Fairlady Santam 2019 Women of the Future Awards announces winners

The three winners were selected from a shortlist of nine finalists by a panel of South African adjudicators – Fairlady editor Suzy Brokensha, Trust Chair for Social Justice at Stellenbosch University and founder of the Social Justice M-Plan and the ThuMa Foundation, Professor Thuli Madonsela; executive head of Human Resources at Santam, Enid Lizamore; social entrepreneur Dawn Nathan-Jones; entrepreneur and philanthropist Johanna Mukoki and media entrepreneur and international speaker, Jo-Ann Strauss.

Through an independent survey, Santam found that the first 1,000 days of a business are the hardest. If you’re still in business by day 1001, they’ve found, you’re likely to succeed long term. These incredible dynamic women have either already surpassed that critical point, or are well on the way to doing so!

"Over the past five years we have had the honour of encountering phenomenal women who are making a big impact in their communities. It has been a privilege to be part of their entrepreneurial journeys by giving them the platform to be acknowledged for the great work they are doing. We are committed to supporting initiatives such as this in order to ensure that the generations to follow continue with the legacy of these women.” said Mokaedi Dilotsotlhe, chief marketing officer at Santam

The winners are...

• Phillipa Geard of RecruitMyMom was named the 2019 Fairlady Santam Woman of the Future (awarded to a female entrepreneur who has survived the first 1,000 days of business).

RecruitMyMom is a South African-born online recruitment agency meeting the needs of skilled women looking to integrate their careers with their family lives. "Winning the Woman of the Future Award is the acknowledgement that my team and I are making a difference in the lives of thousands of women by creating employment opportunities," says Phillipa.

• Renshia Manuel of Growbox was named the 2019 Fairlady Santam Social Entrepreneur (awarded to a female entrepreneur who is making a real difference in her community).

GrowBox promotes urban food gardens by supplying vegetable garden boxes to impoverished and malnourished communities in densely populated urban residential areas. "I am planning to use the prize money to take GrowBox`s flat-pack product range to market and to increase production at the nursery in order to impact more households," says Renshia.

• Nondumiso Sibiya of Boombadotmodi was named the 2019 Fairlady Santam Rising Star (awarded to a female entrepreneur who is still within her first 1,000 days of business).

Boombadotmobi is a waste management business that tries to reduce illegal dumping by collecting waste from its source, connecting waste generators with waste collectors and ensuring that the waste is disposed of responsibly. "Winning the Rising Star Award means recognition of the work I am doing in the community, and it will enable me to buy the tech I need to automate the business," says Nondumiso.

Start-ups starting to take the environment into account

The prizes awarded to the three winners are: R80,000 in cash to the Woman of the Future, R50,000 each in cash to the Rising Star and Social Entrepreneur and, to all the winners, an invaluable mentorship session with one of the judges, a luxury beauty hamper from Clarins (beauty sponsor), a short course from the IMM Graduate School worth R15,000, a Karissa business bag and spinner from Samsonite worth R7,298, a ladies watch from Obaku worth R2,195, a R1,000 shopping voucher from Superbalist, a pamper session from Camelot Spa and a media training session.

Another truly spectacular year of #FLYSantamWOTF✨ Share your experiences with us on all social media platforms @SantamForBiz #ClarinsSouthAfrica pic.twitter.com/10fdsge2lR

— Fairlady Magazine (@FairladyMag) August 16, 2019

Although they are judged on the success and potential success of their initiatives, all three of these women are creating businesses that are contributing not only to the South African economy but also to improving our country by creating job opportunities for others, enabling people to feed themselves and turning waste collection into profit. That’s what we love about women in business, and that’s why Fairlady believes so strongly in this annual award and partnership.

Guests in attendance at the luncheon included businesswomen Basetsana Kumalo, Wendy Luhabe; Miss South Africa 2019 Zozibini Tunzi, media personalities Sonia Booth, Penny Lebyane, Lesego Tlhabi (aka Coconut Kelz), Gina Myers, Zoe Mthiyane and Liesl Laurie.