August 8th, 2019
This Women’s Month we’re celebrating the women behind the scenes at Mugg & Bean by sharing their stories of success and what they’ve achieved. We asked Refiloe and Shareene a few questions about the inspirational women in their lives and the misconceptions they want to challenge.
Refiloe Moramadi Mogotlane was born in Gauteng but grew up in the village of Ga-Sekhukhune in Limpopo. Today she is the Food Safety Officer for Mugg & Bean. Her mother has always been a huge inspiration for Refiloe. Though she wanted to go into nursing when she was younger, her opportunities were limited and she went into teaching instead, but that doesn’t mean she did a lacklustre job. She channelled all her passion and drive into being an educator and enriching her students’ lives. She even went back to school to complete an Honours degree in Education at age 52!
When asked what common misperception about women she wanted to challenge, Refiloe answered saying that she wants to dispel the myth that women only make decisions based on emotion. For Refiloe, every decision she makes is based on what her consumers need and want, not how she’s feeling on the day.
She left us with this piece of advice for young girls: “The world is your oyster, do not think that there is something too big for you to achieve. If you can dream it and believe it, then you can definitely DO IT or BECOME IT!”
Shareene Bailey is a franchisee at our Woodmead sit-down restaurant as well as the Woodlands On-The-Move, located in Joburg’s northern suburbs. These are some of our most successful outlets, which is testament to her skill as a restauranteur.
When we asked her which woman in her life inspired her to get to where she is today, Shareene told us about her longtime friend, Heather. The two met at a previous job in the advertising world, and since then Heather’s confidence, work ethic, passion, open-mindedness and compassion have been a constant inspiration for Shareene.
The misconception that Shareene wants to challenge is that men are better at running restaurants than women are. She thinks it’s a ridiculous notion because professionalism and leadership qualities aren’t restricted to just one gender! We need to work to change these perceptions of women.
She left us with these bit of advice for young girls: “Knowledge is powerful and confidence is king! Skill yourselves… learn, read and be empowered.”
We’ve seen some of the biggest achievements from South African women in the past year, like Mandisa Mfeka who became the world’s first black female fighter pilot, Saray Khumalo who conquered Mount Everest, and of course Banyana Banyana’s stellar performance at the Women’s World Cup.
Did you know that you can send vouchers via the M&B Loyalty App? It’s the perfect gift to treat the special woman in your life this August. Find out more here: Rewards
