2020 Judges

Matsi Modise, Founder Furaha Afrika Holdings

Matsi, an entrepreneur and entrepreneurship activist, is the founder of Furaha Afrika Holdings with subsidiaries including Furaha Solutions, a joint venture partnership with Workforce Holdings , a listed AltX-JSE company with a focus on Human Capital Development. She is one of the founding members of SiMODiSA, an organisation that has engineered South Africa’s entrepreneurship ecosystem for high growth, high impact entrepreneurs.

She has led advocacy teams that have impacted the South African policy landscape by driving traction in the Sec 12J tax incentive for Venture Capital Companies (VCC) and by getting the South African government to lift Intellectual Property (IP) exchange control and loop structure hurdles. She was appointed by the South African Minister of Science and Technology to be part of a review panel for the Intellectual Property (IP) Rights from Publicly Financed Research and Development Act. She is a member of the South Africa Bureau of Standards (SABS), and the South African Private Equity and Venture Capital Association (SAVCA). Matsi serves on numerous company boards, locally and globally, and most notably is the Chairperson of Kuehne + Nagel Southern Africa and Get Bucks South Africa.

Matsi is a proud member of the World Economic Forum, Global Shapers community. She has represented her country globally and given numerous keynote addresses and one which she is most proud of, is an address at the Oxford University Africa Business Forum in 2018. 

Gerinda Engelbrecht, Project Director – Digital Content and Publishing SAICA Brand 

Passionate digital content, business growth and development expert with more than 16 years industry expertise, Gerinda Engelbrecht, is an internationally-skilled stakeholder engagement manager and emerging digital technologies enthusiast. Experienced across the consumer and business-to-business publishing, consulting and financial services industries, Gerinda is an awarded sector professional, with MBA, BSc and BA Hons degrees.

In her current role at the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants (SAICA), she is responsible for managing a selection of key projects for the Institute. She launched the Top 35-under-35 CA(SA) competition and has to gained international credibility and exposure for young CA’s, providing them with international business networking opportunities. To this end, she also publishes the monthly award-winning Accountancy SA magazine that is distributed to Chartered Accountants (SA) internationally. It is highly regarded under business professionals and one of the business magazines with the highest audited readership figures in the country.

Gerinda is one of the key team leaders in strategising the skills that future accountants will need. She is a valuable contributor to the CA2025 and CA of the future project to prepare members and associates for their roles as these evolve (or completely change) in the future. The project looks at defining the competencies the roles will require and ensure that at both pre-and post-qualification stages that such competencies can be acquired and developed.

Dr Divine Simbi-Ndhlukula, Founder and MD at DDNS Security Operations (Pvt) Ltd t/a SECURICO

Named by Forbes magazine among the most Influential Women in Africa, Dr Divine Simbi-Ndhlukula is founder and MD of DDNS Security Operations (Pvt) Ltd t/a SECURICO.   Dr Divine has built the company to become the most respected and sought-after player in the security industry in Zimbabwe and internationally.  SECURICO employing over 4200 people, has won many business excellence awards locally and globally. Dr Divine has been recognised globally for her business acumen with Forbes awarding her the Forbes Africa Businesswoman of the Year 2019, among many other awards.

Divine has a GREAT passion for women’s economic and social empowerment and involves herself in several women empowerment initiatives. Through her efforts, women are now accepted in the security sector with SECURICO employing more than 900 women, the largest employer of women in Zimbabwe outside civil service.

A successful farmer specialising in breeding livestock, she has been appointed to board memberships, directorships, chairmanship and leadership capacities in several key and strategic institutions and commissions in Zimbabwe.

Simphiwe Mehlomakulu, Chairman Reatile Group

Simphiwe joined Sasol Chemical Industries in 1993 as a Process Engineer in the Sasol Technology Division after graduating as a chemical engineer from the University of Cape Town. In 1995, he was appointed to the marketing division of Sasol Phenolics in Rosebank as Regional Manager. Over the next five years he was involved in sales and marketing of various Sasol chemicals, both locally and abroad. In September 2000, he was appointed General Manager Strategic Effectiveness at Old Mutual in Cape Town. Here he was responsible for delivering key direction on process, systems and IT strategies.

