Step aside, boardroom bros, there’s a different kind of leadership in town. She’s wearing heels, and she’s probably already two steps ahead of you.
Meet Shirley Pearson, the woman who eats KPIs for breakfast and built her empire with a laugh, a spreadsheet, a team of fierce females and a few brave men!
Shirley’s corporate beginnings saw her lead the Industrial Relations Department of the OK Bazaars—back when it was South Africa’s largest retailer—managing more chaos than taxis on the road!
She went on to open her own Industrial Relations and Strategic Management Consultancy, adding training and development, and served as a CCMA commissioner, all while remaining a hands-on mom to her three children. We’re convinced she has a twin.
Then, in 2012, Shirley said “yes” to something big—buying an ActionCOACH franchise. In true boss-lady fashion, she made the brand her own and expanded it into a firm of coaches, known as ActionCOACH iNala.
Today, ActionCOACH iNala is a force to be reckoned with. Working with more than 50 Business owners at any one time. iNala’s clients consistently achieve best business results with many reporting their best trading months ever, even in South Africa’s see-saw economy!
What sets Shirley apart isn’t just her razor-sharp business acumen; it’s her passion. She believes that South Africa (and the world) is an extremely abundant place. Every day, she gets up to help and support her clients (and her team) to tap into that abundance.
Focusing on increasing business profits, improving team performance, and most importantly, ensuring that her clients’ businesses serve them.
Shirley’s mission is to support and enable businesses to scale. She believes that for people to live meaningful and dignified lives, they need to be able to have the opportunity to be part of and contribute to a stable economy.
Privately owned businesses are the most dynamic and agile contribution to a stable economy and can provide opportunities that corporate and public companies can’t.
Adding to this, the statistics are clear. Companies with women in leadership roles experience tangible benefits. Businesses with a higher rate of gender diversity are 25% more likely to financially outperform their counterparts. Empowering women economically is not just about fairness, it’s a strategic move that impacts families, communities and overall economic growth.
This Women’s Day, we raise a glass of bubbly to Shirley Pearson and her courageous, brilliant band of businesswomen. Because who says you can’t rule the boardroom and laugh so hard you smudge your mascara?
She’s proof that when women lead with courage, joy, and just the right amount of sass, the world doesn’t just change—it blooms.