Today, Jeniffer Ramnath spearheads innovation in her role as chief digital and information officer at the Mastercard Foundation (the Foundation), which works to advance education and financial inclusion for young people in Africa. However, she hasn’t forgotten her humble beginnings as a call center agent in a bustling, unfamiliar Gauteng, South Africa’s most populous province—nor what it takes to break through in an industry that often privileges men over women.
Whether she’s teaching herself about network architecture and design engineering, combatting gender bias in the tech field, or balancing work responsibilities with parenthood, Ramnath is clear that none of these efforts would be possible without one thing: the support of a network of sponsors, peers, family, and friends that she has invested in and nurtured throughout her life’s journey.
In her conversation with McKinsey partner Matthews Mmopi, Ramnath discusses how she facilitates diverse support systems in her work to improve the lives of women and youth across Africa—and what it took for her to get to a place where she can now give so much back. The following is an edited version of their exchange.
Matthews Mmopi: You’re now the chief digital and information officer at the Mastercard Foundation, one of the world’s leading nongovernmental organizations and charitable foundations. However, I understand yours was not a straightforward progression from school, to university, to industry. Tell me, how did you get to where you are?
Jeniffer Ramnath: That’s right. I grew up in KwaZulu-Natal in a cycle of generational poverty with limited access to education and finance. In fact, I didn’t even get to go to university. My tech education began in 1997 when I moved to Joburg [Johannesburg] to become a call center agent for a telecommunications organization. I became increasingly exposed to the world of technology and how everything operates in the telco space: from network operations to hardware and device management. There was a lot to learn, but I had the philosophy early on that if you don’t know something, you can learn it, and what you learn, you can build on. If you’re inspired and have a passion for technology, you can excel in any dimension of the tech world.
Matthews Mmopi: What exactly was it that sparked your interest in pursuing a tech career? Not everybody who begins work where you did ends up where you are now, oftentimes through no fault of their own. How did you break the cycle?
Jeniffer Ramnath: Pure exposure. But if I have to identify a single moment, then it must have been when I moved into core infrastructure, taking on the challenge of leading a global bank’s network across Africa. I had no prior experience in network architecture or design engineering, but I rapidly taught myself about voice and data infrastructure to effectively manage my senior leadership role. During that time, I fell in love with the opportunities for impact at the intersection of technology and financial services.
Matthews Mmopi: In the tech industry, as with many others, women often face barriers that men don’t, or at least encounter less frequently. I wonder—were there any challenges you faced? How did you overcome them?
Jeniffer Ramnath: What was quite prevalent back in the early days—I’m talking the early 2000s—were the typical stereotypes. You know, gender biases against women. It hasn’t changed significantly, unfortunately, but the underrepresentation of women was starker back then, and I think that made it even more challenging. In order to overcome them, I had to find strategies that worked for me. For example, I built a network for women in tech who had an interest in working together, I had mentors, and I worked with peers outside the industry and sponsors who would invest in me and help me develop. That has helped me to crystalize my personal vision of what I need to now do for others.
Matthews Mmopi: I agree. You mentioned the landscape being significantly tougher in the 2000s and that it hasn’t changed to a great degree. Could you tell me what things look like for women in the field at the moment?
Jeniffer Ramnath: Right. So, it’s a bit of both: Representation has improved, but gender bias is still around. Now, there’s an average of 30 percent of women-led roles or women-owned roles in Africa in the technologies space. Yet there are still inherent issues. Some are very specific to geographies; others are very specific to industries—discriminatory policies or practices that hold people back or create an environment in which it is harder for people to grow.
However, there’s still a drive, as there was before, to help women in tech and business in general to break the glass ceilings placed above them. I think we see some of that in the recognition that women are also able to receive for their work today. In the past, they could have stayed behind the scenes. But not anymore—organizations are creating different platforms where female CIOs, CTOs, and CSOs are being recognized for the work they’re doing in digital transformation, AI, anything. Many of these recognition and reward systems didn’t previously exist.
Matthews Mmopi: How else can women in tech be supported?
Jeniffer Ramnath: I think male allyship is a key area that’s often overlooked. In a number of the women in tech initiatives that I’ve been a part of, we don’t actively leverage the role men can take in supporting women in their careers. It’s still a male-dominated industry, so having support and guidance on how to navigate a masculine space helps. It relieves pressure, I think. Women often find themselves wanting to work harder, be smarter, and do more with less time. And when we try to accelerate that growth plan in our careers without adequate support, something gives. It’s either your family life, your mental well-being, or your physical well-being. Most women make a deliberate decision to either pause their careers, take a step back in their role in what they’re doing as a leader, or pick it up later on. Male allyship is obviously not a catchall that’ll prevent all these circumstances—but it might alleviate some of them.
Matthews Mmopi: Of course. You mentioned initiatives for women in tech that you’ve been a part of. Can you describe the work you do at the Mastercard Foundation to advance women’s careers in the industry?
Jeniffer Ramnath: Sure. So, I operate within a newly formed wing of the Foundation, Digital, Data and Information Technology (DDIT) Function. We advance not just the careers of women but aim to serve 30 million youth by 2030—in Africa and the rest of the world.
Currently, we’re deploying skills-building programs across Africa as well as among indigenous youth in Canada. Recently, I met two of our partners and got to experience some of the work that they’re doing. They create safe spaces for youth who are exposed to difficult socioeconomic scenarios—I mean, everything from being on the streets to exposure to drugs and prostitution. Volunteers help young people formulate a new skill set, whether in arts and culture or technology, or gain new knowledge and skills that might turn their lives around.
