Susan Cole, owner and director of water treatment products company Aqua Resources SA, says that starting her own business was one of the most daunting and rewarding moments in her career. She challenges other women in the water sector to embrace their own visions for success.

Where were you born and where did you grow up?

SC:  I was born in Port Elizabeth, South Africa, and grew up in Johannesburg.

How did your life experiences shape your interest in the water sector?

SC: I studied chemistry at UCT and was lucky enough to be awarded a study bursary through a chemical company called NCP. It was here that I first heard about water treatment, as the NCP Ultrafloc Division was involved in technical sales and the marketing of chemicals used for conventional water treatment. I discovered the water sector during my time at NCP and I haven’t looked back since.

What qualification and career highlights allowed you to succeed?

SC: Two things were key – first, sales and marketing wasn’t a career I had even considered when I first looked at a chemistry career path, yet it was ideally suited for me; and second, studying chemistry allowed me to take what I love and apply it in a relevant, albeit totally different, field.

The scientific knowledge I gained was vital to me being able to do my water sector technical sales job effectively. After having completed my BSc (Honours) in Chemistry and taking up my job at NCP Ultrafloc, I studied an IMM Diploma in Marketing. The combination of these two qualifications gave me the tools I needed to succeed.

What would you regard as the most significant achievement in your career?

SC: My career so far has been peppered with many memorable moments and I have absolutely loved each and every one but, for me, the most significant achievement in my career was taking a step off the proverbial cliff and starting my own business. It was the most daunting thing I have ever done but I thrive on challenges and, looking back  three years later, it was the best move I could ever have made. If you don’t challenge yourself as a person, you will never grow. I am very thankful to all those people along my water path that challenged me to excel because I wouldn’t be where I am today without them.

What do you regard as the keys to your success?

SC: I was one of the first women to pursue a career in water treatment sales and marketing 20 or so years back, and I was privileged to have many mentors to help me along my path. In recent years, I have also interacted with some really wonderful career women who guided and inspired me to grasp all opportunities that came my way with both hands.

What advice would you give young women wanting to succeed in the sector?

SC: Women have a very important role to play in the water sector and in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields in general. Our skill sets are ideally placed to give the field the push it needs; we tend to see things from a different angle.

I love that Einstein quote – “We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them” – because it is so true. We need out-of-the-box thinkers to solve our current water sector problems and that’s where I think women can play a vital role.

To the young women out there wanting to succeed in this sector, tackle life head-on. Wherever you work, be it corporate, government, parastatal or small business, have a vision for yourself – where do you want to go, what do you want to do with your life? Surround yourself with like-minded people, tackle any challenges that come your way with strength, glean as much knowledge and insight as you can from mentors in the sector and use that to springboard yourself to greater things. You can conquer the world.