Business leader honoured

AFRICAN Equity Empowerment Investments Limited (AEEI) group chief executive Khalid Abdulla has been named the top empowered business leader of the year at the 16th Oliver Empowerment Awards in Johannesburg.

Abdulla said yesterday that he was humbled by the award and he credited AEEI’s board and his management team for continuing to implement the group’s 2020 strategic vision for growth and transformation.

“Since its inception, AEEI undertook to focus on growing the business and to provide the platform for empowerment of others, especially the empowerment of those disadvantaged individuals who are driven to succeed with us,”

AEEI, formerly Sekunjalo Investments, invests in the fishing, IT, financial services, food and healthcare industries.

The awards are the country’s foremost accolades recognising leadership and innovation in empowerment. They are rigorously assessed and independently assured and provide recognition for companies that are integrating empowering business practice and delivering positive impacts in the marketplace, the workplace and the communities they operate.

Abdulla said the group’s success was due to its highly skilled empowerment management team, which put the company on the front foot for future growth.

“We are honoured to have been recognised for our efforts, a testament to our commitment to BBBEE, enterprise development and delivering strong financial performance with a holistic and sustainable business model,” he said.