Mary-Jean Treloar, a South African jeweller putting her passion for Africa into precious metals

March 24, 2017 Melanie Hawken

Mary-Jean Treloar, founder of MΛRY JEΛN JEWELLERY (South Africa) — **Mary-Jean Treloar**, founder of MΛRY JEΛN JEWELLERY (South Africa)

Some people are born creative, and others are born entrepreneurial, and if you are lucky, you get to be a combination of the two! South African entrepreneur and talented jewellery designer, Mary-Jean Treloar, displays both of these traits in huge quantities. Her highly personal brand, MΛRY JEΛN JEWELLERY, is inspired by the continent she loves and the stories that are woven into the very fabric of society. Her unique work is winning fans of great jewellery design both at home and abroad.

Helen Asimegbe, a Nigerian entrepreneur building a great children’s clothing and accessories retail brand

March 23, 2017 Melanie Hawken

Helen Asimegbe, founder of Stylemark Mall Enterprises (Nigeria) — **Helen Asimegbe**, founder of Stylemark Mall Enterprises (Nigeria)

It’s not always easy, making the transition from corporate to entrepreneur, but for Helen Asimegbe, founder of Stylemark Mall Enterprises in Nigeria, it was a personal dream and a promise to herself. Today, she is doing what she loves, building a highly customer-centric retail business, whilst at the same time playing her part in helping other entrepreneurs to realize their dreams too.

Vicki Bain, a South African chocolatier taking the country by storm with her unique brand of Belgian chocolates with a truly African twist

March 22, 2017 Melanie Hawken

Vicki Bain, founder of Chocoloza (South Africa) — **Vicki Bain**, founder of Chocoloza (South Africa)

For all true chocolate lovers out there who are constantly on the search for the purest of taste sensations and the highest quality ingredients, there is a new, proudly African brand that is getting people talking. Chocoloza, the brainchild of entrepreneur and passionate chocolatier, Vicki Bain, combines the best Belgian chocolate with the finest local, fresh African ingredients. The result is a taste sensation unlike anything else you will taste in the chocolate world.

Jetto Myaba, an inspirational Malawian entrepreneur with ambitions to keep growing her business to become a market leader

March 19, 2017 Melanie Hawken

Jetto Myaba, Founder & Managing Director of Mwaya Enterprises (Malawi) — **Jetto Myaba**, Founder & Managing Director of Mwaya Enterprises (Malawi)

For many women entrepreneurs, thinking big can be daunting in business, but for Malawian entrepreneur, Jetto Myaba, Managing Director of Mwaya Enterprises, having a big vision is all part of the journey.

Michelle Pires Mbilizi, a Malawian serial entrepreneur creating customer retail and service experiences to remember

March 14, 2017 Melanie Hawken

Michelle Mbilizi, serial entrepreneur (Malawi) — **Michelle Mbilizi,** serial entrepreneur (Malawi)

There are some women entrepreneurs who don’t just think of building one business, but have the vision and imagination to create several, and Malawian entrepreneur Michelle Mbilizi is one of those.

Liz van Zyl, an entrepreneur making magic with words to help clients get their messages across

March 10, 2017 Melanie Hawken

Liz van Zyl, founder of The Content Agency (South Africa) — **Liz van Zyl**, founder of The Content Agency (South Africa)

In a world where consumers are bombarded by information 24/7, it can be hard to get a brand and its messaging to breakthrough and connect, and that’s where The Content Agency comes in. The brainchild of South African entrepreneur Liz van Zyl, this specialist business venture creates high impact content capable of making that crucial breakthrough and connecting with audiences across all media formats.

Shola Ade-Okafor, an entrepreneur with a passion for bringing professional make-up tools and products tailor-made for African women

March 10, 2017 Melanie Hawken

Shola Ade-Okafor, founder of BlushinGirl Tools (Kenya) — **Shola Ade-Okafor**, founder of BlushinGirl Tools (Kenya)

For many women entrepreneurs in Africa, the inspiration for launching a new business, product or brand comes from trying to find a solution to a challenge or addressing the lack of a particular product in the marketplace. For Shola Ade-Okafor, the inspiration for her company, BlushinGirl Tools, came from not being able to find an eyeshadow primer suitable for professional make-up artists.

Bhatupe Mhango, a perfumier in Malawi creating unique fragrances for today’s modern woman

March 9, 2017 Melanie Hawken

Bhatupe Mhango, founder of Bha’s Fragrance Boutique (Malawi) — **Bhatupe Mhango**, founder of Bha’s Fragrance Boutique (Malawi)

A passion for creating contemporary fragrances led entrepreneur and perfumier, Bhatupe Mhango to launch her own unique label, Bha’s Fragrance Boutique, creating perfumes that are inspired by Africa but for women of the world.

Ndaneh Howard, a Sierra Leonean entrepreneur creating bold African accessories for the world to wear

March 1, 2017 Melanie Hawken

Ndaneh Howard, founder of Ngewormia (Sierra Leone) — **Ndaneh Howard**, founder of Ngewormia (Sierra Leone)

African women are proud of their unique style and creativity particularly in the world of fashion and accessory design. And for one Sierra Leonean entrepreneur, Ndaneh Howard, founder of accessory brand Ngewormia, this sense of pride is reflected in her work and her personal mission to get the world talking about the beauty of African accessories.

