LETTER: Dismayed by patriarchal tone

I’ve never met Magda Wierzycka and know very little about the inner workings of Sygnia, other than admiring her stellar achievements from afar. I work at a competitor company in financial services and can attest that hers is a truly remarkable story of a local self-made billionaire, and one of the few listed CEOs prepared to speak truth to power.

I was dismayed at the lazy stereotypical reporting and patriarchal tone in “What will Magda do next?” (Investors Monthly, July). I can’t help but wonder that if this article had been about a male CEO, would reference have been made to where their home is and where their children study? I cringed at phrases such as “cutting the umbilical cord”, “forsaking her child”, “no shrinking violet” and “the apron strings could be loosened”.

The article was useful — but only as a teaching opportunity to my three boys about how much work we all need to do to overcome outdated tropes and our own unconscious biases.

Craig Bouwer
Rosebank

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