Page 38 - Forbes - Africa (March 2020)

ANGÉLIQUE
WENDY LUHABE,
SOUTH AFRICA
CO-FOUNDER, WIPHOLD
endy Luhabe is the finan-
cial sector’s investment stew-
ard bridging the gap between
Wthe economy and women. As
one of South Africa’s most accomplished busi-
nesswomen, Luhabe has broken countless ste-
reotypes in the male-dominated environment
of private equity and in doing so, has econom-
ically empowered many women through her
strides.
Her economic activism took flight when Lu-
habe co-founded Wiphold in 1994 as an in-
vestment vehicle for female investors.
Five years later, Wiphold would list on the Jo-
hannesburg Stock Exchange.
Wiphold has grown from a company with
seed capital of R500,000 ($33,140) to a port-
folio valued at more than R2 billion ($132 mil-
lion) and holds shares in Sasfin, Sasol, Old
Mutual and AdCorp. More than 1,200 direct
and 18,000 indirect women are beneficiaries
through the WIPHOLD Investment Trust,
and over 250,000 indirect women are benefi-
ciaries through the WIPHOLD non-govern-
mental organizational trust.
And Luhabe has had a big role to play.
She is the recipient of the Honorary Lieuten-
ant of the Royal Victorian Order, bestowed
upon her by Prince Charles of the British royal
family in 2014, and is the awardee of three
honorary doctorates.
With three successful decades in business,
Luhabe is esteemed in many boardrooms in
South Africa and beyond.
In recognition of her contribution to the eco-
nomic empowerment and inclusion of women,
FORBES WOMAN AFRICA awarded her the
Lifetime Achievement Award in 2019.
34 | FORBES AFRICA MARCH 2020
KIDJO, BENIN
FOUR-TIME GRAMMY
AWARD WINNER
Born on Bastille Day, two weeks
before Benin’s independence, An-
gélique Kidjo is a talented musi-
cian making a global impact in the
lives of young women who need
it the most. Kidjo has 13 albums to
her name and in January, scooped
her fourth Grammy Award for
Best World Music Album for her their community members with mentorship and in-
recent release Celia. Of all her kind sponsorships.
achievements, including the Com- More recently, Kidjo attended the G7 summit and along-
mandeur de l’Ordre des Arts et des side the president of France, Macron and the African
Lettres from France in 2019, she is Development Bank president, Akinwumi Adesina, an-
most proud of singing in front of nounced a $251 million pledge by the G7 to provide ac-
70 world leaders to honor the un- cess to loans to African female entrepreneurs through
sung African soldiers who died
during World War I, on November the Affirmative Finance Action for Women in Africa ini-
11, 2018, for the centennial of the tiative.
Armistice. “I have received so much from my continent when I
Through her own initiatives or as was a little girl, so much culture and heritage that al-
lows me to create powerful art. I want to give back to
ambassador, Kidjo has reached this continent for giving me this richness that people
out and supported the education
outside Africa don’t know,” says Kidjo to FORBES AF-
of young girls in Africa. In 2006, RICA. Through her role as a UNICEF Goodwill Am-
she established her foundation, bassador, she partnered with TOMS to give 67,000
Batonga, which has helped over girls in Benin new shoes. Kidjo also makes time to
100,000 girls, their families and mentor and coach women.
group called 'Surviving Hijab', which exists as
a support group for veiled Muslim women.
It currently houses a community of over
740,000 female-only members. The group
aims to empower women who wish to wear
the hijab as a sign of faith and create a safe
space to support each other as they defy ste-
reotypes. In 2017, Rostom became the glob-
al face of the Nike Pro Hijab campaign. She is
the first Hijabi female to model in a Nike run-
ning campaign and lends her voice to its au-
dio-guided Run Club App.
As a fitness trainer and feminist, she supports
women loving themselves and each other.
"You are you, and that is your superpower.
Quit comparing [and] don't forget to lift each
other up," she says.
In 2019, she led a female-only trip to one of
MANAL ROSTOM, the base camps on Mount Everest in a bid to
EGYPT raise awareness about tolerance, inclusivity
and equality. "The future is female. It's about
FOUNDER, SURVIVING HIJAB AND FACE OF time we continue to shed light on inspiration-
NIKE PRO HIJAB al females and all the amazing work they live
DAILY MANTRA: "Get up, dress up, show to do," she says. This feat is her eighth moun-
up every day." tain climb, having already successfully con-
quered Mont Blanc, Kilimanjaro and Mount
Egypt's most prominent marathon runner Saint Catherine in her country. She is the first
and female mountaineer, Manal Rostom, is a Egyptian woman to have completed five of
woman who has "gone where there is no path the six World Marathon Majors, excluding
and left a trail" for Arab and Egyptian women. Tokyo, with the hope to complete all six by
Rostom is the founder of a closed Facebook March 2020.
FORBESAFRICA.COM