Margaret Hirsch named most influential businesswoman in retail

Hirsch's is described as the largest independently owned appliance company in Southern Africa and Margaret is its chief operations executive, having handed over the MD's position to son Richard earlier this year. The company has been going for 31 years.

She is a champion of women's empowerment and someone who believes in giving back to the community, especially to people in a less fortunate situation, having been there herself. When she was 12, her father died leaving her mother to fend for herself and two small children. Margaret's strong sense of survival and her positive attitude helped pull her little family through the tough times. Having had to battle from an early age, she found that it is possible, through sheer determination and a positive attitude to get ahead and now all staff members are encouraged to better themselves and are shown that by uplifting themselves they will ultimately uplift those around them.

She regards herself as a 'jack of all trades', having done the selling, invoicing, demonstrating, being a delivery person on the trucks, installing and demonstrating in customers' homes and generally taking care of everything at Hirsch's for the past 31 years. "We have built it from a tiny little 'mom and pop's' store to a billion rand company and I hope that I will be an inspiration to others to know that they can live their dreams as well," she says.