Katherine-Mary Pichulik, an ethical jewelry and accessory brand-builder based in South Africa

May 7, 2023 Melanie Hawken

PICHULIK, a brand celebrating sacred feminine wisdom through its unique and intentional jewelry designs.

Katherine-Mary Pichulik founded PICHULIK in 2013 and is Joint CEO and Creative Director. Prior to establishing the jewelry and accessories brand, Katherine completed a BA Honours in Fine Arts at Cape Town University. PICHULIK is sold in up to sixteen countries around the world and has collaborated with Copenhagen luxury brand By Malene Birger, and LVMH winner Lukhanyo Mdingi. Katherine has received multiple design accolades including, Accessory Designer of the Year by African Fashion International, TWYG Sustainable Fashion Accessory Award, and Vogue Italia’s top 10 jewelry brands. PICHULIK is regularly featured in global publications, including VOGUE US, VOGUE UK, Conde Nast Traveller, and L” Official Mexico. Katherine is a South African Gazelle top 40 SMME, and United States International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) alumni.

Dalia Ibrahim, a serial entrepreneur and education innovator in Egypt

April 30, 2023 Melanie Hawken

Nahdet Misr Publishing House, EdVentures, Ta'heal for VET Skills Excellence, a group of businesses empowering through learning

Dalia Ibrahim is an accomplished business leader, angel investor, mentor, and mother of three children. She is the CEO of Nahdet Misr Publishing House, a prominent learning company in Egypt; the founder and CEO of EdVentures, MENA's first CVC specializing in Edtech; and the founder of Ta'heal, which offers vocational education solutions. Dalia began her career at Nahdet Misr in 1994, a family business founded by her grandfather as a small publishing house in 1938. Over the past 28 years, she has transformed Nahdet Misr into one of MENA’s leading learning and capacity-building companies. Dalia has received recognition for her entrepreneurial journey several times, including being a finalist in the "Leadership" category of the AMBA & BGA Excellence Award, a finalist in the "Lifetime Achievement" category of the AWIEF Awards, acknowledgment as one of the "Top 50" most influential women in Egypt, and receiving the "Corporate Social Responsibility Award" for Arab Women.

Gwen Addo, a Ghanaian entrepreneur passionate about hair processing

April 23, 2023 Melanie Hawken

The Hair Senta, a leading human hair processing and wig manufacturing business in Africa

Gwyneth Gyimah Addo, often called Gwen by many, is the ceo of one of the leading Human Hair processing/manufacturing companies in Africa, The Hair Senta, headquartered in Ghana and shipping across the globe. The business was started in 2012 and today employs 40 people. Gwen is also a wife, a mother, a philanthropist, and a business strategist.

Ifeoma Uddoh, a Nigerian fintech entrepreneur positively changing lives

April 16, 2023 Melanie Hawken

Shecluded, a female-focused fintech dedicated to creating economic prosperity for women through access to financial services.

Ifeoma Uddoh is a social entrepreneur and the founder of Shecluded, a female-focused FINTECH dedicated to creating economic prosperity for women through access to financial services. Since inception, Shecluded has been recognized internationally and was selected as one of NASDAQs milestone makers for its contribution to reducing inequality. Ifeoma is a Halcyon Fellow and her career spans over a decade in Consulting, Analytics, and Seed Funding for notable companies including PwC, and IROKO Partners Limited. Thanks to her hands-on experience with gender-lens financing, Ifeoma has featured on several entrepreneurship panels and master-classes hosted by First Bank, JohnHopkins University, Tekedia Institute, etc. She started her business in 2019, and today it employs 15 people.

Tania Tome, a Catalyst in Leadership in Africa & Lusophone Countries

April 2, 2023 Melanie Hawken

Ecokaya, a one-stop-shop for building an entrepreneurship and leadership eco-system in Mozambique

Tania Tome is a serial entrepreneur, international speaker, elite coach and mentor, keynote speaker, and best-selling author in Mozambique. She is in demand as a catalyst for entrepreneurship and leadership in Africa and Lusophone countries. She brings with her more than 20 years of experience having co-founded Ecokaya and working with Ecokaya Corporate for the last 5 Years focusing on training, coaching, mentoring, and lectures in many countries. She also co-founded Womenice which focuses on women’s economic and leadership empowerment, and the fintech startup company focused on emerging markets. She is a published author, board member, and strategic advisor for several non-profit and social enterprise boards.

