Six of Nelson Mandela Bay’s leading women in business and government were honoured for their successes by the Businesswomen’s Association (Port Elizabeth region) at their annual Regional Business Achiever Awards Tuesday night 11 June 2013.
Selected from 18 finalists, three in each category, the winners are:
- Corporate – Buli Ngomane, marketing manager at Access Facilities Leisure Management, operators of the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium;
- Government – Dr Florentina Ureche, head of paediatric oncology at Dora Nginza Hospital;
- Entrepreneur – Laetitia Ferreira, owner of Loerie Processed Veg;
- Emerging Entrepreneur – Sandra Vye, owner of the Canine Café chain of pet supply stores;
- Social Entrepreneur – Philippa Fabbri, principal of Elsen Academy for children with special learning needs; and
- Professional – Di-Anne Qoto, a director at BLC Attorneys.
The finalists were selected from 88 entries from women in diverse fields in the metro and further afield, and the winners were chosen by a panel of independent judges representing a broad cross-section of the city’s leaders in business, government and civil society.
BWA Port Elizabeth chair Michelle Brown, recently elected as the organisation’s national vice-president, said the finalists had stood out for their passion and vision, planning ahead, and belief in themselves and their strengths.
All were strongly involved beyond their businesses in community and development work. “They all showed the will to share their experience with others within their organisations and small businesses, to enable other women to grow and become empowered,” said Brown.
She added that this year’s competition had highlighted the high calibre of women in the metro and surrounding areas, “who do wonderful work while flying under the radar”.
Top South African singer, “Princess of Africa” Yvonne Chaka Chaka, was the guest speaker at the gala awards evening held at the Boardwalk Convention Centre with headline sponsors Telkom SA Limited and Investec Specialist Bank.
