We’re in search of 15 phenomenal local women who are working hard to make a positive difference in our lives, whether uplifting others, doing good for the environment, putting local products on the map, or boosting our economy and changing the face of SA business with a thriving job-creating start-up…
The search for our Women Making A Difference campaign will run over seven weeks – and, each week, you’ll get to vote for your favourite of six women featured. Your favourites will be shortlisted for the w&h panel selection – and you’ll get to see the results in our November issue.
While we’ll be putting forward the names of four women in the public eye for each week’s vote, we need your help to fill the other two weekly slots. Know an amazing local woman over 35, who’s making a difference in her personal or professional capacity? Submit a short motivational bio about her good deeds, along with a small photo of her to wandhmail@caxton.co.za, and she could be featured as one of our six weekly candidates!
Hilda Lunderstedt, 49, businesswoman
A qualified pharmacist, Hilda started Nutrilida in 2001, and built it up to become one of the country’s leading pharmaceutical companies. She sold it just 10 years later for a whopping nine figures. Her strength in business and desire to make a difference led her to Imbalie Beauty, known for its franchise brands Placecol, Perfect10 and Dream Nails. Hilda has a hands-on approach in guiding franchisees to success. Imbalie also offers skills training to women from disadvantaged communities, and giving them a chance at a career in the beauty industry. Her latest project involves crowdfunding as a way for women to attain wealth through property investment.
Lydia Anderson-Jardine, Director, WasteWant
Lydia and her husband started WasteWant 4 years ago. What began as a venture to make extra cash turned into a business that now employs 20 permanent staff and plays a big hand in skills-training and employment in Cape Town’s communities. The company has a buy-back system for recyclables, assisting businesses and private individuals, and collects a massive 15 tons of waste a month, which is recycled, rather than dumped in landfills. In 2014, Lydia was named one of PETCO’s Women in Waste entrepreneurs for playing a major role in waste management and recycling.
Zaheera Bham Ismail, 37, speech therapist and audiologist, philanthropist
Zaheera’s passion for her community is an inspiration to everyone around her. She works with the Caring Women’s Forum (CWF) an organisation that raises money to feed 900 children at nearby primary schools. She also works very closely with Ihsan (Islamic Holistic School for Alternative Needs), and puts all her effort into driving support to causes that are making invaluable contributions. All of this in addition to working as a speech therapist, consulting on her field at universities, and raising her three daughters.
Jackie Cameron, 33, owner Jackie Cameron School of Food and Wine
After graduating from the Christina Martin School of Food and Wine in 2001, Jackie began her career as a chef at the Mount Grace, before moving on to Hartford House, an award-winning five-star hotel in the Midlands, where she was head chef for almost 12 years. She wrote a column for kwa-Zulu Natal’s The Witness newspaper, which led to her first book, Jackie Cameron Cooks at Home published in 2013. The cookbook won the Best Woman Chef Book in South Africa as voted by the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards. In July 2014, she left Hartford House to pursue her dream of opening her own cooking school.
Debbie Merdjan, 54, CEO of the Camelot Group
After studying health and skincare and working as a lecturer at Stellenbosch University, Debbie moved to Johannesburg and started Camelot in 1987 at the age of 26 with two partners, whom she eventually bought out. She has built the Camelot Group to include 16 spas and five wellness centres across the country. Her dedication to the health and wellness industry has not gone unnoticed – in 2012, Debbie took home the Professional Beauty Entrepreneur of the Year Industry Award for Business Excellence, and she won the Les Nouvelles Esthetiques Spa Ambassador award in 2013.
Mariaan Du Plessis, 42, CEO of the Medical Nutritional Institute (MNI)
A trained pharmacist, Mariaan worked as a retail chemist for many years. In 2002, she started MNI with Dr Conrad Smith, which specialises in prevention and treatment of disease through carefully formulated products and therapies. In the beginning, MNI was a part-time pursuit for Mariaan, who focused on research and product development. But, in 2005, she left her pharmacist job to run the company full time. For their work, Mariaan and Conrad received the Innovator of the Year award in the 2013 Sanlam/Business Partners Entrepreneur of the Year competition, and she was a finalist in the Top Performing Entrepreneur of 2013 category at the National Business Awards.
Vote for Your Favourite!
Hilda Lunderstedt
Lydia Anderson-Jardine
Zaheera Bham Ismail
Jackie Cameron
Debbie Merdjan
Mariaan Du Plessis
T&Cs
Judges decision for finalists featured in the magazine, and one on the cover, is final, and no correspondence will be entered into. Submission for candidates does not guarantee they’ll be selected for one of the weekly round-ups. Candidates put forward by readers must meet the stipulated criteria to be considered for inclusion, and w&h reserves the right to select the top two candidates each week. w&h reserves the right to feature more than 10 public-figure candidates to make up the required amount of 15 finalists, based on weighted percentages in votes, should an acceptable standard or amount of submissions received by readers not be met.
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