Africa.com announced the second annual Africa.com Definitive List of Women CEOs on March 8, 2022, in line with International Women’s Day. The list is a unique, data-driven research effort that highlights the women who lead big business in Africa. The data for the effort is provided by Bloomberg.
In short, the list represents the women who run big business in Africa. All of the women run businesses with revenue of $100 million or more. No other list of successful African businesswomen is grounded in quantifiable research.
Africa.com Chair Teresa Clarke said, “The 2022 list features 74 women. This represents a meaningful expansion over the 50 women who made the 2021 list. This is largely explained by our intentional change in our methodology. In the first year, we used market capitalization of listed companies as the only financial metric by which to qualify companies for consideration. In 2022, we changed the qualification to be either large scale market capitalization or large scale revenue. By making revenue a screening mechanism, we brought in a larger group of companies from across the continent, thereby diversifying the geographic representation of the list significantly.”
Africa.com is not only reporting on women in corporate Africa, but is also running large scale, free training for African women in the first five years of their corporate careers. Aida Diarra, head of VISA for sub-Saharan Africa, helped to train over 2,000 women with Africa.com in a virtual event. 94% of the participants said that the training was very important to their future success.
A video presentation of the 2022 women on the list, as well as the methodology used to create the Africa.com Definitive List of Women CEOs, are available at this link: Reveal Video of 2022 Definitive List of Women CEOs
Methodology
Group One: CEOs
Of the 1364 companies listed on the 24 African stock exchanges, we screened for those companies with revenue of $100 million or more, or a market cap of $150 million or more, which yielded a list of 581 companies. The public websites of these 581 companies were reviewed to identify female C-suite executives. Our team of researchers then examined the list of these women to determine those who have a title of chief executive officer or managing director or president AND have bottom line profit and loss responsibility. This resulted in the final list of 35 women CEOs.
Group Two: Divisional CEOs
The methodology for this group is identical to the methodology for Group 1, except that the entities evaluated were the divisions of the 581 companies, such that the divisions themselves have standalone revenue of $100 million or more, or a market cap of $150 million or more. The women running these divisions must have a title that clearly demonstrates that they are the chief executive with profit and loss responsibility for the division. This analysis yielded 25 women CEOs.
Group Three: Regional CEOs
The methodology for this group started with an analysis of global corporations with revenue over $10 billion who have operations in one or more countries on the African continent. The regional heads of these companies were analyzed to identify women chief executives for an Africa region or an African country, with profit and loss responsibility for the country or region. This analysis yielded 14 women CEOs. Women in this group are ranking by prioritizing those women who run the Africa region ahead of those who run a single African country.
The Definitive List:
