Clicks Group has been ranked Top Women Business in Health & Pharmaceuticals 2022 at the Standard Bank Top Women Awards, announced on 10 November 2022. The retailer was also a runner-up in the Top Women Retail & E-Commerce category.

Clicks Group CEO Bertina Engelbrecht says the company is honoured to be recognised in this way. “This achievement is a result of a carefully considered strategy premised on inclusive practices that cultivate a diverse and prosperous workplace, marketplace and community. Clicks aligns to global best practice through programmes such as the United Nations Global Compact and uses tools such as the Women’s Empowerment Principles Gender Gap Analysis Tool to shape a progressive culture.”

She adds that an enabling, inclusive environment is key to unlocking benefits such as improved decision-making and embedding innovative cultural practices in a way that contributes to a competitive advantage. This commitment is evident in the fact that at board level, 44% of members are black women.

Established in 2003, the Top Women Awards is a collaborative platform dedicated to recognising outstanding leadership, inspiration, vision and innovation in organisations that have stepped up and shaped women’s roles within the private and public sectors. Top Women celebrates visionary organisations that prioritise gender empowerment as integral to their strategy for growth success.

Pointing out that the business case for gender equality, diversion and inclusion is growing in acceptance, Engelbrecht explains that the Clicks Group’s approach to integrated diversity and inclusion is built on appreciating how different diversity dimensions intersect to create a competitive advantage.

Clicks Group’s inclusive approach underpins its localisation strategy. The health, beauty and wellness retailer has set itself an ambitious goal to source more than R4.5 billion through local women-owned suppliers in the next three years.

“Transformation – including gender transformation – is an ongoing journey for Clicks Group,” says Engelbrecht. “Insofar as our procurement strategy is concerned, we are firmly focused on supporting local black and female-owned suppliers. At the same time, we’re investing in building a pipeline of healthcare professionals by allocating up to 100 bursaries to pharmacy students. In 2021 and 2022, more than half of these bursars were women.”