Squad driving confidence movement

For a third year running driving confidence remains the bedrock of the initiative by BIC Soleil. The initiative known as the BIC Soleil Squad selects three young women who will represent the brand and become the ambassador for the confidence movement.

During their tenure they will engage with females through community events as well as speaking and media opportunities.

The new Soleil Squad ambassadors were selected out of over 700 female competitors. The winners were chosen for their achievements and activity in the woman empowerment space, their passion and drive for the topic.

The BIC Soleil Squad competition is part of the confidence movement, “Shine Your Way” launched by BIC in 2020. The initiative aims to motivate and empower young women to reach their best potential, ‘find their shine’, and embrace it. To date, BIC has recruited six South African Women who have positively impacted female individuals in their communities through activities and speaking opportunities.

BIC Marketing Director, Lilian Henderson, said they are delighted to see the growing number of women interested in the initiative year on year.

“Their participation is a testament to the success and need for such initiatives in the community. We’re continuously in awe of the achievements of women and are delighted to give back to our community encouraging the next generation.”

Lerato Ndlovu, Savannah Raine Taylor, and Yonela Makalima are the official Soleil ambassadors for 2022/2023 cohort.

Meet Yonela Makalima

The 27-year-old is a business analyst working in the asset management industry. A persistent desire to challenge herself drove her to pursue a bachelor of commerce degree in Economics, Mathematics, and Statistics.

Coming from an all-female family and attending an all-girls high school, she quickly realized the importance of women uplifting each other. Leadership has always been at the heart of what she does, and she has taken on various leadership roles in university and the professional environment.

Excited about the news, the BIC Soleil Squad ambassador, said: “I am looking forward to being a BIC Soleil brand ambassador this year and working closely with the other ambassadors to run activities that inspire confidence amongst women across the country.”

Meet Lerato Ndlovu

The 24-year-old is a model, visual artist, stylist and make up artist.

She is currently completing her Bachelor of Arts Degree in Fashion Media at Stadio, formally known as LISOF.

She loves making and nurturing beautiful things and hopes to one day create a space where women can be educated and encouraged to discover their potential while exploring inner beauty. She’s a big fan of trying new things and things it is great form of self-care as it requires resilience, a superpower every woman has. To Lerato this includes allowing yourself to flourish and become the best version of yourself.

Speaking on BIC Soleil Campaign she says, “I am ecstatic to support BIC’s Shine Your Way campaign and inspire young women across the country to embrace authenticity. It’s refreshing to see brands like BIC take action in this space and encourage women empowerment initiatives.”

Meet Savannah Raine Taylor

The 18-year-old is a model who was recently crowned Miss Teen Tourism Universe 2022 in August this year, an international pageant which took place in the Philippines. She is passionate about inspiring youth to recognise and use their voices in a positive way. Savannah acknowledges self-worth as the most important aspect of one's life. She strongly believes in supporting and uplifting other women. Expressing her delight, Savannah said, “Becoming a BIC Soleil brand ambassador will allow me to bring out my passion and use it to support South African women. I am looking forward to what this partnership with BIC will bring and to the impact I will have on other women.”