Through an independent survey, Santam found that the first 1 000 days of a business are the hardest. If the business is still running by day 1 001, the Santam survey indicates that it is likely likely to succeed long term.

"Over the past five years, we have had the honour of encountering phenomenal women who are making a big impact in their communities," says Mokaedi Dilotsotlhe, chief marketing officer at Santam.

"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," Dilotsotlhe adds.

"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," Dilotsolhe says.

The three winners were selected from a shortlist of nine finalists by a panel of South African adjudicators:
  • Suzy Brokensha, FAIRLADY editor Suzy Brokensha
  • Professor Thuli Madonsela, trust chair for Social Justice at Stellenbosch University and founder of the Social Justice M-Plan and the ThuMa Foundation
  • Enid Lizamore, executive head of human resources at Santam
  • Dawn Nathan-Jones, social entrepreneur
  • Johanna Mukoki, entrepreneur and philanthropist
  • Jo-Ann Strauss, media entrepreneur and international speaker
The winners of the FAIRLADY Santam Women of the Future Awards:

Phillipa Geard of RecruitMyMom was named the 2019 FAIRLADY Santam Woman of the Future. The award is presented to a female entrepreneur who has survived the first 1 000 days of business.

RecruitMyMom is a South African-born online recruitment agency that strives to meet the needs of skilled women looking to integrate their careers with their family lives.

"Winning the Woman of the Future Award is an acknowledgement that my team and I are making a difference in the lives of thousands of women by creating employment opportunities," says Geard.

Renshia Manuel of Growbox was named the 2019 FAIRLADY Santam Social Entrepreneur. This award is presented to a female entrepreneur who is making a significant 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 Manuel.

Nondumiso Sibiya of Boombadotmodi was named the 2019 FAIRLADY Santam Rising Star. This award is presented 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 Sibiya.

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
Additionally, all the winners receive:
  • a mentorship session with one of the judges
  • a luxury beauty hamper from Clarins
  • a short course from the IMM Graduate School that is worth R15 000
  • a Karissa business bag and spinner from Samsonite that is worth R7 298
  • a ladies watch from Obaku that is worth R2 195
  • a R1000 shopping voucher from Superbalist
  • a pamper session from Camelot Spa
  • a media training session
"It's so interesting how start-ups are changing to take the environment into account," says Brokensha. "Although they are judged on the success and potential success of their initiatives, all three of these women are creating businesses that are contributing to the South African economy."

"[They are also] improving our country by creating job opportunities for others, enabling people to feed themselves and turning the 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," Brokensha concludes.

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