to access their funds. When women working in the mining sector are given secure and reliable access to their earnings, they are better positioned to make decisions that benefit their households, careers, and communities,” says Mallaby.
The WiMSA Symposium continues to provide a platform where women in mining are not only recognised but resourced, and where companies committed to transformation, like adumo Payouts, can help drive meaningful change at scale. For Mallaby and his fellow panellists, the session is an opportunity to ensure that financial empowerment becomes a foundational pillar of the industry’s future.
Now in its second year, the symposium is fast becoming one of the industry’s most dynamic gatherings encouraging women in mining to amplify their voices, build confidence through community, and shape the future of the industry through action.
