Awards Categories 2017

Birchwood Hotel | Johannesburg | 30 March 2017

General Criteria

  • Annual revenue generated must be above R35 million, unless otherwise specified
  • Only companies with a valid B-BBEE Certificate will be considered for entry, unless they have a valid share certificate and letter of 50.1% ownership from their auditor

Please note that companies will be judged based on the:

  • Implementation of their strategic B-BBEE policies
  • Implementation of effective internal B-BBEE measurement mechanisms
  • Status with regards to the five pillars of empowerment, as per the B-BBEE scorecard
  • Sustainable increase in financial performance
  • Please note that the quality of your entry is critical to the judging process

Top Empowered Company: Education and Training

This award recognises accredited tertiary colleges, universities and various private institutions that demonstrate the best skills development programmes or policy through education and training. Their programmes must be aimed at improving the working skills of black employees as well as contributing to the growth of the economy in South Africa.


Top Empowered Company: Financial Services

This award goes to South Africa’s financial services sector – comprising commercial, retail and merchant banking, mortgage lending, insurance and investment. The winner in this category will have shown a keen sense of the needs within the financial industry, having provided and implemented strategic programmes in making black employees visible at all levels, including management.


Top Empowered Company: Infrastructure

This award recognises organisations involved in innovative, sustainable and efficiency-enhancing infrastructure development. The scope of the category includes roads and railways, ports, energy, water and sanitation, housing, access to basic services, healthcare and education.


Top Empowered Company: ICT

This award goes to a company whose technology-based innovation demonstrates improved productivity, price, quality, effectiveness and efficiencies that enhance the competitiveness of the South African economy. “Innovation” may denote an internal system or a product available to the public which in turn assists in advancing the industry with the latest technology.


Top Empowered Company: Public Services

The award goes to national and provincial government departments, parastatals and/or agencies that clearly and effectively demonstrate the highest level of black economic empowerment, from staff to suppliers, through to programmes and policies. An important factor is measurable and accountable leadership committed to developing previously disadvantaged individuals through programmes and policies. The winning organisation’s accomplishments should be a shining example for other non-profit organisations.


Top Empowered Company: Support Services

This award recognises exemplary empowerment achievements within the interrelated fields of Catering Services, Facilities Management, Waste Management, Contract Cleaners, Security Services, Employment Agencies, Business Process Outsourcing, Legal Services, Management Consultants, Verification Agencies and Professional Services.


Top Empowered Company: Industrialisation

Annual revenue generated must be above R35 million. This award is open to companies that promote the participation of black industrialists as manufacturers in key sectors of the economy as identified in IPAP. Being a key driver of job creation, it is imperative that the winning company invests in and enables a new generation of black industrialists to help address  South Africa’s concerning unemployment figures.

The following categories are open for entry to organisations across all sectors, with an annual revenue above R35 million.

Top Empowered Company: Skills Development

Annual revenue generated must be above R35 million. This award recognises intensive learnerships and skills programmes that support, for example, youth development, and promote career awareness for black employees. Organisations in this category should be investing 2% of their payroll on skills development for black employees. Entrants should discuss their effective and sustainable skills development programme/s or policy/ies and the successful outcomes thereof.


Top Empowered Company: Enterprise and Supplier Development

Annual revenue generated must be above R35 million. This category recognises organisations that have accelerated the development, sustainability and ultimately, financial independence of black-owned businesses; in particular SMEs and emerging businesses. Organisations in this category must demonstrate powerful solutions for growing the economy and achieving a return on investment. Judges will be paying special attention to organisations that can clearly demonstrate the effectiveness of their programmes on their suppliers’ business success and their own profitability or productivity.


Top Empowered Company: Fast Growth Black-Owned SMME

This category is open to SMMEs across all sectors with a turnover of R5-R35 million with a positive year-on-year turnover growth of 20% in their last financial year. Organisations in this category must have been operational for more than two years with a Level 1 – 4 score card. Otherwise, 50.1% black ownership. Entrants should demonstrate a strong status with regards to the seven pillars of empowerment, as per the B-BBEE scorecard.

Top Empowered: Media Personality of the Year

Finalists are decided purely by a public vote, via social media, with the winner to be adjudicated internally.


Top Empowered: Entrepreneur of the Year

Annual revenue generated by entrants’ companies must be above R10-million. The award goes to an individual who has demonstrated excellence and drive in their field of business. To enter this category, entrants  must employ more than five people and have been operational for more than two years, with evidence of significant year-on-year growth (compared to sectoral average), underpinned by strong financial performance and profitability.


Top Empowered: Public Sector Leader

This award recognises and applauds public sector leaders in national, provincial and local government departments, parastatals and/or agencies that have achieved outstanding results in the last year. This is demonstrated through financial management, environmental and sustainable development, meeting targets, positive contributions to the economy, and innovation and excellence in fulfilling their service delivery mandate. Candidates for this category must also discuss how they have impacted positively on the South African economy. Individuals under administration will not be eligible to enter.


