bpSA received the award at an event attended by some of South Africa's top executives, which was held at the JSE.

The Women Economic Justice Leadership Recognition Awards celebrate companies and individuals who lead with purpose and have taken concrete steps to address persistent gender disparities and barriers faced by women in the economy.

The inaugural awards are sponsored by:
  • the Catalytic Strategy's founding members
  • the International Women's Forum SA, and
  • WDB Investment Holdings, in partnership with the JSE and Anglo-American South Africa.

The Catalytic Strategy was founded in 2019 to enhance access to research and use it to help shape policy and public discourse to improve women's access to economic justice.

"I am delighted to receive this award on behalf of bpSA," says bpSA CEO Taelo Mojapelo. "At the heart of bpSA's commitment to economic justice is our passion for transformation. This shines through in our multipronged strategy of skills development, impactful enterprise and supplier development — as well as our focus on empowering employees."

"Our gender-inclusive leadership reflects bpSA's commitment to diversity, ensuring that different perspectives contribute to strategic decision-making," Mojapelo adds. 

bpSA's chairperson for the last decade has been a woman, advocate Thandi Orleyn, with Taelo Mojapelo being the second successive female CEO. In addition, a  55% of the executive management team are female and 45% of bpSA's employees were women at last count, according to bpSA. 

Some of the company's well-publicised initiatives include the sale of its terminals infrastructure, to ensure inclusivity and localised ownership of critical infrastructure — the most recent being the sale of its East London terminal to WASAA, which is a black-female-owned company.

bpSA's recent partnership with the Small Enterprise Finance Agency aims to see significant bp funds diverted to helping black entrepreneurs access the finance they need to buy service stations or forecourt businesses.

This fund, guided by a vision of inclusivity, specifically targets women-owned and managed enterprises, acknowledging the critical role they play in fostering a diverse and equitable business environment within bpSA's retail and franchise operations.

Mojapelo says, "We are capacitating our business to ensure that it is future-proof and relevant. By developing our women leaders, we are ensuring we have the talent and expertise to realise this strategic vision."

The company says the award adds to a number of accolades bpSA and its leadership collected in 2023, acknowledging the company's contribution to transforming the industry. 

At the Annual Standard Bank Top Women Awards, Mojapelo was named Standard Bank Top Women Business Leader of the Year 2023 for her exceptional business performance and innovative policies to empower fellow women. Mojapelo was also a finalist for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in the Workplace and was recognised in Africa.com's 2023 Definitive List of Women CEOs.

The company concludes that bpSA was also recognised as the Top Empowered Company in Education and Skills Development for 2023. bpSA's people and culture director was also recognised at the 2023 CHRO Awards for Young CHRO of the Year, Employee Value Proposition and the Transformation and Empowerment Awards. 

For more information, visit www.bp.com. You can also follow bpSA on Facebook or on X.