Gisela Mudumbi Van Houcke, a visionary brand-builder in Africa’s beauty sector

May 28, 2023 Melanie Hawken

Zuri, a business with a vision to be the undisputed leader in the African beauty sector

Gisela Mudumbi Van Houcke is the founder of Zuri, a company providing high-quality beauty products and services designed specifically for black women in both Africa and across Europe. Her personal and entrepreneurial journey have been nothing short of remarkable. Born in the Democratic Republic of Congo, she had to navigate many challenges in her early years. She left the country due to political instabilities and moved to the UK as a refugee. Her tenacity and perseverance paid off. During her time in London, Gisela excelled in her studies and obtained a First Class Law Degree in British and French Law. Gisela's first opportunity to do so came when she was appointed Africa Head of Legal for a British Renewable Energy company. She worked in this role for three years, gaining valuable insights into the African market and the challenges facing the continent. However, Gisela's true passion lay in entrepreneurship, and she decided to start her own business, launching Zuri in 2016, a business that today employs 30 people.

Vivian Savia, a natural skincare brand builder in Nigeria

May 7, 2023 Melanie Hawken

Vivian Savia, founder and CEO, Nature's Bar (Nigeria)

Vivian Savia is the founder and CEO of a natural skincare brand, Nature's Bar in Nigeria, which has been in operation since 2017. It currently creates job opportunities within her environment while partnering with local suppliers of raw materials and supplies. She is a chartered accountant with an MA in International Business Management from Middlesex University, London, and B.Sc. in Accounting from Imo State University. As a chartered accountant by profession, her basic skills and experience were in accounting, grants management, retail marketing, financial management, donor reporting, procurement, and communication within the banking and non-profit sector.

Mandy Dube, a serial business builder creating economic empowerment opportunities for women in Zambia

March 10, 2023 Melanie Hawken

Mandy Dube, founder, Yinu Custom Creatives (Zambia)

Mandy Dube is the founder of Yinu Custom Creatives in Zambia, a business which she runs alongside her professional role in international development. Yinu Custom Creatives is a collection of five brands covering fashion (Bonisa Tailoring), beauty (Simple SkinCare), food (Wadya Chani) and entrepreneurship (Atuule Hyesu) all underpinned by mental health or as Mandy likes to put it, Mental Muscle. The focus of the business is to promote mental health, wellness and economic empowerment for women.

Ayanda Majola, a South African entrepreneur building a niche beauty brand for sensitive skin

March 5, 2023 Melanie Hawken

Ayanda Majola, founder, Yanda Cosmetics (South Africa)

Ayanda Majola is the founder of Yanda Cosmetics which is a local South African beauty brand that specializes in scientific skincare made specifically for sensitive skin. As well as being a beauty entrepreneur, she is also a medical science student. Her business is committed to bringing non-toxic, simple, effective and affordable skincare products made with clinically proven active ingredients that were carefully selected from her background knowledge in both Medicine and Science. Despite her young age and being a full-time health science student, Ayanda has been able to grow her brand in a short space of time. Her products are now available on Zando and Takealot which are the leading online platforms in the country and she has recently signed a deal with an international shopping platform that will stock and sell her products in the United Kingdom.

Tania Morgan and Britt Marki, creating a self-care focused feminine wellness brand in South Africa

February 19, 2023 Melanie Hawken

Tania Morgan, founder, MiQuann (South Africa)

Tania Morgan and Britt Marki are cofounders of MiQuann! a South African feminine wellness business focused on female self-care, hormonal health and ageless lifelong sensuality. This dynamic team are developing a community platform to empower women to make lifestyle and self-care choices to optimise their hormonal health enabling a better quality of life and lifelong sensuality.

Barbara Kleinschmidt, South African entrepreneur tapping the healing properties of Aloe Ferox for her brand

January 22, 2023 Melanie Hawken

Barbara Kleinschmidt, founder and Director, Totally Wild (Pty) Ltd (South Africa)

With 30 years of experience in the aloe industry, Barbara Kleinschmidt is a founder and Director of Totally Wild (Pty) Ltd, a 13 year old Cape Town based company, specializing in natural and organic products, made from South Africa's wild-grown, indigenous Aloe ferox plants. Barbara, a single mom with 3 grown up sons, has always had a strong interest in naturopathy, traditional and natural medicines, and focuses on products that will help to improve the health of their customers. In addition, the aloe industry in South Africa relies on a large rural workforce to harvest and pre-process the aloe leaves, providing jobs and upliftment for entire communities who were previously disadvantaged.

