WOMEN IN PLUMBING 43
Membership portfolio
By
Rory Macnamara
This issue we chat to Keala Wilson , marketing director of SA Women in Plumbing ( SAWIP ) and national marketing manager of IOPSA .
As marketing director can you briefly describe the role of SAWIP ? My role within SAWIP as the marketing director briefly is that I manage all marketing , promotion , and communication for SAWIP . From design and social media to communication and brand awareness , which is my domain . However as one of the initial founders of SAWIP , I participate in more than just marketing , but also the implementation of the organisation .
What is your involvement in the plumbing industry ? I started in the industry by fate . We were meant to keep it in the family as my brother is a Plumber . I initially joined IOPSA as a membership administrator and worked my way up to the National marketing manager and from day one , my love and passion for our industry grew , and continues to grow to this day .
What do you believe is the greatest challenge for women in plumbing ? Women who are in the plumbing field face challenges in our industry , however , I feel that most critical of them all is sexual harassment as this affects not just female plumbers but women in the industry as a whole . This is why our very first project as SAWIP was to publish the Pledge against sexual harassment and gender-based violence .
What do you consider your greatest achievement ( s )? My greatest achievement would have to be the establishment of SAWIP . I have recently become a mother to my second daughter , and I am proud to be a woman at the forefront of a movement for change in such a male dominated industry . It ’ s important to prove to my girls that I practice what I preach when I tell them they can be anything they want to be when they grow up , regardless of gender .
What would you like to see change in the country ? I would like to see our government and municipalities primarily root out corruption . I would like municipalities to make a concerted effort to spend 40 % of their budget on female owned entities as mandated by our President in 2020 . We as a country , inclusive of the public and private sector , need to change our perception of women in the workplace and acknowledge that women can bring the same , if not more to the table and pay them accordingly , as there is still a massive pay gap between men and women , even in our own industry .
How would you like to see this change happen ? For this change to happen , government needs to hold municipalities and their management to account . We all have targets we need to achieve and are held responsible when they are not achieved . Regarding the gender pay gap , I would like to call on all business owners , managers , and organisations to look at their own payroll and staff and acknowledge and correct any gaps there may be . Staff need to be considered as people and not by their gender !
SAWIP started as a Women ’ s Day event , which then evolved into a Facebook group and now into a fully-fledged , non-profit organisation with major support from the plumbing industry with key supporters such as IOPSA , Interact Media and PIRB to name a few . SAWIP is growing at an exciting rate , and we are humbled at the pace we have grown and are growing . We are extremely excited about 2022 as there are important things to be announced ! PA
Kaela Wilson
Kaela Wilson , marketing director of SA Women in Plumbing ( SAWIP ) and national marketing manager of IOPSA .
“ It ’ s important to prove to my girls that I practice what I preach .”
March 2022 Volume 28 I Number 1 www . plumbingafrica . co . za