This year marks the second edition of #InspiringFiftySA, an initiative that benchmarks and awards the 50 most inspiring women in STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths). In celebration of International Women’s Day, the call for nominations has officially opened. The initiative is by the Consulate General of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Cape Town.
“The African tech ecosystem is growing exponentially. This is re-shaping the South African economy as technology and innovation are leapfrogging beyond established technology, ideas, and infrastructure. The instrumental role played by women in this sector should be made more visible on a local and global level. These women are the inspiring role models for the future. Inspiring Fifty South Africa allows us to create a platform for these women in technology, showing our girls that they can do the same.” says Bonnie Horbach, the Netherlands Consul General in Cape Town. The collaboration forms part of the Dutch campaign in South Africa, named #cocreateSA.
Last year #InspiringFiftySA received 252 nominations of which fifty amazing women were awarded the #InspiringFifty accolade. Amongst these women were Adriana Marais, Aisha Pandor, Nunu Ntshingila, Portia Maurice, Mickey Mashale, Magda Wierzycka and Yolisa Kani. What makes this award different, is that it includes women who paving the way in government, education and the corporate space, to empower girls aspiring a career in STEM.
"To be recognized for doing inspiring work is one thing, but to do so while being featured alongside the amazing Inspiring Fifty SA women was simply incredible! The initiative introduced me to incredibly smart and bold women who inspired me to continue being the same. The 2017 cohort proved that there's a plethora of women doing world class work in STEM and I'm only excited to meet the nominees for Inspiring Fifty SA 2018. I hope the new nominees jump at the opportunity!" - Lethabo Motswaledi, winner of the 2017 Inspiring Fifty SA and Co-founder of 3D Power.
“Being an #InspiringFiftySA judge exposed me to a high caliber of women in the SA tech space that I didn’t even know existed. It was tough to choose as I was in awe of the 270 nominations from all over SA. I made new connections with very powerful women in Tech. I believe South Africa has a great pool of role models that need to be exposed to girls and #InspiringFiftySA is doing exactly that,” said Baratang Miya, #InspiringFiftySA 2017 Judge and Founder of GirlHype.
“#InspiringFiftySA is a valuable initiative which allows young girls and boys from all walks of life to see role models across the STEM fields who they can aspire to be. It showcases the abundance of hard work and talent which our country possesses. Personally for me #InspiringFiftySA gave me access to a network of women who share the same value of making our country a better place in growing the STEM field,” said Dr Mmaki Jantjies, winner of #InspiringFiftySA and Senior Lecturer and Head of the Department of Information Systems, Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences, University of the Western Cape.
To meet the criteria, a nominee has to be a founder of a technology company; or hold a position in a C-Level position in a technology company; or be an influencer, academic or politician in the technology or innovation space. Inspiring Fifty encourages South Africans and the technology eco-system to nominate their most inspiring female role models.
To nominate your most inspiring women in tech, visit https://inspiringfifty.awardsplatform.com/
For more information on Inspiring Fifty, visit http://cocreatesa.nl/inspiring-fifty-homepage/
For media enquiries, please contact Micheline Frantz at michelinefrantz@gmail.com or call 078 417 2449.
