19 November 2021: The winners of the 4th Annual Absa Business Day Supplier Development Awards, in partnership with Arena Holdings, Fetola and Cold Press Media, were announced at a hybrid event held at The Empire Conference and Events Venue in Johannesburg on Thursday, 18 November 2021.
This awards programme recognises companies who are making significant strides in terms of their supplier development initiatives by acknowledging those who go beyond the scorecard, fostering learning, showcasing best practice and encouraging intersectoral collaboration to create scale and impact.
“At Absa we are particularly pleased that since their launch in 2018, the Supplier Development Awards have grown significantly – in their importance, number of participants and, more importantly, their impact. The Awards have truly come of age and continue to mature each and every year. It is critical now more than ever for corporates in both the public and private sectors to use their supply chains to help develop and grow small suppliers, who are the real drivers of economic growth and job creation” says Vusi Fele, Chief Procurement Officer at Absa Group.
“The increased interest from companies wanting to be part of the learning ecosystem and the high quality of this year’s finalists, indicates that supplier development is becoming recognised as a valuable strategic lever to drive inclusive growth”, says Catherine Wijnberg, CEO of Fetola, founding partner and technical lead of the Absa Business Day Supplier Development Awards.
The 2021 results are audited by BDO South Africa, and the winners are as follows:
THE NEWCOMER AWARD
Winner: Uyandiswa Project Management Services
INNOVATION AWARD
Winner: V&A Waterfront
YOUTH FOCUS AWARD sponsored by Absa
Winner: Anglo American Zimele
WOMEN FOCUS AWARD sponsored by Cold Press Media
Winner: Empact Group
RURAL AND TOWNSHIP FOCUS AWARD
Winner: SPAR
EMERGING TECHNOLOGY AWARD
Winner: Exxaro Resources
LOCALISATION AWARD
Winner: Empact Group
COLLABORATION AWARD sponsored by Fetola
Winner: Tiger Brands
COVID-19 RECOVERY AWARD (SPECIAL 2021 AWARD)
Winner: Distell
IMPACT AWARD sponsored by Business Day
Winner: Anglo American Zimele
SMALL SUPPLIER AWARD sponsored by IDC
Winner: Stellar Agri nominated by Distell
OUTSTANDING GROWTH IN A SMALL SUPPLIER AWARD (SPECIAL AWARD)
Winner: MB Resources nominated by Exxaro Resources
For the first time since inception, the Absa Business Day Supplier Development Awards has been extended to include nominations from Sub-Saharan Africa. We believe that this will inspire African companies to join the Supplier Development ecosystem and participate in the awards in future.
Judges African Commendation for Commitment to Economic Empowerment across the Supply Chain
Winner: Debswana (Botswana)
Judges African Commendation for Commitment to Women Inclusion in the Supply Chain
Winner: Safaricom (Kenya)
Judges African Commendation for Commitment to Localisation of the Supply Chain
Winner: Tullow Oil (Ghana)
Judges African Commendation for Commitment to Pioneering Supplier Development
Winner: Vodacom (Mozambique)
OVERALL WINNER sponsored by Absa
Winner: Tiger Brands
Thank you to the main sponsor Absa, our category sponsors, as well as this year’s judges and advisory panel. Congratulations to all of the 2021 finalists and winners.
For more information visit www.sdawards.co.za