In April 2002, he joined PetroSA Executive Committee as Vice President, Trading Supply and Logistics. Simphiwe was responsible for Sales and Marketing Strategies for PetroSA products sold in South Africa and abroad. Simphiwe is now Chairman of Reatile Group which is an investment holding company formed in 2003. He was one of the founding members of the Group. Reatile Group invests mainly in the petroleum and energy sectors of the economy, but is also interested in the industrial, chemical and Solar industries. Simphiwe is also a Director of Reatile subsidiaries and associates, which includes Easigas, Egoli Gas, Vopak, Reatile Gastrade.

Simphiwe is an alumnus of the awards, and was named winner in the Exceptional Entrepreneur category of the 2017 EY World Entrepreneur Award™ Southern Africa. He is a qualified engineer with an entrepreneurial spirit that believes in the core values of honesty, trust, integrity, respect and perseverance

Christi Maherry, Co-founder Vault3tch

Christi Maherry is the co-founder and Chairman of LAWtrust Information Security Solutions, Africa’s leading digital trust service provider specialising in digital identity, digital signatures and crypto based security. Over the past 15 years Christi has grown LAWtrust exponentially from a two-person operation to a business that attracted an acquisition by JSE Listed company Etion Limited. LAWtrust continues to touch the lives of all South African citizens and continues to grow globally. Before committing her energy to the private sector, Christi worked in state security and intelligence for nearly a decade. The experience gained there has been very applicable in the era of cyber threats, cyber crime and cyber warfare.

In 2020 Christi co-founded a San Francisco based start-up, Vault3ch, an Intelligence driven high tech security technology and compliance company specialising in creating innovative solutions to mitigate global crime. Vault3ch speciality area is the convergence of physical and digital crime and solutions to counter this. At the same time Christi also co-founded the V3 foundation focused on the use of cyber and human intelligence along with AI, to identify, reduce and eliminate human trafficking.

Christi is a social activist, passionate about female empowerment and education. She joined the board of Junior Achievement Africa to support an Africa team operating in 16 African countries to unlock the economic potential of African youth and to educate them in entrepreneurial skills, work readiness and financial literacy.

She is an alumnus of the awards, named the winner of the EY World Entrepreneur Award™ Southern Africa in the Emerging category. Christi is also an alumnus of the EY Entrepreneurial Winning Women program and a member of the Women’s President Organisation. 

Margaret Hirsch, Executive Director Hirsch Group

Margaret Hirsch is the Executive Director of the Hirsch Group, the largest independently owned appliance and electronics retail outlet in Southern Africa that is now in its 40th year.  As the COE of the company, Margaret sees to the day to day running of all Hirsch’s stores and their concept stores.  As well as their 13 branches spread throughout KZN, Gauteng and the Western Cape, Hirsch’s own six Samsung Concept Stores - Sandton City, Rosebank Mall, Mall of Africa, The Pavilion Shopping Centre in Westville and the Samsung shop Gateway shopping centre in Umhlanga. Hirsch’s has experienced really good results in all the concept stores as they are considered to be an extension of Hirsch’s culture and philosophy which has enabled the Hirsch’s story to be one of constant expansion and success. “Our strength is in our helpful and well-trained team members who go the extra mile and make every shopping experience a memorable one.”

She has received some 30 international and local awards for her business, social and charitable work which has uplifted people from many communities around the country. For many years, she has been heavily involved with Women and Youth Empowerment projects throughout Southern Africa. She personally visits schools around the country, motivating, encouraging and inspiring the youth.  For several years she has been a main supporter of the ‘Girls with Dignity’ project that has distributed reusable panty packs to schoolgirls in disadvantaged areas around the country.  She recently started up a ‘Safe Houses for Girls’ project in Gauteng and plans to roll out the concept in KZN and the Western Cape.

Margaret is passionate about women in business and entrepreneurship. She runs networking clubs at all her branches for Women In Business, encouraging mentorship programmes. Her door is always open to women who want advice on how to make their businesses grow.

Sipho Nkosi, Chairman Talent10

A mentor, challenging teams to collectively leave a positive, lasting impact on the economies in which they operate, Sipho Nkosi is a guiding light and visionary. Sipho is an Independent Director of Tronox Limited and Sanlam and the chairman of the Talent10 Holdings Group. He retired as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Exxaro Resources Limited in March 2016. He founded Eyesizwe Holdings and served as CEO before its merger into Exxaro in 2006. He is also Chairman of Eyesizwe Holdings and a Board Member of Eyesizwe Mining. Sipho serves on a number of boards including Anooraq Resources, Amazwi Holdings, WITS University, CDE (Centre for Development and Enterprise), the Small Business Institute and RBCT and is the Chairman of the SA National Energy Association and Sasol.

