Lesley Donna Williams
Nominee's Province:
Gauteng
Project Name/Description:
Tshimologong Precinct
Lesley Donna Williams is passionate about propelling youngsters to achieve their dreams in the field of science and innovation. She is the CEO of Tshimologong Precinct, an incubation hub that is an entity of Wits University in Braamfontein. Williams believes in seeing ideas developed and adopted by youngsters, and such initiatives being visible and viable projects that create jobs, investments, and success for youngsters. Her job entails developing an ecosystem of public-private partnerships in support of creating world-leading African digital entrepreneurs, as well as accelerate the digital skills our nation needs. “Every project we embark on requires collaborative partners to come on board for it to succeed. My role requires me to convene them. I see innovation as a mindset and a way of existing in the world,” says Williams. “In every venture I embark on or institute, I lead, I am a problem-solver, an opportunity creator and live through the principles of diversity, inclusion, and growth of human potential.” She believes that innovation and science should be a gender-neutral space and women’s leadership should flourish in any field. “I love the principle ‘each one, teach one’. We have some catching up to do on levelling the playing field of opportunity. One does not only need to be a CEO to be a mentor. I like the idea of peer-mentoring in whatever spaces we find ourselves, including high school,” says Williams.