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.

Anotida Nyowani, an entrepreneur creating a natural and affordable skincare company in Zimbabwe & Mozambique

September 25, 2022 Melanie Hawken

Anotida Nyowani, co-founder, Luxury Junkies (Zimbabwe & Mozambique)

Anotida Nyowani is an entrepreneur and the co-founder of Luxury Junkies, a natural skincare company in Zimbabwe and Mozambique. She is also a physiotherapist by profession, with a talent and a passion for formulating natural, cruelty free skin and haircare products. Her sister Chido Mhindurwa has a psychology degree with years of human resources management and business development experience under her belt. Together they teamed up to create a luxury non-toxic skincare company that runs in Mozambique and in Zimbabwe. Their drive is to offer sustainable, healthy and clean skincare at an affordable price.

Lee Billy Chisale, a wellness and beauty brand-builder in Malawi

September 25, 2022 Melanie Hawken

Belle Afrique, a market leader promoting healthy lifestyle and beauty treatments in Malawi

Lee Billy Chisale is the founder and ceo of Belle Afrique in Malawi, a business that promotes healthy lifestyle and beauty treatments. She is an experienced entrepreneur with a focus on promoting wellness in the pan-African market. She founded the business over 20 years ago in 2001 and now employs 15 people. She is a stomatologist with a background in accounting and business management. Today, Belle Afrique provides outstanding clinical and client relations skills for delivering advanced services in aesthetics wellness and training education in the wellness and hospitality industry.

Narcia Walle, a Mozambican entrepreneur building a growing beauty business

August 21, 2022 Melanie Hawken

Narcia Taalumba Walle, co-founder & ceo, Margarida & Rose Beauty Bar (Mozambique)

Narcia Taalumba Walle is the co-founder and ceo of Margarida & Rose Beauty Bar in Mozambique. Margarida & Rose is a nail spa, make-up studio and cosmetics store that provides offers high quality products and services in a relaxed environment. The business was founded through a joint venture in 2021 and employs 4 women from the local Mozambican community. Narcia has 7 years’ experience in the beauty industry as a cosmetics retailer through her company Rose & Rose Store that has been catering to the Mozambican market since 2015. She is also a corporate lawyer, certified SAP consultant, and a humanitarian working for the UN WFP.

Irene Mavie, a Mozambican entrepreneur producing a natural cosmetic line

August 14, 2022 Melanie Hawken

Irene Isac Mavie, founder & CEO, Mavie Cosméticos (Mozambique)

Irene Isac Mavie is the founder and CEO of Mavie Cosméticos in Mozambique. As a lover of creativity, her business is focused on the supply of natural and handmade cosmetics which are of good quality. Her business model takes into account ensuring accessibility of the product range for her customers.

Ruth Obizo, a Nigerian beauty entrepreneur creating professional make-up experiences

June 19, 2022 Melanie Hawken

**Obizo (Ruth) Chiamaka, founder, GlambyRuthie (Nigeria)**

Obizo (Ruth) Chiamaka is the founder of GlambyRuthie in Nigeria, a brand focused on providing the best makeup services for women across the nation and the training of aspiring makeup artists. She is also studying accountancy at Nnamdi Azikiwe University and currently pursuing her ICAN qualification. Ruth founded GlambyRuthie in 2020 and is focused on growing her brand, getting involved in fashion shows, and looking for collaborations in the beauty industry.

Marie Behrens, a serial entrepreneur in Mauritius building a pan-African marketplace for beauty and wellness professionals

May 1, 2022 Melanie Hawken

Marie Behrens, founder and CEO, Kipepeo (Mauritius)

Marie Behrens is the founder and CEO of Kipepeo in Mauritius. She is a serial entrepreneur with over 13 years experience developing beauty salons and spas internationally, and with that skillset and passion for the industry she is now building a pan African marketplace that provides beauty and wellness professionals with a management and booking solution to optimize their business. It is the first start up of its kind in Mauritius and has been operational for more than a year, creating a community and business support to over 100 professionals. Her vision is to create equal growth opportunities for these professionals across Africa by using an end-to-end digital solution.