1. Natascha Viljoen, CEO, Anglo American Platinum, South Africa
2. Nompumelelo Thembekile (Mpumi) Madisa, CEO (Executive Director), Bidvest Group, South Africa
3. Bertina Engelbrecht, CEO, Clicks Group, South Africa
4. Lynette Francis Saltzman, MD, Dis-Chem Pharmacies, South Africa
5. Lizé Lambrechts, CEO, Santam, South Africa
6. Rosemary Oduor, MD & CEO, Kenya Power & Lighting Ltd, Kenya
7. Miriam Olusanya, Managing Director, Guaranty Trust Bank Limited, Nigeria
8. Albertinah Kekana, CEO, Royal Bafokeng Holdings, South Africa
9. Jane Karuku, Group Managing Director & CEO, East African Breweries Ltd. Kenya
10. Nneka Onyeali-Ikpe, Managing Director & CEO, Fidelity Bank, Nigeria
11. Nathalie Alquier, CEO, Centrale Danone, Morocco
12. Ruth Zaipuna, CEO, NMB Bank, Tanzania
13. Rebecca Miano, Managing Director & CEO, Kenya Electricity Generating Company, Kenya
14, Nasim Devji, Group CEO & Managing Director, Diamond Trust Bank, Kenya
15. Mercia Geises, CEO, SBN Holdings Ltd. (Standard Bank), Namibia
16. Zanele Matlala, CEO, Merafe Resources Ltd. South Africa
17. Catherine Lesetedi, Group Chief Executive Officer, Botswana Insurance Holdings (BIHL Group), Botswana.
18. Anne Juuko, CEO, Stanbic Bank Holdings, Uganda
19. Mansa Nettey, CEO, Standard Chartered Bank, Ghana
20. Owen Omogiafo, President /CEO, Transnational Corp of Nigeria, Nigeria
21. Jalila Mezni, CEO, Societe d’Articles Hygeniques, Tunisia
22. Diane Karusisi, CEO, BK Group PLC, Rwanda
23. Jackie van Niekerk, CEO, Attacq Ltd., South Africa
24. Lamia Tazi, CEO, Sothema, Morocco
25. Keabetswe Pheko-Moshagane, Managing Director, Absa Bank Botswana Ltd., Botswana
26. Mukwandi Chibesakunda, CEO, Zambia National Commercial Bank, Zambia
27. Mitwa Ng’ambi, CEO, MTN Rwanda, Rwanda
28. Godrey Ogbechie, Group Executive Director, RainOil, Nigeria
29. Miriem Bensalah-Chaqroun, VP & Managing Director, Oulmes, Morocco
30. Leila Fourie, CEO, JSE, South Africa
31. Njilan Senghore, Managing Director, Trust Bank, The Gambia
32. Oluwatomi Somefun, Managing Director & CEO, Unity Bank, Nigeria
33. Mama Tajmouati, President, YNNA Holding, Morocco
34. Amelia Beattie, CEO, Liberty Two Degrees, South Africa
35. Faith Mabu Nteta, Managing Director, Sechaba Breweries, Botswana
36. Mpumi Zikalala, CEO Kumba Iron Ore, Anglo American, South Africa
37. Kerrin Land, Managing Director, Personal Finance and Wealth Management, Old Mutual, South Africa.
38. Prabashini Moodley, Managing Director Corporate, Old Mutual, South Africa
39. Kanyisa Mkhize, CEO Corporate, Sanlam, South Africa
40. Abena Osei-Poku, Managing Director, Absa Group, Ghana
41. Mizinga Melu, CEO & MD, Absa Group, Zambia
42. Vivien McMenamin, CEO, Mondi, South Africa
43. Mariam Cassim, Group CEO, Financial & Digital Services, Vodacom, South Africa
44. Hannah Sadiki, CEO, Financial Services, Bidvest Bank/ Bidvest Group, South Africa
45. Kerry Cassel, CEO Financial Services Sector, Motus Holdings, South Africa
46. Zyda Rylands, CEO, Woolworths Food, South Africa
47. Fhulu Badugela, CEO Multichoice Africa Holdings, The Multichoice Group, South Africa
48. Yolisa Phahle, CEO General Entertainment & Connected Video, The Multichoice Group, South Africa
49.Nevine Wefky, President of Corporate Credit & Investment, Commercial International Bank, Egypt
50. Richelle Crots, Regional CEO SA Commercial, Aspen Pharmacare Holdings, South Africa
51. Ramatoulaye Diallo Shagaya, Managing Director Orange Finances Mobile Services, Sonatel, Senegal
52. Aminata Kane Ndiaye, CEO Orange Sierra Leone, Sonatel, Senegal
53. Kate Rycroft, MD Distell International, Distell Group, South Africa
54. Abiola Bawuah, Regional CEO West Africa, UBA Bank, Nigeria
55. Sally-Anne Jackson, MD Miladys, Mr. Price Group, South Africa
56. Elize Rogers, MD Arxo Logistics, Tharisa, South Africa
57. Helene Echevin, CEO CIEL Healthcare, CIEL, South Africa
58. Anet Ahem, CEO PSG Asset Management, PSG Konsult, South Africa
59. Helene Weesie, MD Ghana Breweries at Diageo, Diageo, Ghana
60 Nanees Adel, CHS Managing Director, Cleopatra Hospital, Egypt
61. Nunu Ntshingila, Regional Director Africa, Facebook, South Africa
62. Yvonne Ike, Managing Director Sub-Saharan Africa, Bank of America, Nigeria
63. Cathy (Prim) Smith, MD Sub-Saharan Africa, SAP, South Africa
64. Aida Diarra, Senior Vice President & Head Sub-Saharan Africa, VISA Inc, South Africa
65. Teju Ajani, Managing Director Nigeria, Apple, Nigeria
66. Juliet Ehimuan, Director West Africa, Google (Alphabet Inc.) Nigeria
67. Taelo Mojapelo, Chief Executive Officer, bp Southern Africa
68. Mariam Kane-Garcia, Managing Director South Africa, Total Energies, South Africa
69. Kendi Ntwiga-Nderitu, Country Lead Kenya, Microsoft, Kenya
70. Lillian Barnard, CEO South Africa, Microsoft, South Africa
71. Ireti Samuel-Ogbu, CEO Nigeria and Ghana, Citibank, Nigeria
72. Brenda Mbathi, President GE East Africa, General Electric, Kenya
73. Patricia Obo-Nai, CEO Vodafone Ghana, Vodafone Group, Ghana
74. Yolanda Cuba, Vice President SEA Region, MTN, South Africa
Africa.com acknowledges its presenting partner Standard Bank, and title partner VISA Inc.
