63% of all e-commerce companies in South Africa are started by women. Women’s Month is an opportunity to celebrate South African women making waves in the e-commerce space. These remarkable women are starting companies, embracing retail landscape changes and raising their voices in support of other women.
Read on to discover 7 South African women in e-commerce worth watching and how you could become the country’s next e-commerce entrepreneur
Mariam Manack
Mariam is the Master Trainer and founder of iTrain, a proudly South African movement aimed at empowering women through fitness and strength building. Mariam, a sports scientist, nutritional advisor, fitness and lifestyle coach, has always been passionate about helping women through health and fitness.
Karen Nadasen
Karen, the CEO of PayU South Africa, is a self-motivated professional with extensive experience working in Europe and in Africa. Karen is a passionate advocate for women in technology, leads diversity and inclusion for PayU Africa and is the Chair for the Ecommerce Forum of South Africa (EFSA).
Aisha Pandor
Aisha is the co-founder and CEO of SweepSouth and one of the leading women in South Africa’s tech industry. SweepSouth is an online platform used to book, pay for and manage home cleaning services. Aisha was recognised as a Mail & Guardian Top 200 Young South Africans in 2012, and with a SA Women in Science Award. She is a former molecular geneticist.
Maggy Sibiya
Maggy’s extensive IT industry knowledge spans 21 years. Currently, she leads the strategic operations that cement ICTworks, ensuring they are one of the top ICT providers across Africa. ICTworks is a premier community for international development professionals. They’re committed to showing how new and emerging technologies can accelerate social and economic development.
“There is immeasurable untapped potential in Africa. It is my mission to grow our footprint by developing African-specific solutions for our clients.”
Annette Muller
Annette is a seasoned tech entrepreneur currently working on her latest venture Flexyforce.com. Flexyforce is an innovative B2B cloud-based software business, used by companies like Showmax, 2Stories and BiB Africa to manage suppliers, freelancers, contract workers, service providers and creatives. Previously, Annette founded DOTNXT, one of South Africa’s first innovation consultancy firms. Annette holds a Business Science, Finance and Marketing degree from the University of Cape Town, and is a sought-after international speaker and a passionate entrepreneur. She focuses on bringing flexibility to the working world.
“If you’re the smartest person in the room, you are in the wrong room.”
Annette Muller
Arabella Parkinson
Arabella, the founder of Eat to Thrive, promotes sustainability and healthy relationships with food. During the 2020 lockdown, she took her offering online and started virtual cooking classes. She teaches her audience to be creative with food, using simple, whole foods that people can find in their pantry.
“I want to be a part of the solution. I want to educate people; to empower them through the way they choose to eat. This has such a transformative impact on one’s health and quality of life.”
Arabella Parkinson, Eat to Thrive
Lauren Dallas
Lauren is the co-founder and CEO of Future Females, a movement that inspires female entrepreneurs and supports their success. Future Females provides a platform where women can connect, collaborate with and inspire, and access the resources they need to succeed.
At xneelo, we believe in empowering our customers to grow their businesses. We also support a more diverse tech industry, which is why we’ve partnered with CodeSpace to offer three xneelo scholarships for their Intro to Frontend Development course.
Find out all about these candidates here.
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