Mauricia Cox, a South African holistic wellness and beauty brandbuilder

December 30, 2023 Melanie Hawken

Mauricia Cox, founder, Wellchemco (South Africa)

Mauricia Cox is an entrepreneur and water/wastewater treatment engineer in South Africa who has witnessed at first-hand the impact of pollutants on water sources. Her company, Wellchemco, revolutionizes the beauty industry with a focus on mindful beauty and holistic wellness. Through an ethically produced range of products, Mauricia aims to inspire a cultural shift toward a more conscious approach to personal care, blending technical expertise with sustainability. Passionate about environmental stewardship, she believes entrepreneurship can drive positive change. Wellchemco reflects Mauricia's commitment to contributing positively to people and the planet, challenging beauty norms with consciousness, compassion, and intention.

Avashna Ramnarain, a South African edupreneur creating innovative learning experiences for children

December 30, 2023 Melanie Hawken

Avashna Ramnarain, founder and CEO, Mindful Masterminds (South Africa)

Avashna Ramnarain, visionary founder and CEO of Mindful Masterminds in South Africa, is dedicated to transforming children's lives through innovative learning experiences, initiatives, and resources. She is a seasoned, award-winning marketing expert with over 15 years former corporate, Africa Marketing experience at one of the continent’s largest PC and Printing manufacturers where she earned recognition for initiatives in the education sector. She belonged to their leadership team, Sustainability team, as well as the Women Impact Network for Africa. With her esteemed career in Technology Marketing and a foundation in Psychology & Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Avashna initiated an undertaking to redefine the approach to enhance mental and emotional resilience in children.

Natasha Pearce, a champion of the Circular Economy empowering women with new skills

December 23, 2023 Melanie Hawken

Natasha Pearce, founder & ceo of Vivacious Eco Vixon (South Africa)

Natasha Pearce is the founder and ceo of Vivacious Eco Vixon located in Cape Town, South Africa. She is an award winning entrepreneur and her business is focused on the the Circular Economy. Vivacious Eco Vixon was founded in 2018 and creates reusable home and lifestyle products that are the eco conscious alternative to single use items we use in our everyday lives. All products are locally produced in Cape Town from textile and clothing industry discarded waste. Natasha supports different sewing projects around South Africa that empower woman with new life skills by upskilling them through learning how to sew.

Elicha Fernandes Valdez, an entrepreneur in Mozambique turning her passion for Macramé into a business

December 23, 2023 Melanie Hawken

Elicha Fernandes Valdez, founder, MacramêbyElicha (Mozambique)

Elicha Fernandes Valdez is originally from Cape Verde and has lived in Maputo, Mozambique for 3 years with her family. Graduated in Medicine, she found in Macramé a way to redefine herself, express her creativity and occupy her time, adding quality and beauty to her days. About 2 years ago she created the brand MacramêbyElicha and today shares her art with the world through his Instagram and Facebook pages.

Yeelen Khan, a Mozambican edupreneur making learning moments joyful for children

December 11, 2023 Melanie Hawken

Yeelen Khan, founder, MJAY Criações (Mozambique)

Yeelen Khan is a Mozambican entrepreneur and the founder of MJAY Criações which launched in January 2022. MJAY is a company that creates and sells educational resources for children, with the aim of making learning moments joyful and light. MJAY has 2 workers and has partnerships for distribution in Maputo, Nacala and Beira. MJAY has an online store that can be accessed at www.mjaycriacoes.co.mz.

Iara Muchanga, a Mozambican jewellery and accessory designer focused on sustainability through recycling

December 11, 2023 Melanie Hawken

Iara Muchanga, founder, FERMU (Mozambique)

Iara Muchanga is the founder of FERMU, a sustainable Mozambican jewellery and accessory brand founded in 2022 that is faithful to its identity and its passion for reducing the environmental damage caused by the fashion industry. Iara’s work is focused on sustainability, creating accessories from recycled solid waste such as fish carcasses, shells, cardboard plastic bottles, etc.

