Date: 19 March 2009

Venue: The Ballroom, Sandton Convention

Centre, Johannesburg

The Metropolitan Oliver Empowerment Awards, now in its 8th year, is South Africa’s foremost BEE awards initiative, hosted by Topco Media’s annual empowerment publication Impumelelo.   

Aiming at acknowledging, congratulating and celebrating the strides made by local companies towards the development of black economic empowerment, and employment equity, the ‘Olivers’ have, over the years, become an established annual business to business networking and socialising event.

Editor in Chief of Impumelelo, Colin Bower, comments: “There is no doubt that the Olivers can be considered the benchmark for BEE in South Africa, highlighting both individuals and companies involved in the transformation of our business world.”

Nkosinathi Chonco, Group Executive, Metropolitan commented on the partnership, which compliments Metropolitan’s commitment to BBBEE: “Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment is one of our key business drivers and entrenched in our organisation’s value system. We view this process as creating an environment for sustainable business and social economic growth; which is an imperative for a transforming society. Our partnership with Topco Media in hosting the Metropolitan Oliver Empowerment Awards allows us the opportunity to recognise companies and individuals who are committed to the philosophies of empowerment in business in South Africa today.”

The gala ceremony will this year be held at The Pavilion, Sandton Convention Centre and some 700 guests, including high profile business and government leaders, are expected to attend.  Last year’s winners included Standard Bank, The Bidvest Group, Regenesys Management, Johannesburg Roads Agency, Transglobal Cargo and Jimmy Manyi, Chairperson of the Commission for Empowerment Equity who took home the award for ‘Empowerment Personality of the Year’.

The Awards are based on hard analysis and transparent and defensible judging criteria.  Most importantly, the process adjudicates empowerment in conjunction with corporate performance.

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