The South African International Women Entrepreneurial Challenge (IWEC) award winners for 2020

The South African International Women's Entrepreneurial Challenge (IWEC) award winners for 2020 were of the usual high standard. The entrants were attracted by the opportunity to join a prestigious international business network.

This was the comment of Geoff Jacobs, the current President of the Cape Chamber of Commerce and Industry when the winners were announced in Cape Town.  The awards are jointly sponsored by the IWEC Foundation and the Cape Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

“The three women will now access a global business network for successful women business owners, helping them to gain and expand their market base'', Jacobs said.

“Now in its second decade, the IWEC annual conference, which takes place in a different country every November, will this year be held virtually with delegates connecting on line via the Internet. It will be held next year In Bahrein.

"All three Awardees representing South Africa this year had to meet the turnover, shareholding, and designation requirements as well as the community work and mentoring criteria particular to the Cape Chamber requirements, “Jacobs said.

Ms Janine Myburgh, Immediate Past President of the Cape Chamber and IWEC Board Member representing South Africa, commented that ‘’winning this award opens up opportunities for successful female entrepreneurs to access a global network of chambers of commerce, women’s business groups and successful women business owners. The range of various successful business ventures is vast and impressive.

“I know winning this international award will empower the Awardees, just as previous Awardees have been, to achieve greater heights and success than what they have already accomplished.

"The 2020 Awardees will join the ranks of accomplished past IWEC Awardees who will provide constant outreach and introductions to peers nationally as well as internationally, “Ms Myburgh said.

The awardees are: Belinda Francis of Tych Business Solutions; Judy Sunasky of Blendwell Chemicals; and Teresa Patuel of Cayo Largo Holdings 17 (Pty) Ltd.

TyCh Business Solutions is a recruitment consultancy founded in 2009 by Belinda after her sudden retrenchment during the economic recession. She had only her skills. Since then her business has penetrated new industries. Tych is today a diverse and well-established recruitment specialist.

Blendwell Chemicals specialises in manufacturing of Green and food cleaning products for industry and cleaning services.  It was the first company in South Africa to achieve Green Tag certification that ensures the product is safe and non-toxic.

CL Holdings is a South African family business that started in 1989 as a small non-ferrous recycling business evolving into a large international commodity trading company.