Dr Noeline Kirabo, a Ugandan social entrepreneur positively changing lives

March 26, 2023 Melanie Hawken

Kyusa, a purpose-driven organization that empowers marginalized youth and women through enterprise development in Uganda

Dr Noeline Kirabo is the founder of Kyusa, a purpose-driven organization that empowers marginalized youth and women through enterprise development in Uganda. She is a distinguished personal and business development coach/consultant, author, TED speaker, certified mentor, trainer, and life coach. With a doctorate in Entrepreneurship Management and over fifteen years of experience in the civil society sector, Noeline is a recognized authority in the fields of personal and professional growth. As a family therapist and social entrepreneur, Noeline has made a lasting impact on the lives of children, youth, women, and community initiatives. She has also served as a personal and business development consultant for numerous exceptional companies in the East African region and beyond. Noeline is the founder and executive director of Kyusa, a for-impact organization committed to improving the quality of life for marginalized youth through entrepreneurship development. Her dedication to this cause has earned her a reputation as a transformative leader in the field of social entrepreneurship.

Camille Rebelo, an eco-preneur passionate about forest conservation

March 19, 2023 Melanie Hawken

EcoPlanet Bamboo, a Kenya headquartered business on a mission to conserve and restore natural forests

Camille Rebelo is the co-founder of EcoPlanet Bamboo, an organisation with its operational headquarters in Kenya, and working in 4 African countries - Ghana, South Africa, and Rwanda. She has a background in innovative financing mechanisms for the conservation of natural forests, and prior to co-founding EcoPlanet Bamboo in 2011, she developed or managed forestry projects ranging from large-scale commercial plantations to smallholder operations in more than 20 countries across Latin America, Africa, and Asia.

Adelia Chicombo, a Mozambican job creator in the service economy

March 11, 2023 Melanie Hawken

Continental Cleaners, Lda., a local company providing Industrial and Office Cleaning Services, and other highly specialist maintenance services in Mozambique

Adelia Chicombo is the co-founder and Managing Director of Continental Cleaners Lda in Mozambique, a specialist cleaning and maintenance business launched in 2016 and which today employs 300 people. Born in Manica, Adelia comes from a family of seven siblings, and her parent's earnings did not cover the family’s daily needs, a situation which forced them to seek alternative sources of income for the family. It was in this search that we were all directly or indirectly involved in conducting small businesses, including selling surplus vegetables produced in the backyard. Management awareness, in its broad sense, has always been in her mind. This is what led Adelia to take a degree in Management at the Faculty of Economics of Eduardo Mondlane University in 2008. Later in 2015, given her interest in the energy sector, she obtained a master's degree from the University of Cape Town in Energy Development Studies. In 2022, Adelia obtained her PhD degree. This degree was inspired by the awareness of gender issues, in particular the disproportionate impact that the lack of access to clean and modern energy sources has on women.

Nomhle Maggie Mliswa, a Zimbabwean agripreneur creating jobs & equal opportunities

March 5, 2023 Melanie Hawken

Summerhill Farm, a high-impact, smart agribusiness employing 350 people and contributing to SDGs in Zimbabwe

Nomhle Maggie Mliswa, is the founder of Summerhill Farm in Zimbabwe, a business launched in 2007 and which today employs 350 people. She is a mother, a successful serial entrepreneur, and also runs a transport fleet and a Tillage service company that tills land for farmers. She is the only woman in the sector. The farm is a diversified entity driven by SDGs and involved in Smart Agriculture, contributing to employment creation, food security, transfer of skills, tourism, and commercial business. Norma (as she us known by friends) has received several social, business and agriculture accolades. As a coach leader, speaker, game changer and mentor, Norma interrogates issues of development, challenging societies, and institutions from their comfort zones. In August 2022, she was the guest speaker at a Baptist Woman Conference in Liberia sharing her farming experiences as a single parent and successful farmer.