Tutuwa Ahwoi, a Ghanaian beauty brand-builder empowering women

May 1, 2022 Melanie Hawken

Nokware Skincare, a modern day, sustainable, African skincare company

Tutuwa Ahwoi is the 31 year old founder and CEO of Nokware Skincare. She was born in Accra, Ghana where she currently resides. She founded the business in 2017. Today, Nokware is a modern day African skincare company that has 11 female employees, 8 product lines (and counting) and a successful event gifting business.

Rachel Kobo, a South African natural hair care brand builder

March 13, 2022 Melanie Hawken

Rachel Kobo, founder of The Fro Avenue in South Africa, is a devoted natural hair care lover. With a background in Electrical and Electronic Engineering, her brand, The Fro Avenue, was born from her love for and interest in natural hair care. This led her to start up her business in 2020 which is aimed at natural hair care education and product manufacturing. She truly enjoys learning and sharing her knowledge base about natural hair with fellow naturalists and anyone starting out on their natural hair journey. Her aim is to promote a community that embraces their natural hair while learning to understand and love it for the beauty it is.

Anna Karina de Sousa, a Mozambican entrepreneur passionate about aesthetics and beauty

February 27, 2022 Melanie Hawken

Anna Karina de Sousa, founder, Executive Nails (Mozambique)

Anna Karina de Sousa is the founder of Executive Nails in Mozambique, a business she launched specializing in aesthetics and beauty in 2019. Her business is dedicated to the treatment of hands and feet, with a range of specialist treatments on offer to customers. Executive Nails is highly differentiated with Anna creating and bringing to the Mozambican market a premium space with investment in the refinement, dedication and implementation of unique details such as gourmet catering, excellent service, investment in staff training, and official distribution of the Andreia Professional brand in the country.

Violet Amoabeng, a passion-driven natural skincare innovator in Ghana

February 13, 2022 Melanie Hawken

Skin Gourmet, a raw handmade skincare brand inspired by the West African bush

Violet A. Amoabeng is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Skin Gourmet Limited, a Ghanaian innovation that creates Raw handmade skincare sourced from the Wilds of Ghana and so pure you can eat it. Violet created Skin Gourmet on 9th October 2014 when she realized there was need for unadulterated high quality body and skincare that was safe for human consumption. In other words, the rawest, purest and wildest skin care sourced from the heart of the West African bush – Raw edible skincare!

Nogaye Ndiaye Mourgaye, an entrepreneur professionalizing the beauty industry

December 26, 2021 Melanie Hawken

Fantaisika, a leading professional nail and beauty training academy in Senegal

Nogaye Ndiaye Mourgaye is a leading nail and beauty institute entrepreneur in Senegal. Today, she heads a business which includes Ongle Mania Senegal, a leading nail shop chain in the country, and Fantaisika, a renowned nails and beauty academy, her specialist training school in professional makeup and nail styling. Her achievements in the field of professional make-up are remarkable for their finesse and artistic rendering. She has built up a reputation as a specialist business services builder in ceremonial make-up such as artistic make-up for cinema or music videos.

Lioness Launch / Uhuru Botanicals launches a new range of natural Chebe shampoo and conditioner bars

December 24, 2021 Melanie Hawken

Neo Mkwebane Chatyoka, founder, Uhuru Botanicals (United Kingdom)

Natural and organic skincare brand, Uhuru Botanicals, founded by Neo Mkwebane Chatyoka in the UK, has launched its new 100% natural Chebe hair shampoo and Chebe hair conditioner bars. Neo decided to launch the shampoo and conditioner bars in order to reduce plastic use, wastage and to encourage customers to use more sustainable products. Millions of plastic shampoo bottles are destined for landfill each year, but these shampoo and conditioner bars from Uhuru Botanicals help to reduce wastage and cut down on the carbon footprint of the business.

Lioness Launch / Ostibel Africa launches new limited edition range of seasonal candles

December 19, 2021 Melanie Hawken

Lebitso Ramphore, founder, Ostibel Africa (South Africa)

Holistic Beauty and Wellness brand, Ostibel Africa, founded by Lebitso Ramphore has launched a limited edition of seasonal candles made with 100% soy wax and essential oils. Ostibel Africa was founded with holistic wellness in mind, to nourish the mind, body, and soul and this new range falls under the brand’s home and wellness gifts category.

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