This past week saw the end of an era in South Africa as one of the country’s pioneering women entrepreneurs passed away. Pam Golding, founder and Life President of the Pam Golding Property Group, was an extraordinary example of how to beat gender stereotypes and build a global business and brand from the bottom up. She died on Tuesday at her home Wittebomen in Constantia, Cape Town. She was 89 years old.
Pam Golding was one of Africa's most successful women entrepreneurs and an icon of the real estate industry. She founded Pam Golding Properties in South Africa in 1976 with no start-up capital and just a single sales assistant. Her legacy is a company that now has over 300 offices in Africa as well as international offices in the UK, Germany, France and Mauritius. Today, it is one of South Africa’s largest independent property trading companies. In later life, Pam retired from active management, but remained the Life President of the company she founded. She also devoted much of her energy to her philanthropic work and remained a powerful and positive role model for all women entrepreneurs. Pam's phenomenal success ensured she achieved international acknowledgement as one of the world’s leading businesswomen. Her remarkable entrepreneurial journey has provided a wonderful example for the next generation of women entrepreneurs who hope to follow in her footsteps.