Throughout August South Africa celebrates Women’s Month and to honour the work of women within the industry, ICE Africa is showcasing the inspiring work across gaming’s many sectors. From the world of casinos, Elmarie van Wyk, Gaming Manager at Sun International’s Flamingo Casino discusses her inspiring success in a previously male-dominated industry and why it’s important to embrace new methods in the face of modern challenges.

She explained: “The Casino industry, especially Gaming has historically been predominantly male. My proudest achievement has therefore been when I was given the opportunity to become Sun International’s first female Gaming Manager. I am a pro-active, motivated, goal-driven and confident person and love what I do – every day is different.”

Elmarie van Wyk has a wealth of experience in the gaming and leisure industry and has experienced a number of major technological developments with Sun International during her more than 13 year career with the company. Commenting on current innovations in the industry, she said: “I am able to work with some of the latest and greatest technology and get to ‘play every day’. I am not afraid to try new things and am always looking for more effective ways to deal with every day challenges. I believe that my passion positively influences others working closely with me. It encourages the need to challenge conventional thinking and become more creative and innovative and as such, positively impacts the business.”

She concluded: “I would like to leave young aspiring professionals with the following: If you believe in yourself, you can do and be anything you want to be. You can and will succeed if you are willing to take risks, accept when you fail, get up when you fall and try again. Trust in yourself and your abilities, you can do it!”