For #WomensMonth, we speak to Standard Bank’s Linda Oniwe, senior vice president for technology, media and telecommunications (TMT) in corporate and investment banking, about her career in dealmaking, the role of technology in Africa’s development and the importance of creating opportunities for women in the sector.
Linda Oniwe | image supplied
With more than a decade at Standard Bank, Oniwe works with leading TMT organisations, bringing together capital, sector expertise and execution capabilities to support businesses and infrastructure contributing to Africa’s digital economy.
She reflects on the career milestones that have shaped her, the challenges of being a woman in senior finance and technology spaces, and why greater representation needs to extend beyond visibility into meaningful leadership opportunities.
What have been the biggest milestones in your career so far?
My career has been a journey of perseverance, growth and continually expanding what I believed was possible. I joined Standard Bank as an eager graduate from the University of Cape Town, curious and determined to learn.
Over more than a decade, I have progressed to my current role as senior vice president, covering clients in the telecommunications, media and technology sector within corporate and investment banking.
Today, I work with leading TMT organisations, bringing together capital, sector insight and execution expertise to support opportunities that can advance Africa’s digital economy.
Each step has reinforced my belief that meaningful careers are built not only through achievement, but also through courage, consistency and a commitment to continuous learning.
A particularly defining milestone was being involved in the Telkom/Swiftnet transaction, where an Actis-led consortium acquired Telkom’s communication tower portfolio. It was also a highly publicised transaction.
I am also currently pursuing an Executive MBA at Columbia Business School and London Business School. As the only South African woman in my cohort, I carry both a privilege and a responsibility: to ensure that Africa’s realities, ideas and ambitions are included in global conversations.
For me, this journey is bigger than earning another qualification. It is about bringing an African perspective into rooms where global decisions and future possibilities are being shaped, while showing other women from backgrounds like mine that they, too, belong in those rooms.
Every milestone in my career has reinforced a simple truth: when one woman breaks through a barrier, she creates a wider path for those coming behind her.
What drew you to the technology, media and telecommunications sector?
I was drawn to technology for its ability to solve real-world problems at scale. Across Africa, digital connectivity can unlock access to education, healthcare, financial services, entrepreneurship and broader economic participation.
Through my work with clients in the telecommunications, media and technology industry, I have seen how technology can create opportunities and serve as a foundation for more inclusive growth.
My role brings together finance, strategy and technology, and I am motivated by the opportunity to channel capital into businesses and infrastructure that can meaningfully improve how people live and work.
For me, technology leadership must remain deeply human-centred. Innovation matters most when it extends beyond boardrooms and creates real opportunities for people who have historically been excluded.
How has working across different industries shaped your leadership style?
Working across different parts of the bank has shaped me into a curious, adaptable leader who values diverse perspectives.
Each industry and organisation brings its own complexity, but I have learned that leadership is not about having all the answers. It is about listening well, asking thoughtful questions and creating the space for people with different expertise to solve complex problems together.
Over time, I have developed a hands-on leadership style. I do not believe in leading from a distance. I prefer to be in the room with my team and clients, close enough to understand the detail so that, when complex transactions become challenging, I can help navigate the way forward with them, not simply for them.
What challenges have you faced as a woman working in finance and technology?
Being one of the few women, and even fewer Black women, in senior rooms advising CEOs and CFOs has taught me to trust my own voice.
Earlier in my career, I sometimes held back when my view differed from the majority, and I had to consciously unlearn that. Many women in male-dominated sectors such as finance and technology will recognise the feeling: you can do the work, deliver results and still feel you must prove you belong.
Mentors, sponsors and my own track record have helped me move through that. The feeling may not disappear completely, but it becomes easier to manage as you grow, gain confidence and learn to back yourself.
How has the technology industry changed for women during your career?
There has been encouraging progress. More women are entering technology-related fields, female leaders are becoming more visible, and organisations increasingly recognise that diverse teams make better decisions and build stronger solutions.
Inclusion is no longer seen only as a social goal; it is increasingly understood as vital to innovation, relevance and sustainable business performance.
However, visibility should not be mistaken for full equality. Women remain underrepresented in many technical and executive roles, and progress must be intentional.
What gives me hope is the growing community of talented women who are entering the sector with confidence, ambition and a determination to lead on their own terms. I believe this generation will not simply join the technology industry. It will reshape it.
What more needs to be done to get women into senior technology roles?
We need to build opportunity across the entire pipeline.
That begins with exposing girls to STEM subjects and digital skills early, but it must continue through access to meaningful work experience, mentorship, leadership development and fair promotion pathways.
We also need more visible role models so that young women can see that technology leadership is a future that belongs to them.
Sponsorship is especially important. Mentors can advise women, but sponsors speak for them in rooms where opportunities are allocated. Senior leaders must actively identify talented women, advocate for them and give them access to career-defining assignments.
Organisations also need cultures where women are not asked to conform to a narrow model of leadership. The goal should be to remove barriers, reward potential fairly and allow women to lead authentically.
How can technologies such as AI help address challenges faced by underserved communities?
AI can become a powerful equaliser if it is designed and deployed with inclusion at its core.
It can support personalised learning where teaching resources are limited, improve access to health information and diagnostics, help small businesses operate more efficiently, and enable financial institutions to better understand and serve people with limited traditional financial histories.
For underserved communities, the real promise of AI is not novelty. It is access.
But technology alone will not close inequality. AI depends on connectivity, affordable devices, relevant local data, digital literacy and trust. It must also reflect African languages, contexts and lived realities.
If these foundations are ignored, AI could deepen existing inequality rather than solve it. Our responsibility is therefore to pair innovation with investment in infrastructure, skills and responsible governance so that African communities are not only consumers of global technology, but active creators and beneficiaries of it.
What advice would you give young women aspiring to careers in technology?
Never let where you start limit how far you believe you can go.
My parents are from Gugulethu Township in Cape Town, and that first home helped shape who I am. My journey has taught me that circumstances may influence your path, but they do not determine your potential.
Stay curious, invest in your education and keep learning throughout your life. Build technical credibility, but also develop your voice, confidence and ability to connect with people.
Seek mentors, sponsors and peers who will challenge and champion you. Enter rooms where you feel underrepresented and resist the temptation to shrink yourself once you arrive.
You do not need to know everything before you begin, and you do not need to become someone else in order to lead. Your experiences can help reveal problems others do not see and inspire solutions others have not imagined.
Most importantly, let your ambition be more than just personal success. As you rise and enter those rooms, keep the door open for others. That is just as meaningful as getting there yourself.
