Last chance to send in nominations for BWA Zululand virtual awards

THERE’S still time to get in last minute nominations for the first virtual Businesswomen’s Association (BWA) Zululand Regional Achievers’ Awards.

This year, BWA Zululand has added two new categories - Resilient Woman of the Year and the Young Leader of Tomorrow award.

‘We encourage Zululanders to nominate women in business who have done exceptional work in their sphere of influence’ said Ronelle Ramsamy, BWA Zululand chairperson.

‘The aim of the new award is to salute the innovative and resourceful woman who has gone beyond the conventional to come up with a strategic business offering during Covid-19 that ensured sustainability and created employment. The aim of the Young Leader of Tomorrow award is to identify youngsters who are making a difference and who have spearheaded projects that give back to their respective communities,’ said Ramsamy.

And while the awards function will not go ahead in the same format as in previous years, the local committee believes it is essential to salute persevering businesswomen who have weathered the Covid-19 storm.

Under the theme ‘The Resilient Woman’, the virtual event aims to acknowledge the innovative efforts of local women to remain relevant in arguably one of the toughest years in business.

‘While 2020 was largely characterised by hardships caused by Covid-19, we also saw the resilient spirit of Zululanders and many enterprises who came up with diverse and innovative offerings to survive,’ said Ramsamy.

‘We decided to go ahead with the virtual awards to inspire others to persevere and weather the Covid-19 storm. It is critically important that enterprises adapt their businesses to stay afloat during this pandemic and, more importantly, bring about strategic changes to survive post Covid-19,’ said Ramsamy.

The other six categories are Professional Woman of the Year, Corporate Woman of the Year, Environmental Entrepreneur of the Year, Social Entrepreneur of the Year, Entrepreneur of the Year and the Women in Government Award.

Recognising excellence in the corporate, professional, government and social arena, the regional awards celebrates phenomenal businesswomen who make a difference in their communities and help to grow the local economy.

Nominations close on Saturday, 10 October after which voting and final judging gets under way.

The BWA is the largest association of business and professional women in South Africa. For further information or to nominate a local outstanding woman, email zululand@bwasa.co.za