At a virtual event, Mastercard presented the winners of the first Mastercard Women SME Leaders Awards 2022, celebrating the success of women-led enterprises across the Middle East and Africa in 22 categories and numerous industrial sectors.
The awards were created by Mastercard in collaboration with Entrepreneur Middle East in order to honor and empower women-owned and operated SMEs in the Middle East and Africa.
“The dedication that women SME owners demonstrate is unsurpassed; they set the bar higher every day,” said Amnah Ajmal, Executive Vice President of Market Development, Eastern Europe, Middle East, and Africa at Mastercard. The Mastercard Women SME Leaders Awards honor and celebrate these exceptional female entrepreneurs, highlighting the people and businesses who are helping to shape the region’s future. The judges were astounded by the volume and quality of submissions and were moved by the incredible stories of dedication, ingenuity, and innovation. We express our respect for the winners and thank everyone who was nominated for these honors.”
Amnah Ajmal, Executive Vice President, Market Development, EEMEA for Mastercard; Mona Zulficar, Chairperson of EFG Hermes Holding; Nejoud Al Mulaik, Director of Fintech Saudi; and Tamara Pupic, Managing Editor of Entrepreneur Middle East made up the judging panel for the Women SME Leaders Awards 2022.
The Women SME Leaders Awards 2022 is the first of its kind in the Middle East and Africa, recognizing and showcasing women-owned and run SMEs with a revenue of less than US$13.6 million (AED50 million) and employing six to 50 people.
Winners from the UAE were:
The Designer: Maz (Mariam) Hakim, the Founder of fashion house ESPAND
The Logistician: Siddhi Joshi, CEO of Emovers
The F&B Leader: Erika Doyle, Founder & MD of the alcohol-free drinks company, Drink Dry
The Real Estate Leader: Helen Chen, Co-Founder and CEO of home search company, Nomad Homes
The Health Custodian: Sophie Smith, Founder & CEO of women’s health company, Nabta Health
The Hotelier: Judit Toth, General Manager of the Ink Hotel
The Investor: Maryam Fouladirad, CEO of technology startup funding platform, Fundii
The Fashion and Beauty Leader: Salama Mohamed, Founder of the cosmetics company, Peacefull
The Visionary: Jennifer Sault, Founder & MD of the preloved clothing company, Thrift for Good
Home-based Business of the Year: Maz (Mariam) Hakim, Founder of the sustainable clothing company, ESPAND by Maz.
Celebrating and showcasing individuals and enterprises shaping economies, value chains, and the digital economy, winners from Bahrain, Egypt, Kenya, Lebanon, Nigeria, and Tanzania were:
Wafa Alobaidat – the Founder and CEO of Bahrain-based women’s professional development company, Playbook, was named The Leader of Tomorrow
In Egypt, Gehad Hamdy, Founder & MD of the feminist initiative to support victims of violence, Speak UP, took two awards – The Change Maker and The Humanitarian.
Fellow Egyptian and Founder of the multidisciplinary arts and culture company Nadine Abdelghafar was named The Artist
Kenya was represented by winners Carole Kinoti, the social fashion entrepreneur who was named The Retailer, alongside the Principal Consultant and Founder of the wealth management firm Zoel Capital, who was named The Executive
Lebanon’s Jennifer Mansour, who Founded the children’s food company, Little Melly, was named Momtrepreneur of the Year.
In Nigeria, Oluwadamilola Soyombo was named The Techie for her role as the Founder & CEO of the children’s online learning community, Skooqs, while Abimbola Ogundere was named The Educator as the CEO of the Learning As | Teach Foundation, which created the British international school, Kids Court School.
Two Tanzanian women entrepreneurs took awards – the Founder of Pugu Hills Eco-Tourism, Sairis Lucia Bugeraha, was named Professional Services Leader, alongside the Journalist from the Thompson Reuters Foundation, Menna Farouk, who was named The Media Leader.
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