Nneile Nkholise, an agri-innovator creating global trade access

February 26, 2023 Melanie Hawken

Thola Inc, building a B2B agricultural produce procurement marketplace for Africa

Nneile Nkholise is the founder of Thola Inc, a business founded in 2021 and building the middle ground for mass continental farmer global trade access through a B2B agricultural produce procurement marketplace; that enables global companies to purchase forensic tested and verified climate sustainable goods from African farmers. She was born in Lesotho and grew up in South Africa and she studied towards a Masters Mechanical Engineering at Central University of Technology and Bachelor of Science majoring in Physics & Computer Science at University of Witwatersrand, all in South Africa. She is a product engineer with a specific focus in design engineering and has eight years’ experience in the construction and biomedical sectors, having developed biomedical products ranging from prosthesis to bio-implants. She was the co-founder of iMed Tech, a biotech company specializing in custom-made medical solutions using CAD and CAM techniques. In 2018, she co-founded 3DIMO, a venture backed company that automates livestock data analytics to monitor livestock health.

Beauty Monene, a South African plant hire business builder

February 19, 2023 Melanie Hawken

Monenebe Maintenance & Projects, a specialist cleaning plant hire business servicing South Africa’s mining industry

Beauty Monene was born and bred in Mamelodi in South Africa. She is the founder of Monenebe Maintenance and Projects, a business established and registered in 2006. She has a passion to define herself in business and giving opportunities to those in her community. Beauty is married with three daughters and has completed a BCom degree and a senior management diploma. She has worked in various entities in both finance and customers services, and her experience led her to establishing her business, Monenebe Maintenance and Projects. Today the business employs 39 people. In 2020, after the Covid pandemic hit, Beauty opened another manufacturing entity, and today she is mentoring her daughters in this business.

Mona Al Adawy, a pioneer of energy data management in Egypt

February 12, 2023 Melanie Hawken

GeoEnergy Petroleum Services, a business providing data management and digitalization for the exploration data assets of Egypt’s petroleum companies

Mona is the founding owner and ceo of GeoEnergy, a company specializing in providing data management services and digitalization solutions for the exploration data assets of the petroleum companies. Bootstrapping it from a $1,000 investment, it is now a firm that generates $1M+ in revenue, with over 65 clients, 25+ employees, and 40+ project-based consultants. Mona is IFC Nominee Director & Advisory Committee Member. In 2020, she acquired her MBA in Strategic Management - School of Business and Society, from South Wales University in the UK. She is a certified corporate director from IFC, World Bank, and was awarded a certificate in women’s entrepreneurship from Cornell University in the USA. She has a Certificate in Applied Management from Global Enterprise Center, Babson College in the USA, and graduated from the Geology/Chemistry Departments, Faculty of Science in Cairo University, 2002.

Diana Mbogo, an award-winning Tanzanian renewable energy entrepreneur

February 5, 2023 Melanie Hawken

Millennium Engineers Enterprises Limited, a Tanzanian renewable energy company specializing in solar and wind energy technologies

Diana Mbogo, 30, is a mother of two beautiful children and the founder/ managing director of Millennium Engineers Enterprises Ltd, a fast-growing renewable energy company in Tanzania that specializes in discovering untapped markets in different industries and sectors. The company then develops customized innovative business solutions by understanding the challenges, exploring solutions alongside customers/beneficiaries, and taking action in the best way to craft sustainable energy solutions. Founded in 2016 while still in her final academic year pursuing a BSc. in Mechanical Engineering, she managed to grow the company from ideation stage to a fast-growing and award-winning renewable energy company in Africa.

Jumoke Dada, a Nigerian e-commerce furniture and lifestyle brand builder

January 29, 2023 Melanie Hawken

Taeillo, Nigeria’s first e-commerce furniture business to enhance customer experience through augmented virtual reality

Jumoke Dada is an award-winning entrepreneur, international keynote speaker, and the founder of Taeillo, an e-commerce furniture and lifestyle brand based in Lagos Nigeria and Nairobi Kenya. By the age of 26, she had built a muti-million-dollar furniture and lifestyle brand from zero capital a couple of years prior. An advocate and a role model for women’s empowerment, Jumoke is an inspiration to a lot of upcoming women and entrepreneurs in Nigeria and outside the country. Elle Decoration South Africa named her as one of the creatives doing something interesting on the continent at the moment. Taeillo was launched in 2018 and today employs 99 people.