Top Empowered: Business Leader

This award goes to a businessperson who holds an executive position in a significantly-sized organisation and whose leadership is reflected in the service to the organisation. The organisation must generate revenue of more than R35 million per annum. The individual must clearly and effectively demonstrate how he/she has implemented and driven the strategies of B-BBEE in the areas of enterprise development, social economic development, skills development, and employment equity; and what the impact of these have been on the performance of the organisation.

 

Top Empowered: Lifetime Achiever

An honorary award reserved for an iconic leading light of empowerment; an individual whose achievements shine both in the past and the present; a true visionary who consistently puts the best interests of all South Africans before their own and continues to stimulate progress towards a fully inclusive economy and society.


Top Empowered: Business of the Year

Annual revenue generated must be R100 million and above. This award goes to the organisation that best demonstrates excellence in all spheres of the general criteria and seven pillars of empowerment. Marked improvements in financial performance and the organisation’s empowerment status will hold a high weighting for the judges. Organisations in this category must hold Level 1 – 4 scorecards and the annual revenue generated must be above R100-million.

 

Top Empowered Fast Growth Black-Owned SMME Award

Annual revenue must be R5 to R35 million. The award is open to SMMEs with a positive year-on year turnover growth of 20% in the last financial year. You must have been operational for more than two years with a Level 1 – 4 scorecard, or 50.1% black ownership. You should be able to demonstrate strong commitment to the seven pillars of empowerment.


Top Empowered SED Award

Annual revenue must exceed R35 million. The award winner will have  improved the living conditions of disadvantaged black communities, with an emphasis on  rural development. You need to be able to demonstrate the effect of your SED efforts; both on community upliftment and organisational performance.


Top Empowered Enterprise and Supplier Development Award

Annual revenue must exceed R35 million. As with the SED Award, this award will go to an organisation that has improved the living conditions of disadvantaged black communities, with an emphasis on  rural development.The judges will be looking for organisations that can clearly and effectively demonstrate the success of their efforts.


Top Empowered Diversity Award

Annual revenue must exceed R35 million. The award will go to an organisation that demonstrates strong commitment to raising awareness of equality and diversity issues, from both an employment and service provision aspect. This commitment needs to be supported by organisational initiatives, policies and practices that create a diverse and inclusive workforce.


Top Empowered Job Creation Award

Annual revenue must exceed R35 million. The winner will have contributed positively toward the alleviation of poverty in South Africa, through the sustainable creation of meaningful employment. Entrants must outline how they have provided eligible participants with meaningful work experience that demonstratively improves their employment prospects.


Top Empowered Skills Development Award

Annual revenue must exceed R1 billion. The award recognises intensive learnerships and skills programmes that support, for example, youth development. Entrants for this award should invest 2% of their payroll on skills development for black employees and demonstrate sustainable skills development programmes or policies with successful outcomes.

Top Empowered Entrepreneur of 2017 Award

Your organisation’s annual revenue must exceed 10 million.The award will go to a visionary leader demonstrating excellence and drive in their field. To enter this category, your organisation must employ more than five people and have been operational for more than two years. It should also show significant year-on-year growth.


Top Empowered Business Leader of the Year Award

Your organisation’s annual revenue must exceed R35 million. The winner will be able to demonstrate how he/she has successfully implemented and driven the strategies of B-BBEE within enterprise development, socio-economic development, skills development, and employment equity.


Top Empowered Young Achiever Award

Your organisation’s annual revenue must exceed R35 million.This award highlights the outstanding achievements of a young black executive, under the age of 40 years, who can clearly and effectively demonstrate an outstanding contribution to their organisation’s success and performance through innovative strategies and solutions.

Top Empowered Public Service Award

This award honours national or provincial government departments, parastatals or agencies that effectively demonstrate the highest level of black economic empowerment, from staff to suppliers, through programmes and policies. An important factor is measurable and accountable leadership committed to developing previously-disadvantaged individuals through programmes and policies..


Top Empowered Public Service Leader of the Year Award

This award recognises public service leaders in national, provincial or local government departments, parastatals or agencies, who have achieved outstanding results in the last year; through financial management, environmental and sustainable development, meeting targets, positive contributions to the economy, and innovation in fulfilling their service delivery mandate. Individuals under administration will not be eligible to enter.

Top Empowered Business of the Year Award

Annual revenue must exceed R100 million. The award will go to an organisation that best demonstrates excellence in all spheres of the general criteria and seven pillars of empowerment. An improvement in financial performance and the organisation’s empowerment status will hold a high weighting for the Judges. Organisations in this category must hold a Level 1, 2 or 3 BEE scorecard.


Lifetime Achievement Award

This prestigious award, the highlight of the evening, will honour an individual who has contributed in a profound way to black economic empowerment during the course of his or her career. Nominations for this award will also include those put forward by the Topco Media editorial team and the panel of external Judges.Previous recipients Previous recipients include President Thabo Mbeki, former President of the Republic of South Africa and Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan,, to name but two.

Top Empowerment Winners

2017

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Van Fletcher
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