Creating space to shine

Leader and speaker Lerato Semenya is adamant that being authentically you is an act of rebellion in a world that demands conformity.

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As the managing director of Chromatic Consulting, Lerato aids businesses in creating safe, inclusive spaces where employees, especially women and members of the LGBTQI+ community, can contribute meaningfully to the development of SA's economy.

After spending 17 years in corporate IT, a traditionally white, male-dominated space, Lerato occupied a specific space as the lone black, female, queer voice, and as she progressed in her career, she felt the need to address that gap so that other individuals wouldn't have the same struggle as she did.

This is how the business of Chromatic Consulting was born.

"I thought to myself, I'm quite comfortable speaking with senior levels of organisations, and I've participated quite actively in them," she begins.

"So, this was a logical next step for me. And coming from the world of data and analytics in IT, I thought it would be a unique offering to merge the two worlds. So when we talk about diversity and inclusion, move it away from being 'kumbaya' and do it because of the data, do it because the most diverse Fortune 500 companies are operating at around 25-27% at the revenue line."