Industry news: Medical industry fields finalists in businesswoman of the year

Davis will be running in the corporate category alongside HP CEO, Thoko Mokgosi-Mwantembe, and East London Industrial Development Zone Chief Financial Officer, Ntombizine Madyibi, while Pretorius will run in the entrepreneurial category alongside Jupiter Drawing Room's CEO, Renee Silverstone.

Ingrid Davis is a qualified pharmacist with 25 years general business management experience in the private healthcare arena. She has a thorough knowledge of, and is well connected in the private healthcare industry.

She qualified as a pharmacist in 1976 after obtaining a Dip.Pharm from Wits Technical College, Johannesburg.

From 1976 – 1994 she worked in private hospitals in Johannesburg before joining the ClinRun Group as a pharmacist to oversee 2 pharmacies and the additional responsibility of Hospital Manager at Sunninghill Hospital, which had previously been placed under liquidation. In 1996 Ingrid formed part of the team involved in the formation and listing of Netcare (Network Healthcare Holdings Limited) and subsequently the acquisition of Clinic Holdings Ltd.

Netcare, an investment holding company listed on the JSE Limited, South Africa, operates through its subsidiaries the largest private hospital networks in South Africa and the United Kingdom. As of 30 September 2006, the group managed 120 private hospitals and clinics, equipped with more than 11 700 beds.

In 2002 Netcare entered the United Kingdom market to provide specialised healthcare services on contract to the National Health Service (“NHS”). In May 2006 Netcare acquired a controlling 52.6% interest in General Healthcare Group (“GHG”). GHG owns BMI Healthcare, the largest private acute care hospital provider in the United Kingdom.

OCSA's Agatha Pretorius started her career in Occupational and Workplace Health in the heavy Engineering industry and lectured in occupational and community health at RAU for 4 years after which she joined Eskom running their occupational health practices and training for 10 years. She was instrumental in making the Eskom Health Services a world-class service.

In 1997 Agatha joined Occupational Care South Africa (OCSA) as the Operations Manager and was later promoted to Managing Director/CEO. OCSA is an occupational healthcare organisation dedicated to meeting the challenges of workplace healthcare in a changing society.

As a member of the OCSA Board Pretorius is responsible for the strategic direction of the company and has achieved an annual growth average of more than 35% per annum in the past 5 years. She has lead OCSA into taking the leadership position in workplace occupational health and wellness delivery and systems in South Africa and Africa.

Through her leadership, OCSA's client base now spans a wide range of industries with employee bases between 50 and 35 000 (total approximately 250 000) and represents national & international Blue Chip Companies throughout South Africa, Swaziland and Namibia.

OCSA opened its doors in November 1995; since then, it has sustained a steady, upward growth curve that demonstrates why the company is viewed today as one of the leading providers of Occupational Health Services in South Africa.

The Nedbank sponsored Businesswoman of the Year Award, an initiative of the Businesswoman's Association, has been recognizing and honouring South Africa's outstanding businesswomen since 1980. It has grown in stature over the last 27 years, to become the premier event of its kind in the country and a notable part of the South African business calendar. The Award also creates a cadre of women role models and celebrates the contribution women make to the economy and future generations of businesswomen.

Nominations were called for in April and finalists were selected by the Businesswomen's Association (BWA), together with independent adjudicators. This year's finalists were judged on Wednesday 11 July and the winners in each category will be announced on Thursday 2 August 2007 at a gala banquet to be held at the Sandton Convention Centre. Proceeds from the event will go towards the BWA Bursary Fund.

Issued on behalf of: Businesswomen's Association