NAIROBI, Kenya, Oct 17 – Scangroup Limited Chief Executive Officer Bharat Thakrar has been nominated for this year’s ‘Africa Entrepreneur of the Year’ award.
Thakrar has been recognised for his entrepreneurial skills in building Scangroup into a powerful pan African business.
Also nominated are, Aliko Dangote, the richest man in Africa and founder of the Dangote Group, and Leo-Stan Nnamdi, Chairman and CEO, Zinox Technologies, both from Nigeria. The winner will be announced at a gala ceremony to be held on Thursday at the Sandton Sun, Johannesburg, South Africa.
The award is made annually as part of the All African Business Leader Awards and is sponsored by auditing and Professional Services firm KPMG, the Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS), ABN Events and CNBC Africa.
The aim of the awards is to recognise business leaders and companies that have excelled in Africa over the last year.
According to a statement from the organisers, the winners would have made an outstanding contribution to the development of the continent, the economic aspirations of its citizens and the transformation of Africa’s image in international markets, while displaying high standards of good corporate citizenship and social and environmental responsibility.
“The awards have become a benchmark for institutions across Africa and a reminder of the amazing achievements which are currently unfolding throughout the continent,” read the statement in part.
Commenting on his nomination, Thakrar said: “I am greatly honoured and humbled to share this platform with Africa’s best business people. I take this nomination not only as a personal recognition to me but also to the employees of Scangroup who have stood by me and helped me build this company over the past 30 odd years. This is also recognition of Kenya as a country, its ability to export some of its best organisations to the rest of the continent and an affirmation that any local business can make an impact on the African business landscape.”
Kenya’s Nasim Devji, Group CEO and Managing Director, Diamond Trust Bank, has also been nominated for ‘Africa Business Woman of the Year’ award. Other nominees in this category include Futhi Mtoba, Chairman, Deloitte South Africa and Maria Ramos, Group CEO, ABSA Group, South Africa.
Dangote received another nomination for ‘Business Leader of the Year’ award which also include Adrian Gore, CEO, Discovery Holdings, South Africa and Jubril Adewale Tinubu, CEO & Managing Director, Oando, Nigeria.
For the ‘CNBC Africa Business Success in Africa’ category, nominees include Whitey Basson, CEO, Shoprite Holdings; Arnold Ekpe, Group Chief Executive Officer, Eco Bank; and Sim Tshabalala, Deputy CEO, Standard Bank South Africa.
Now in its fourth year, the African Business Awards has established itself as the key annual event on the calendars of the African business community.
