Top empowerment awards announce their finalists

After a nation-wide call for entries targeting eligible individuals, SME's and large corporations, this year has produced the highest calibre of finalists in the 12-year history of the Oliver Awards. Here is a look at who some of the finalists for the 12th Annual Oliver Empowerment and Transformation Awards are (the full list is available on the website):

Organisational Awards:

Africa's Transformation Award finalists include:
Accenture South Africa, Netcare Limited and PricewaterhouseCoopers.

The Skills Development Award finalists include:
DAV Professional Placement Group, FirstRand Limited and Volkswagen Group South Africa.

The SME Award finalists include:
Musa Capital Fund Managers, Nonku Ntshona & Associates Quantity Surveyors and Silulo Ulutho Technologies.

Socially Responsible Investment Award finalists include:
SAB Miller, 5FM and Vodacom SA.

Individual Awards:

The Entrepreneur Award finalists include:
Sibongile Maseko from Bongi-M Construction cc, Pria Hassan from Women of Africa Fuels & Oils and Allon Raiz from Raizcorp Enterprise Development.

The Female Business Personality finalists are:
Santie Botha from Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, Nosizwe Nokwe-Macamo from Petro SA and Pria Hassan from Women of Africa Fuels & Oils.

The Male Business Personality finalists are:
Adam Samie from Lion of Africa Insurance Company Limited, Mteto Nyati of Microsoft SA and Victor Sekese from Sizwe Ntsaluba Gobodo Inc.

The Public Sector Executive Finalists are:
Barlow Manilal from Automotive Industry Development Centre (AIDC), Joe Samuels from South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) and Linda Mauleni from the South African Weather Service (SAWS).

The Young Achiever category for people under 40 finalists include:
Fairoza Parker from the Cape Town International Convention Centre, Kate Moodley from Discovery Consulting Services and Shaleenah Marie from Siemens.

The selection of these finalists was not an easy task and was conducted by the Oliver Award's highly esteemed panel of judges that comprises business and industry stalwarts with decades of experience under their belts. The judging panel is:

Ayanda Sisulu-Dunstan (Co-Head of debt capital markets at Rand Merchant Bank and non-Executive Director at Ideco Limited); Bonang Mohale (President of the Black Management Forum and Chairman and Country GM: Commercial at Shell South Africa Marketing (Pty) Limited); Futhi Mthoba (Executive Director at Deloitte); Gavin Pieterse (Governmental Programmes Executive at IBM); Ipeleng Mkhari (Co-Founder and COO at Motseng Investment Holdings); Dr Judy Dlamini (Chair of both Mbekani Investment Holdings and Aspen Pharmacare Ltd); Lawrence Bhekinkosi Mavundla (National African Federated Chamber of Commerce and Industry); Molebatsi Moagi (Managing Director of Centre of Supplier Development); Ron Josias (CEO of SANAS); Xolani Qubeka (CEO of Black Business Council and Owner of Qubelisa Enterprise Empowerment & Training); Zukiswa Ntlangula (Trustee, Founder and Director of the National Empowerment Fund) and Nomaxabiso Majokweni (CEO of Business Unity South Africa).

Entering and attending the Oliver Empowerment and Transformation Awards provides finalists and winners with a stepladder to top-level business networking and potential growth. The Oliver Awards aim to be a platform for business leaders in empowerment, transformation and the economic development sector to access information and connections they would not be normally privy to. Past winners have been established as transformational leaders in South Africa and gained international recognition.

The winners of the 12th Annual Oliver Empowerment and Transformation Awards will be announced at a high profile gala dinner at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg on 26 April 2013.

For more information on the Oliver Awards or the event go to www.oliverawards.co.za, follow them on Twitter @Oliver_Awards and on Facebook.

Issued by MANGO-OMC on behalf of Topco Media.
For more information please contact:
Genevieve Cutts on 082 546 4043 or moc.cmo-ognam@eveiveneg

Topco Media:

Topco Media engages with the top 10 000 companies and 45 000 decision makers to understand best practice around key strategies including empowerment, gender empowerment, sustainability, innovation, financial performance, management and governance. We seek to identify, recognise and showcase these leaders to policy makers, investors and key decision makers in the business and public sector field through a variety of print and electronic platforms including networking gala events throughout the year.