This National Women’s Month, we’re shining a light on the fabulous females at Vox who have worked their way up in the company, despite still being a minority in corporate South Africa. 

“I’m very inspired by female leaders who have a positive impact on people, ensuring they invest time in their staff to make them successful. Women that can juggle between their work and personal life, who can stand up for themselves, fight for what they believe in, do not take abuse, while staying humble and not arrogant.” – Shirley Cross, National Manager – PMO, Vox 

Shirley joined Vox in 1995, as one of only 15 staff members. “I started as an office administrator, doing just about anything that was thrown my way, to make sure we see this company grow,” she says. 

“As a young girl, I spent my weekends working for my cousin who was a lawyer. I wanted to be like him, but as I got out of school, I felt that this path wasn’t me. Fighting for a living was something I couldn’t see myself doing, but at this stage I didn’t really know what I wanted to do.” 

Shirley studied part-time, just to find a job to start off, while she decided on her career, and at 19, got her first job as a data capturer.  

“That was all I did from 8am to 5pm, and six months later I realised I was brave enough to venture out. I started to love this corporate world, that’s when I realised this was going to be my path,” she says. “My dad, who was my hero, always said:

Do what you do with passion and make sure you make a difference. Don’t change jobs for the sake of it. 

Taking his advice, Shirley stayed at the company, exploring different departments for seven years,  until something even better came along. “I moved to a company called Newsnet, who then became Orion and then due a merger, became Vox – 25 years later I find myself still at Vox,” she shares. 

Some of Shirley’s passions include events co-ordination, particularly planning themed parties, and nature “I enjoy visiting game parks, gardens and hikes. 

#HumansofVox #WomenofVox