How women at Steinmüller Africa are reshaping industry leadership

Female executives at Steinmüller Africa are reshaping leadership dynamics in the industrial sector, replacing traditional command-and-control approaches with people-first strategies that prioritise psychological wellbeing and employee empowerment. This has created measurable improvements in team performance and workplace culture.

“People-centred leadership means understanding individual needs while aligning everyone around a shared vision,” she explains. “The result is stronger relationships and a healthier work environment that impacts performance positively,” says Madeline Oosthuizen, Steinmüller Africa Operations HSE Manager.

Oosthuizen plans to scale this approach as she advances within the company. “I want to help drive Steinmüller Africa’s goal of becoming the preferred steam generation provider across sub-Saharan Africa,” she says.

“My approach has completely changed from task-driven to becoming more people-centric over the years,” she says. “Sustainable success comes from understanding the people behind the performance, leadership today means empowering others to lead from where they are,” says Yonela Mbulawa, Commercial Project Manager, Steinmüller Africa.

Both leaders identify specific advantages women bring to industrial sectors. Oosthuizen points to empathy-driven perspectives and hard-earned resilience as key differentiators.

“Women often face implicit biases and the need to constantly prove themselves in environments where they are under-represented. In industries like ours, the stereotypes can be limiting, requiring women to outperform their peers just to be seen as equals. Navigating these challenges requires both resilience and a strong support system, says Mbulawa.