Judith Marera, a renewable energy sector champion in Zimbabwe

January 15, 2023 Melanie Hawken

Lanforce Energy, a Zimbabwean for-profit social enterprise creating affordable access to renewable energy

Judith Marera is the founder and CEO of Lanforce Energy a women-led, for-profit social enterprise in the renewable energy sector. Born and raised in rural Zimbabwe she realised the challenges that women and children go through in search of firewood for cooking. Human Resource practitioner by profession, having worked for both private and the public sector. Her background supplemented with her experience at the Meteorological Services Department and the World Meteorological Organisation, urged her to find solutions to mitigate the effects of climate change. She is a Woman in Africa 2021 laureate (WIA54), 2021 Tony Elumelu Foundation entrepreneurship program beneficiary, 2021 Small and Medium Enterprises Association Zimbabwe (SMEAZ)and the Chartered Institute of Project Managers Zimbabwe (CIPMZ) award winner. 2021 Uplink World Economic Forum Climate Justice Challenge Top Innovator.

Mylene Bosch, a South African entrepreneur passionate about training

January 8, 2023 Melanie Hawken

iCALC Training Academy, changing lives through training and development in South Africa

Mylene Bosch is the founder of iCALC Training Academy in South Africa, a private college that empowers individuals within their chosen careers. Specializing in Engineering, Business and IT studies, the business offers individuals quality education. What Mylene has done at iCALC Training Academy is to add to the mix a number of specialist mentoring and coaching groups. These help companies achieve the bottom line with efficient individuals that are cohesive in their workplace with qualified and certified coaches. The business was started in 2014 and today employs 23 people.

Carmen Miral, Mozambique’s natural skin and haircare brand builder

January 1, 2023 Melanie Hawken

Black Khakhela, a proudly environmentally-friendly Mozambican brand celebrating natural hair

Carmen Miral is the founder and inspiration behind the growing Mozambican natural skin and haircare brand, Black Khakhela. The brand, created in 2015 by Carmen, started as a social intervention against the preconception that natural / kinky hair is not beautiful or professional. She believed that by exposing this issue and her brand message on social media, “very important people” in different areas (with local and globally impact) using their natural hair would inspire younger generations to respect and embrace their own natural skin and hair.

Nara Cardoso Nunes, a pioneer of healthy food bars in Angola

December 18, 2022 Melanie Hawken

Paradise Saudável, a business focused on providing healthy and flavoursome eating experiences in Angola

Nara Cardoso Nunes is the founder of Paradise Saudável, one of the first healthy food bars, located in the heart of the Angolan Capital in Luanda. Nara is a leading entrepreneur in Angola when it comes to offering fast, healthy, natural flavoursome juices, smoothies and a variety of healthy dishes to suit all consumer needs. Nara’s business is focused on using locally produced fruits and vegetables to create tasty and healthy 100% fruit juices, smoothies, detox drinks, salads, soups, burgers, dried fruits foods, all freshly produced in-house.

Mary Njoki, an award-winning Kenyan PR agency founder

December 4, 2022 Melanie Hawken

Glass House PR Ltd, a diversified PR agency helping businesses to position their brands in Africa

Mary Njoki is an award-winning entrepreneur in Africa, a thought leader, a PR guru who founded Glass House PR Ltd in Kenya in 2012 at the age of 23. She is an influencer, a technology enthusiast, trainer and mentor through a platform she also founded called a billion start-ups, connector and a leader. She has a background in Mathematics, Business Information Technology, and Public Relations. Mary has worked with renowned brands for over 10 years, and she has been recognized globally for her immense contribution in the field of PR. She is equally feted for her volunteering contributions in the Marketing and PR industry as well. Mary has worked alongside 100+ organizations across Africa and globally. Today, Glass House PR employs 30 people.

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