It’s such a simple approach, but I saw firsthand how impactful it is. It changes lives, livelihoods, and communities. It changes the entire ecosystem by just helping one person. And, if you take that approach and amplify it like we’re doing … well, you can understand why I consider it such an exciting, meaningful part of my work.
We also actively seek to help women receive meaningful, dignified work. It’s grassroots stuff—but it’s effective. We have a high focus on ensuring that young women get to go to school, advance into tertiary education, and then transition into the job market. There are particular universities we work with in Africa that are supporting our efforts. Our partnership examines how we can grow women’s skill sets in the AI sector and how we can use AI to improve the work women are doing—whether they run small businesses, work in tech, or simply need to advance their careers.
Matthews Mmopi: Alongside these efforts, I know you also run initiatives in your personal capacity. Could you tell me about some of them?
Jeniffer Ramnath: I run formal mentorship programs on a voluntary basis through different channels. I’m also a board member for Wired for Women in South Africa, which has a primary focus on women in technology. And I actively work on initiatives within the Foundation to increase the impact we have on women in the industry. That ranges from creating a women-focused STEM pipeline to creating awareness around the role women play and issues they face in technology.
Matthews Mmopi: I’d like to shift gears a bit and chat about ESG [environmental, social, and governance]. Could you chat about how ESG principles might support the advancement of women in technology?
Jeniffer Ramnath: Most organizations are driven by the regulatory requirements of ESG, but I’m rather going to focus on the social component. There are three aspects in particular that I’d like to highlight.
The first is the social impact a diverse workforce can have. You see, when it comes to promoting inclusivity and enhancing social equity in society at large, a fair and equitable workplace helps to create that.
A diverse workforce can be underpinned by representation in governance and leadership, too. That’s the second thing. I think it is important if an organization promotes equality and diversity, that these principles are reflected in the leadership. Women must be present in leadership roles, too.
Finally, we’ve seen plenty of studies showing that the more diverse the team is, the more diverse the thinking is, and the more innovative you become. And what does that breed? It naturally brings the opportunity for better problem-solving. In other words, ESG promotes innovation.
Matthews Mmopi: Are there any specific examples where you’ve been involved in driving ESG within your organization that you’d like to highlight?
Jeniffer Ramnath: Right now, I’m part of the drive within the Foundation to align our ESG efforts with the climate change agenda. The transition to green energy has the potential to accelerate job creation on the continent, from energy to agriculture. To that end, we’re concerned, internally, with how we can hold ourselves and our efforts accountable to the specific challenges associated with climate change.
Matthews Mmopi: It’s really inspiring to see so many organizations in Africa across geographies and industries engaged in efforts alongside the Foundation. Let’s now hone in on how you balance your efforts and work with the Foundation with your family life.
Jeniffer Ramnath: Where do I begin? First, I’d like to pay tribute to single parents—in particular, single mothers. The reason is that, when I first joined the banking industry, I was myself a single parent to two teenagers, and I remained a single parent for nine years.
Balancing being a mom and dad to two teenagers—especially in today’s society with social media and endless access to information, and with my work leading a massive separation between two banks—was complex, to say the least.
The only way that I could manage succeeding at both was by creating an ecosystem of support for myself. What that meant was asking for help. Although I found it hard at first, I learned that it’s not just okay to get help, it’s critical. Support from others means you can triage and focus on what matters. This doesn’t mean that you don’t sacrifice anything, not at all; you still can’t be at every recital or every sports game or everything happening at school. But it gives you the space to think and ask: What are the non-negotiables when it comes to parenting and your children? What are the non-negotiables when it comes to managing and supporting your team? And what are the non-negotiables when it comes to driving your career and making sure you achieve the success metrics you set for yourself?
Matthews Mmopi: What were the most significant things you learned during that time?
Jeniffer Ramnath: The first was that it was easiest to lean on the network of women I had within the bank. These were people who were going through the same things as me. We had all tried different things and could share what worked and what didn’t.
The second thing was learning to let go. You can’t control everything; in some aspects of your life, you might fail. But that’s OK, as long as you learn from that failure.
Finally, I learned to trust in my children. We are so afraid that our kids are going to make mistakes that we prevent them from living life. I learned that you just need to create a safe framework that keeps them from harm but also allows them to live their lives.
Matthews Mmopi: What advice would you give to women starting their careers in the tech industry?
Jeniffer Ramnath: Invest in yourself. Take care of yourself. As women, we can’t afford to neglect the things that need to be taken care of. We go through multiple stages of life that require us to have regular checkups on our health. We can’t miss these; we can’t sacrifice them for anything.
It’s inevitable that at some stage in our careers, we’re going to go through menopause, which is incredibly hard hitting on the body and mind. You need to give yourself the space to take care of yourself when these changes in life occur. A healthy body and healthy mind are key for us to have continuity.
For me, personally, I do whatever it takes to ensure that I remain aligned. That can mean going for a massage, doing retail therapy, or using the tools available to me to learn more about my spirituality. This self-integration is, by now, a part of my everyday routine.
Matthews Mmopi: So, maintaining personal alignment through daily self-care and spiritual practice is paramount to a successful life—I couldn’t agree more. Jen, are there any last words you’d want to share either about what you’re excited about going forward, be it personally, professionally, organizationally, or within the ecosystem of women in tech in Africa?
Jeniffer Ramnath: I think what I’m most excited about is the work we’re doing at the Mastercard Foundation in Africa, especially the focus we have on the digital economy and the ability to help transition young women into dignified and meaningful work in the technology space. Whether that’s edtech, agtech, or anything tech-related, it is still a valuable contribution to growing technology skills across Africa. It is extremely rewarding, challenging, and exciting to be a leader working in the Foundation. The mission gives me purpose, it gives me meaning, and it gives me a personal facet of what I am most passionate about—and that’s women in technology.
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