Nomihlali Ntsunguzi, a South African HR specialist helping businesses develop their human capital

November 26, 2023 Melanie Hawken

Nomihlali Ntsunguzi, founder, Nissi Human Capital (South Africa)

Nissi Business Solutions (PTY) Ltd, trading as Nissi Human Capital and founded by entrepreneur Nomihlali Ntsunguzi in South Africa, is on a mission to provide customer-centric human capital solutions to its clients. The business exists to solutions that unlock the full potential (inborn ability) of people. It is Nomihlali’s belief that an organisational culture that nurtures individual diversity will thrive at each stage of its maturity when underpinned by the simple philosophy, “everybody has a role to play”.

Zanele Matome, a South African healthtech entrepreneur leveraging technology to prove access to health in the workplace

November 26, 2023 Melanie Hawken

Zanele Matome, founder, Welo Health (South Africa)

Zanele Matome is the founder of Welo health, a Healthtech startup based in South Africa and launched in 2020. Prior to starting this business, she has been involved in different industries as an entrepreneur ranging from construction to mining. Now she is solving the problem of access to healthcare by merging technology with the human touch. Welo has close to 500 gig nurses nationwide and doctors working with them to deliver access to healthcare. Zanele's other passion is paying it forward to communities with her NGO Innov8 which provides maths lessons to rural schools in South Africa and Tanzania.

Christine Chama Mulolo, a South African entrepreneur adding value to people’s beauty and wellbeing

November 19, 2023 Melanie Hawken

Christine Chama Mulolo, founder and CEO, Nailporium & More Beauty Salon (South Africa)

Christine Chama Mulolo is the founder and CEO of the Nailporium & More Beauty Salon in South Africa. She is a motivated entrepreneur who is changing the world of beauty with her company’s focus on natural wellbeing. Christine believes that her business can add value to every person’s wellbeing by offering a range of natural treatments. What inspires her as an entrepreneur is finding new ways to better her business and educate more women to join the beauty industry. As a Trainer, she voluntarily assists and trains women of colour to have a skill as Beauticians and to be able to work and earn money.

Gisela Massaua, a Mozambican entrepreneur creating access to financial literacy

November 19, 2023 Melanie Hawken

Gisela Massaua, founder, Sothenne (Mozambique)

Sothenne is a consultancy company founded by Gisela Massaua in Mozambique and operating in the areas of Financial Education, Personal Development and business and sales intermediation. The business aims to contribute to better financial positioning of people and companies in the Community of Portuguese-speaking Countries. The business has been in the market for 2 years and has developed products and services that can accommodate customers in different segments. Gisela launched two specific products for informal sellers and low-income people, contributing to better financial positioning of people and companies in Mozambique, Angola, Cape Verde and Portugal. Sothenne aims to work with audiences from across the CPLP (Community of Portuguese-speaking Countries) by 2025.

Susan Venter, a South African entrepreneur providing all-in-one architectural solutions for clients

November 12, 2023 Melanie Hawken

Susan Venter, founder, SM Architectural & Town-planning Services (South Africa)

For those property owners in need of updated and approved building plans, Susan Venter is a Professional Architectural Draughtsperson and owner of SM Architectural & Town-planning Services in South Africa is the person to meet. She brings both her passion and a decade of experience in helping her clients with affordable architectural drafting services for their residential and commercial building needs.

Chinenye Macuacua, a Mozambican entrepreneur building an upcycling fashion business with style

November 5, 2023 Melanie Hawken

Chinenye Macuacua, founder, Powa Clothing (Mozambique)

Chinenye Macuacua is the visionary founder of Powa Clothing in Mozambique, a company dedicated to the art of upcycling, breathing new life into discarded clothing while also crafting fresh garments from dead stock fabrics. She embarked on her entrepreneurial journey in 2018, immediately after completing high school. Chinenye has been the driving force behind her one-woman business for five years, demonstrating both her passion for sustainability and her creative prowess. Her dreams extend beyond her solo venture, aspiring to build a community of empowered, eco-conscious fashion enthusiasts who share her commitment to breathe new life into the old. Specializing in the transformation of men's suits, Chinenye is drawn to the empowering aura that suits exude. This attraction fuels her dedication to upcycling this iconic clothing item, infusing it with renewed purpose and style. As Powa Clothing thrives, Chinenye envisions expansion, aiming to inspire and mentor young women, passing on her passion for upcycling.

