2009 Businesswomen of the Year named
Venete Klein, the influential banker, and Carol Weaving, the exhibition and events specialist, won the 2009 Businesswomen's Association (BWA) Businesswoman of the Year Awards in the corporate and entrepreneurial categories respectively, late last week.
The two winners of the Nedbank-sponsored award were announced at a ceremony attended by South Africa's leading figures in business and government circles, including Minister of Women, Youth, Children and People with Disabilities, Noluthando Mayende-Sibiya who was the keynote speaker.
Venete Klein is the executive director of Retail Banking at ABSA, and Carol Weaving is the MD of Thebe Group.
Celebrating its 30th year of recognising excellence, the Businesswoman of the Year Award, an initiative of the BWA, places into the spotlight issues around the upward mobility of women. With full backing from leading financial institution, Nedbank, the award raises the profile of women who despite the odds against them are making headway in the world of business.
BWA president Basetsana Kumalo acknowledged the successes of the winners and applauded them for their achievements.
New breed of SA women
“Venete and Carol, and indeed all the finalists of this award, represent the new breed of South African women, women who characterise the evolution of our mothers from being just the cornerstones of our homes and families to being the cornerstone of South Africa's economic dynamo. These are women who are out there doing it for themselves and making a real difference within their respective sectors.
“The BWA congratulates Venete and Carol for making it against all odds and for proving that women are capable. It is encouraging to know that there are women of Venete and Carol's calibre who are out there paving the way for more women to follow in their footsteps. We thank them for the motivation and inspiration that they provide to so many who look up to them,” she said.
