RepoRt NAIMA McLEAN (30) arts & entertainment SINGER, ACTRESS AND POET
Fresh from performing her new single Hero at the Unite4Madiba sports event and starring alongside Paul Walker in Vehicle 19, McLean’s star is fast ascending. Born into a musical family, she always aspired to be a performer. After working in New York as a producer for major urban annual music conference The Power Summit and a short stint in the South African corporate world, she followed her real passions, landing jobs that included a feature role in
19 SUZIE NKAMBULE (25)
ConstruCtion & engineering SPECIALIST IN CONSTRUCTION AND ENGINEERING, GROWTH AND STRATEGY OFFICE: AVENG AFRICA
Nkambule recalls with delight seeing on TV the launch of Johannesburg’s Nelson Mandela Bridge in 2003. It was this moment which awakened her passion for engineering. A decade later, she’s a qualified civil engineer (and pursuing a Master’s degree in finance) serving in the executive management at Aveng, a listed R10 billion construction titan that built that same bridge. “The Nelson Mandela Bridge symbolised linkages and connections. It was a small thing, but it made a huge difference. That’s what civil
the British TV series, Wild at Heart. She also recited her poetry on both corporate and festival platforms such as Urban Voices. After recording her first album, she debuted at the Cape Town Jazz Festival. As an independent artist, her main hurdle is multi-tasking. “I don’t have the luxury of relying on a big record label to handle necessities like PR and brand management, so I’ve had to compile a team under my own label, while still concentrating on my art,” she says. – AR WEBSITE: www.naimaworld.com TWITTER: @naimamclean
engineers do – improve and transform lives,” she says. In between her daily tasks, which include client interaction and reviewing market conditions, Nkambule researches public-private partnerships in Africa to create enabling infrastructure that will fast-track sustainable economic development. She also does market reviews and liaises with a range of clients. In her other role, as President of the Association of Allan Gray Fellows, Nkambule – an accomplished public speaker – helps to identify bright young individuals with an entrepreneurial mindset. Her quest is to help SA unlock its potential. “We try to find visionary people, a good balance between doers and thinkers,” she says. – SM EMAIL: suzie.nkambule@ allangrayfellow.net TWITTER: @Sue_Nkambule
MAZDA POWER PRINCIPLE: “Infrastructure is the backbone of economies. It underpins success.”
20 TSHEGO TSHUKUTSWANE (36) entrepreneur FOUNDER AND CEO: CHIC SHAPEWEAR
Ten years ago, while battling to source quality shapewear locally, Tshukutswane hit on the idea of providing such a service, while simultaneously creating a sustainable business model. Launched in September last year, Chic Shapewear is an online boutique that imports top-of-the-range American shapewear brands that include underwear, swimwear and contourenhancing clothing. The most challenging aspect of running a business dependent on imports, she says, is the unpredictable rand/dollar exchange rate. It was $1/R7,80 when she launched the business, but today hovers around the $1/R10+ mark, so she mitigates fluctuations by negotiating bulk supplier discounts. She also opened an account with a freight company, with whom she negotiated a 30-day payment agreement. This, she says, helps with cash flow and exposes her business to discounted “preferential” freight rates. A serial entrepreneur, Tshukutswane also owns Greenstone Marketing, an integrated marketing and brand development firm, as well as a 50% share in the Artjamming art studio in Melrose Arch, Johannesburg. Recently accepted into the Goldman Sachs 10 000 Women programme, Tshukutswane’s teamed up with a local designer to launch a range of shapewear specifically designed for African women’s figures. She also plans to launch a bricks-and-mortar shapewear boutique in the next five years. – TS EMAIL: info@chicshapewear.com TWITTER: @chicshapewear
MAZDA POWER PRINCIPLE: “Life won’t give you more until you do something with what you have already.”
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