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4 December – 10 December 2012
Issue 492
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AND THE WINNERS ARE...
The six winners of the 2012 South African Business Awards were announced at a function at South Africa House in London last Week
O
by HEATHER WALKER
N WEDNESDAY night the annual South African Business Awards, hosted by the South African Chamber of Commerce at SA House in London, honoured the most outstanding South Africans in the business arena across six categories. There was an excited buzz in the air before the ceremony began, as the 150 guests and nominees chatted and networked over champagne before moving into the auditorium to find out who the winners were. After a short opening address by South African High Commissioner Dr Zola Skweyiya, Chamber of Commerce chairperson Mary-Ann Anderson took the podium to announce the much-anticipated results. She said that there were more than 2,000 total votes for nominees on TheSouthAfrican. com. These made up 30% of the overall vote, while a panel of eight independent judges (made up of sponsors and Chamber of Commerce board members) contributed the remaining 70% of the vote. Innovator of the Year was won by Francis West, who received his award from Kevin Ryder of sponsor Nedbank. Second place in this category went to Jana Meyer. West said he hoped his award would bring him good exposure “to help South African companies use an innovative UK IT partner to set up their IT systems in the UK.” The winner of Business Leader of the Year was Claudio Chiste,
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INSIDE:
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Participate in the SA UK Visa Survey | p2 The winners of the South African Business Awards 2012: Mark Griffiths, Claudio Chiste, Noma Mthimkulu (representing Jessica Shelver), Janet Broadhurst, Lisa MacLeod and Francis West.
who received his prize from Gary Kershaw of category sponsor SAA. The runner up was Reg Bamford. Chiste, who spent eight years in the South African military as a naval officer, said, “As with many others looking to move into the private sector after a long period in the military, I was concerned about having transferrable skills. However, in my experience, it seems long-term career success is heavily influenced
by an individual’s self-belief and determination.” He said in terms of his career at Investec, he found the company’s culture of empowering individuals and celebrating the entrepreneurial spirit, especially in the maritime trade and ship finance arena, had been a great fit with his career goals and values. “I remember a couple of years ago when these awards did not exist. I think the Chamber of Commerce have done an
outstanding job in recognising the achievements of South Africans abroad. From nothing they have created a premier event, now widely regarded as a ‘must attend’ event.” Entrepreneur of the Year went to Mark Griffiths, who accepted his award from Lucy Mullins of The Red Phone, while the runner-up was Paul Harrison. Griffiiths said, “This award means a great deal to me and ...continues on next page
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DA to take Secrecy Bill fight to ConCourt | p4 The Democratic Alliance has vowed to take the fight against the Protection of State Information Bill passed on Thursday in Parliament, all the way to the Constitutional Court if necessary.
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