Priscillah Mabelane – South Africa
In 2017, she made history when she was appointed as the first ever black female CEO of British Petroleum, South Africa (BP South Africa). This milestone in Black women’s history has made Priscillah Mabelane one of the most powerful women in South Africa and one of the most talked about women in Africa. Priscillah gained appointment exactly 6 years after joining the company and rising high and fast in a male-dominated space. The strength and perseverance of Priscillah started at a very early age growing up in a less privileged society and having to take school lesson under trees. Before joining BP South Africa, Priscillah Mabelane was the first black to be given a job at the Pietermaritzburg office of Ernst & Young. She remains the first woman in the South African oil industry to head a multinational company. Priscillah continues to inspire many women to focus on their goals and invest or work in the oil industry.