Evelyne Ndabaneze-Masumbuko, an entrepreneur creating a unique online English city guide for expats in Cote d’Ivoire

February 26, 2017 Melanie Hawken

Evelyne Ndabaneze-Masumbuko, founder of Abidjan4you (Ivory Coast) — **Evelyne Ndabaneze-Masumbuko,** founder of Abidjan4you (Ivory Coast)

It can be difficult moving to a new country as an expatriate and not speaking the local language. But in Ivory coast, English speaking residents now have a great new resource to help out, thanks to entrepreneur Evelyne Ndabaneze-Masumbuko, founder of Abidjan4you.

Jolene Roelofse, a South African marketing and communications specialist on a mission to help other SMMEs and entrepreneurs with their brands

February 26, 2017 Melanie Hawken

Jolene Roelofse, founder of Bludoor Market (South Africa) — **Jolene Roelofse,** founder of Bludoor Market (South Africa)

One of the major challenges for any startup is understanding how to effectively to get their brands, products and services out into the marketplace and connecting customers. That’s where marketing and communications comes in, and for South African entrepreneur and marcomms specialist Jolene Roelofse, founder of Bludoor Market, it provided an opportunity to create a solution.

Cecilia Mnisi, a South African entrepreneur with a passion for the art of translation and interpretation in business

February 19, 2017 Melanie Hawken

Cecilia Mnisi, founder of MMJ Interpretation Services (South Africa) — **Cecilia Mnisi,** founder of MMJ Interpretation Services (South Africa)

In countries such as South Africa where there are so many official languages, and on the African continent in general where language can so often be the key to doing effective business across the continent, it can be challenging. But specialist language and translation expert, Cecilia Mnisi, founder of MMJ Interpretation Services Pty Ltd, has the solution, and her company is breaking down language barriers for business each and every day.

Leigh-Ann Gowland, a South African entrepreneur helping others to manage change for growth

February 19, 2017 Melanie Hawken

**Leigh-Ann Gowland, founder of Employee Driven Change (South Africa)**

Change at a personal and business level can often be challenging and feel like an uphill struggle. But change specialist Leigh-Ann Gowland and her company Employee Driven Change (Pty) Ltd have a solution to make the journey easier to navigate.

Grace Mlimo, an entrepreneur providing a gateway to showcase Africa’s luxury brands on the continent

February 18, 2017 Melanie Hawken

Grace Mlimo, founder of Luxuria Lifestyle Africa — **Grace Mlimo**, founder of Luxuria Lifestyle Africa

Getting the world to sit up and take notice of Africa’s luxury products is a challenge, but for entrepreneur Grace Mlimo, founder of Luxuria Lifestyle Africa, she thinks she has the solution with her online platform.

Olukemi Omotayo Asalu, a Nigerian entrepreneur now based in South Africa taking the continent’s natural organic ingredients to the world of skin and haircare

February 8, 2017 Melanie Hawken

Olukemi Omotayo Asalu, founder of Daolus Organic Products (South Africa) — **Olukemi Omotayo Asalu,** founder of Daolus Organic Products (South Africa)

Increasingly today, consumers are becoming so much more conscious about the products they put onto their skin and on their hair, looking for natural, high quality alternatives to the chemical laden products on the shelves. For entrepreneur Olukemi Omotayo Asalu, this represented the perfect opportunity to do something she loved and create a business, Daolus Organic Products, to bring natural organic ingredients from Africa to the world.

Geraldine Eve Kasambara, a Zimbabwean entrepreneur harnessing the power of social media marketing to help clients to realize their goals

February 8, 2017 Melanie Hawken

Geraldine Eve Kasambara, founder of 143 Communications (Zimbabwe) — **Geraldine Eve Kasambara**, founder of 143 Communications (Zimbabwe)

Staying on top of the latest online trends is key in the world of marketing, and for Zimbabwean company 143 Communications, headed by entrepreneur Geraldine Eve Kasambara, those trends bring exciting business opportunities.

Nomalanga Sitole, a South African entrepreneur using her voice and experience to inspire and motivate through eventing

February 5, 2017 Melanie Hawken

Nomalanga Sitole, founder of The Voice Within (South Africa) — **Nomalanga Sitole**, founder of The Voice Within (South Africa)

Often people speak about finding their inner voice as a means of directing their personal journeys and getting their vision or key messages across. This is certainly the case for Nomalanga Sitole, the South African entrepreneur behind The Voice Within, an event management company creating memorable eventing experiences for clients and attendees alike.

Tepsii Tshikororo, a South African entrepreneur helping to develop other entrepreneurs in key aspects of their businesses

February 4, 2017 Melanie Hawken

Tepsii Tshikororo, founder of Tepsii (South Africa) — **Tepsii Tshikororo**, founder of Tepsii (South Africa)

Often the key to business success lies in harnessing and leveraging inherent skills and turning those same skills into an asset. For South African entrepreneur Tepsii Tshikororo, she found the key to her entrepreneurial journey in writing, coaching and training. Her company, Tepsii, is now empowering others to following their own business dreams.

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