Loop CEO champions women in STEM, leading inclusive innovation

Source: Kimberley Taylor, founder and chief executive officer of Loop.

Globally, women represent just 29.2% of STEM workers and 12.4% of C-suite executives, with only 13% of STEM graduates being women in South Africa. Despite these figures, Kimberley Taylor, founder of Loop, is a trailblazer in the tech industry, drawing inspiration from influential women like Whitney Wolfe Herd and Sheila Lirio Marcelo.

Taylor is committed to dismantling barriers and creating opportunities for women in a field traditionally dominated by men.

“The tech industry shapes much of our daily lives,” she explains. “When we exclude women from leadership and decision-making roles in this field, we’re not just holding back the industry - we are also slowing progress for everyone.”

Dynamic deliveries

Taylor’s brainchild, Loop, an innovative delivery management platform, revolutionised the South African delivery and logistics sector. The company started trading as Cowa-Bunga and launched its services in 2017 but scaled in 2020 during the pandemic when online deliveries surged.

In 2021, it rebranded as Loop, introducing improved technology to enhance the driver-to-customer delivery experience. Today, Loop connects businesses with suppliers, delivery service providers, and customers. It handles more than 3 million deliveries monthly, serving major retailers like Checkers and their Sixty60 App and smaller SMEs looking to streamline their operations.

Clients praise Loop’s effectiveness, reporting a 30 percent increase in delivery volume, a 20 percent reduction in kilometres driven, and a 15 percent decrease in customer interaction time.

STEM lacks gender diversity

At the helm of Loop, Taylor wants to create more opportunities for women in South Africa’s tech industry. “Some people find Women’s Day and Women’s Month campaigns repetitive or even misused. But I think they’re important for highlighting the lack of women in STEM jobs,” she says.

Despite global progress in closing the gender gap in STEM, South Africa continues to struggle. “Women are vastly underrepresented in STEM careers. We must address this to promote gender equality and boost the economy,” she adds.

Only 13% of STEM graduates in South Africa are women, well below the global average of 35%. In the broader workforce, women hold just 28% of STEM-related jobs. Specific sectors like engineering show even lower participation, with less than 25% of candidate engineers being women and only 6% achieving professional status.

She argues that substantial investment in STEM education is the most effective way to reduce gender inequality. According to her, excellent teachers are indispensable for establishing a solid groundwork in maths and science, especially for students pursuing tertiary studies.

Start them young

Taylor encourages parents to nurture their daughters’ interest in maths from a young age. She credits her own strong maths skills to early lessons with her father. “My dad taught me basic maths before school, which gave me confidence in maths from a very young age and made me love it for its conceptual, logical foundation. You learn maths by practising and solving problems, not memorisation. Practising it helps you understand it better and build on what you know.”

Girls often demonstrate better mathematical and scientific abilities, outperforming boys in maths and science at school. However, only a tiny percentage pursue these subjects at the tertiary level. Studies attribute this to persistent stereotypes suggesting that men are inherently better suited for STEM fields and a lack of female role models.

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‘To truly close the gender gap in STEM, we must encourage girls’ interest in maths and showcase successful women in diverse roles’, Taylor explains. “Whether it’s science, business, or politics, we need more female leaders. Even movies like ‘Legally Blonde’, where Elle Woods, a law student, defies everyone’s expectations about what a criminal attorney looks like, inspire girls to pursue ambitions they would not ordinarily consider,” she says.

Why role models matter

“Women’s Day and Women’s Month are opportunities to celebrate women’s successes and those who supported them. Seeing successful women like themselves inspires girls to reach their full potential,” Taylor says.

She credits her mother’s entrepreneurial spirit as a primary motivator for her career in a male-dominated field. “She was a single mum with her own catering business and exuded confidence, fearless of failure or judgement. Her boldness inspired me. I thought, “My mum could do this. I can, too. I can work hard and not be afraid to fail.”

Nevertheless, Kimberley acknowledges the challenges of pitching one’s company to potential investors. Despite her mother’s apparent fearlessness, she realises entrepreneurs often face the fear of rejection or embarrassment.

“Even now, I struggle with this," Kimberley admits. ‘It gets easier over time, but some days the challenge feels as daunting as ever. However, I remind myself of the woman I aspire to be: someone who creates opportunities for others. Achieving my goals requires fearlessness, and when my confidence wavers, I reflect on the achievements of female role models like my mother for strength.”

Why diversity benefits everyone

She attributes Loop’s success to its inclusive workplace culture, which has proven critical in an industry struggling with female employee retention. According to a 2023 survey by the British career advice site womenintech.co.uk, 56 % of women leave the tech sector between 10 and 20 years into their careers—double the rate of men.

Taylor emphasises that a diverse workforce is imperative for innovation and effective problem-solving. “At Loop, we’ve prioritised creating an environment where all employees, particularly women, can thrive long term.”

This approach includes targeted strategies such as mentorship programmes, flexible work arrangements, and clear paths for career advancement. The results speak for themselves: Loop’s workforce has doubled since 2021.

Taylor notes that this diversity wasn’t initially a deliberate policy. “Our inclusive culture evolved organically, attracting individuals who shared our values of hard work, intelligence, and compassion—both for colleagues and clients.”

This organic growth has led to a team that Taylor describes as “incredibly hardworking and intelligent, with a genuine care for each other and our clients”.

Her advice to other tech companies is straightforward, she says. “Prioritise diversity and actively work to close the gender gap. Not only is it the right thing to do, but your company will also reap significant benefits in innovation, problem-solving, and overall success,” she concludes.