Over the years, business at large has bestowed a number of prestigious awards on Sipho in recognition of his ongoing contribution as an astute business leader. After being announced as the Master Entrepreneur of the Ernst & Young World Entrepreneur Award 2012, Sipho went on to represent South Africa in the Global Awards event hosted in MonteCarlo.

Debbie Merdjan, CEO and founder Camelot Group

Debbie Merdjan, CEO and founder of the Camelot Group and has over 30 years of business experience encompassing health and skincare training centres, product distribution, spa consultancy and spa franchise operations throughout Africa.  

She is a winner of numerous business and industry awards including Professional Beauty Entrepreneur Of The Year Award 2012, Les Nouvelles Esthetique Spa Ambassador Award 2013, World Luxury Spa Awards Best Luxury Spa Group in Africa 2014, Les Nouvelles Esthetique - Best Spa Boutique Hotel Award 2015, World Luxury Spa Awards Winner 2017, 2016 IWEC (International Women's Entrepreneurial Challenge) Awardee, Luxury Travel Guide – Best Spa Group Southern Africa 2017, EY Entrepreneur Of The Year™ Emerging Category Awardee 2018, Best Spa Brand - Global at the prestigious 2019 Haute Grandeur Global Spa Awards™ and Trip Advisor Traveller's Choice 2020 award winner.

Debbie is passionate about business, developing entrepreneurs and consulting by sharing best business practices and operational success. With a goal to expand into new markets, she is currently based in the UK setting up an International Spa division. Debbie is an active member of the WPO (Women’s President Organisation) and Board member of the International Global Wellness Institute on the Consulting Best Practices Initiative.

Peter Mountford, CEO Super Group Limited

Peter is a qualified Chartered Accountant and holds an MBA (with Distinction) from Warwick University. His business experience includes the role of Managing Director of SAB Diversified Beverages which included SAB’s Supply Chain Services and Logistics interests.  He was previously the Managing Director of Super Group’s Logistics and Transport Division until June 2002, after which he joined Imperial Holdings Limited (Imperial).  Over the six years to April 2008 he fulfilled the role of CEO of the Consumer Logistics Division at Imperial.  He re-joined Super Group in May 2008 as Managing Director of the Supply Chain Division. 

Peter was appointed CEO on 29 July 2009 at a time that Super Group had R5,00 billion in borrowings and had lost all its shareholder equity.  During the past ten years, Peter has re-established the core businesses of Super Group and built a huge international presence across Australasia and Europe.  During this period the Super Group share price has gone from 40 cents to over R27.00 and the Australia Fleet Lease business was also listed on the Sydney Stock Exchange in 2014.  Peter is also a Director of the Road Freight Association.

Peter is the Master Category Winner of the EY World Entrepreneur Award™ Southern Africa 2016 and was the winner of the CNBC All Africa Businessman of the Year Award in November 2018.

Craig Irvine, CEO Irvine’s Group

In 2000, Craig Irvine joined the family poultry farming business at the start of a period of economic turmoil in Zimbabwe. Craig was determined to fight for the business he had grown up in, one that had been in the family since 1950. He realized the only way to survive was to expand outside Zimbabwe and address the shortage of quality animal protein and eggs across the region.

Twenty years later, Irvine’s Group is one of the largest chicken companies in Southern Africa, producing day-old chicks, feed, frozen chicken and eggs. Craig started out small, building trust with customers and governments. The company now has operations in Zimbabwe, Botswana, Mozambique, Tanzania, Mauritius and South Africa, with customers across Africa. Irvine’s Group provides sustainable business opportunities to over 60,000 small-scale farmers, most of whom are women.

Craig is proud of the impact Irvine’s Group has on society. “We are purpose-driven,” he says, “and everything we do is aimed at changing lives in Africa by producing affordable protein and growing businesses.”

Craig is the EY Entrepreneur of The Year 2019 Southern Africa Award winner, and is a long standing member of the global organisation, the Young Presidents Organisation.