This year’s 18 inspiring finalists have been announced for the Businesswomen’s Association of Port Elizabeth (BWA) Investec Regional Business Achiever Awards (RBAA). The 18 women (three each in six categories) have been whittled down from more than a hundred entries and now enter an independent and audited judging process before the winners are announced at a celebratory gala dinner on 14 June.
The prestigious annual Awards acknowledge the economic and social contribution of female entrepreneurs and professionals in the greater Nelson Mandela Bay (NMB) region. The Awards are made in six categories: Emerging Entrepreneur, Entrepreneur, Social Entrepreneur, Corporate, Professional and Government. Entrants need not be members of the BWA and entries are welcome from as far afield as the Garden Route, Graaff-Reinet and Grahamstown.
In congratulating the finalists, BWA PE chairwoman Michelle Brown said it was time for the women to be “acknowledged and recognised for the amazing work that they do”.
“The calibre of the nominations and, of course, the eventual category finalists never cease to inspire us and to reinforce our belief in the development and empowerment of women in business!” she said.
A wholly independent panel of judges, made up of a broad cross-section of NMB leaders in business, government and civil society, will interview and select a winner in each of the six categories. Brown said the engaging RBAA participation process not only recognised but also enriched the careers of finalists and winners, many of whom gained the confidence to achieve even greater success.
Winners will be announced at a glamorous gala dinner at the Boardwalk Convention Centre on Tuesday 14 June 2016. The event is a highlight on the Bay business and social calendar and seats sell out quickly. This year’s keynote speaker has been confirmed as Johannesburg businesswoman and philanthropist Dr Precious Moloi-Motsepe, a former paediatrician and now executive chairperson of African Fashion International. Moloi-Motsepe is the founder of Fashion Week in South Africa and believes the industry plays an important role in supporting and developing small business.
The 2016 RBAA finalists are:
EMERGING ENTREPRENEUR:
Lana Field – Epic Work and Travel
Larissa Primmer – La Mohair
Nicky Blume – Blume co.
ENTREPRENEUR:
Dalene Brown – Dalene Permanent Make-Up
Elana van Rooyen – Continental Butchery and Deli
Nerissa Walton – Kauai
SOCIAL ENTREPRENEUR:
Berenice Rose – Unity in Africa Foundation
Helena Cullis – Cleft Friends
Lauren Butler – I Can! Learn Disability Academy
PROFESSIONAL:
Pumeza Bono – Pumeza Bono Attorneys Inc.
Tamarynd Martin – Goldwater Education
Tracey Mouton – Goldberg & De Villiers
CORPORATE:
Bernadette Naude – Atlas Security
Candice Parker – Nashua PE
Thuli Mtila – Access Management
GOVERNMENT:
Dr Charlotte Hendricks – Alpha Primary
Prof Elmarie Venter – NMMU
Seki Mandaba – NMMM