Gloria Adaba, a Nigerian entrepreneur building an environmental consulting and recycling business with impact

November 5, 2023 Melanie Hawken

Gloria Avosuahi Adaba, CEO, Remould Global Ventures Limited (Nigeria)

Gloria Avosuahi Adaba is the CEO of Remould Global Ventures Limited in Nigeria, an environmental consulting, recycling, and exportation company started in 2020. She is a resourceful Polymer Engineer and Environmentalist, with over twelve years of proven hands-on experience in Waste Management, Recycling and Environmental projects, oil and gas technical safety, Front-End Engineering, and Detailed Engineering Design. As a result of her passion for human and environmental sustainability, and safety, and her work in organizations with Health Safety and Environmental standards; she has acquired broad international and multicultural experience in Waste Management, Recycling, and Oil and Gas Technical Safety Engineering.

Gladys Chibanda, a Zimbabwean entrepreneur transforming waste into eco-friendly packaging and stationery

October 29, 2023 Melanie Hawken

Gladys Chibanda, founder, Krafted Ink (Zimbabwe)

Gladys Chibanda, founder of Krafted Ink in Zimbabwe, is a visionary entrepreneur dedicated to merging sustainability and culture. With a mission to combat textile waste and promote cultural diversity, Krafted Ink transforms discarded textiles into eco-friendly gift packaging and stationery, celebrating the rich heritage of African fabrics. Gladys's leadership propels the company towards a greener, culturally enriched future, one product at a time.

Arashnee Ramjuguth, a South African entrepreneur on a mission to make clean drinking water accessible and affordable

October 29, 2023 Melanie Hawken

Arashnee Ramjuguth, founder, Refresha Trading Enteprises (South Africa)

Arashnee Ramjuguth is the Founder of Refresha Trading Enteprises based in Durban, South Africa. The business is focused on providing clean purified drinking water to the community of South Africa. Refresha Trading Enterprises is a LEVEL 1 BBBEE owned custom bottled water company offering a range of products and services. Arashnee’s mission is to ensure clean, purified drinking water is affordable and accessible to the South African people. Her business aspires to be the go-to place to create an impactful branded bottled water experience by helping its clients to grow their personal brand or businesses through branding water products.

Forget Shareka, an award-winning agro-processing entrepreneur in Zimbabwe tackling post-harvest food waste

October 22, 2023 Melanie Hawken

Forget Shareka, founder, Chashi Foods (Zimbabwe)

Forget Shareka is the founder of Chashi Foods in Zimbabwe, and also a farmer, vibrant agronomic engineer, award-winning entrepreneur, environmental management, and sustainability professional. She is passionate about agribusiness, sustainable food systems, sustainability, community development, youth and women empowerment, and climate action. Her academic background is in agricultural sciences, entrepreneurship, and innovation. She is the founder and business development director for Chashi Foods, an agro-processing company committed to reducing postharvest and food losses in Sub-Saharan Africa. Currently, she works in the Environmental, Social, and Governance field (ESG) in Telecommunications.

Masanda Peter, a South African magazine publisher shining a spotlight on the stories of mineworkers

October 22, 2023 Melanie Hawken

Masanda Peter, founder, Mineworker Magazine

Masanda Peter is a qualified, seasoned Marketing, Media and Communications Professional and a serial entrepreneur in South Africa who has launched a magazine publishing venture, Mineworker Magazine, focusing on sharing the untold stories of mineworkers. For a long time, mineworkers have not had their side of the story covered and through this magazine their stories will be shared. Masanda has a journalism background having embarked on her Journalism studies and completed her International Diploma in Journalism.

Marilize Jacobs, a South African serial entrepreneur leading two innovative yet distinctive business ventures

October 15, 2023 Melanie Hawken

Marilize Jacobs, founder, Pigs Can Fly Interiors & VocalCord Reputation Management (South Africa)

Marilize Jacobs is the founder of two businesses, Pigs Can Fly Interiors & VocalCord Reputation Management in South Africa. She is a reputation strategist with a BCom Marketing Management (UP) and a career spanning interior design, marketing, and PR. Clients, especially in the Financial Services, Legal, Pharmaceutical, Hospitality and Retail industries which revere her strategic skills, thoroughness and tenacity when it comes to building and maintaining reputations. On the personal front, she is a boat skipper and avid cyclist, and also has a pro bono involvement with The Star Academy, an international institution for children with Autism.

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