Dianne Bevelander

Dianne Lynne Bevelander (born in Durban, South Africa, 17 June 1959 – 29 August 2021) was a South African academic. She was the founder and Executive Director of the Erasmus Centre for Women and Organisations (ECWO) and Professor of Management Education with a focus on Women in Business at Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University (RSM). She was a pioneer of gender equality there, as she established the first all-women leadership elective as part of RSM’s MBA programmes in 2011.

"Interview with Dianne Bevelander, Erasmus centre for Women and Organisations (ECWO)"

 * Interview with Dianne Bevelander, Erasmus centre for Women and Organisations (ECWO)


 * The issue is that women have to realise how phenomenal, creative and innovative they are. We don’t believe that we need to “fix” women for success in the corporate world. Rather, we need to get them to appreciate their potential and their power.


 * I want to help women achieve their career goals and navigate obstacles, and provide our alumnae with ongoing education and the opportunity to share their experiences.


 * In corporate culture there is a language of gender bias that we are unaware of: it’s called “benevolent sexism”.’ An example of this is when a male colleague or supervisor refers to a highly trained, qualified female engineer as “honey” or “meisje”. ‘Everyone acts as if it’s okay. It’s not. Deconstruct it. It’s not being friendly. It’s a power thing.