Mastercard Women SME Leaders Awards 2024

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Nominations are now open for the Mastercard Women SME Leaders Awards to recognize and celebrate women entrepreneurs in the Middle East, Africa and Eastern Europe.

The third edition of Mastercard Women SME Leaders Awards this year will be the first in-person ceremony as they celebrate the remarkable achievements of visionary leaders who are shaping the future of business in the region.

Mastercard Women SME Leaders Awards Categories

The Creative Leader:

This award category is to recognize the woman SME leader in the creative industry including design, art, architecture, culture, music. Judges will consider the projects completed in the last three years, those in pipeline and other achievements. Any specific initiatives related to sustainability and environment should also be mentioned.

The F&B Leader:

This award category is to recognize a woman SME leader in the food and beverage sector who had made a considerable impact in that industry. This category also includes foodtech, food production, cloud kitchens, delivery solutions and aggregator businesses.

The Retailer:

This award category is to celebrate a woman SME leader in the retail and e-commerce sector. The winner for this category should show outstanding leadership skills, healthy business growth and – for those with teams – creating a diversified working environment.

The Educator:

This award category is to recognize a woman SME leader in the education sector.

The Health Custodian:

This award category is to recognize a woman SME leader in healthcare who has made a positive business impact in the region.

The Innovator:

This award category is to recognize a woman SME leader in the technology sector who has made a positive contribution to the industry in the region. This includes running a tech business or creating digital products and solutions.

The Professional Services Leader:

This award category is to recognize a woman SME leader who has made a positive impact in the professional services sector. This includes finance, insurance, banking, law, management consultancy and other relevant fields.

The Fashion & Beauty Leader:

This award category is to recognize and highlight a woman SME leader in the fashion and beauty sector.

The Media Leader:

This award category is to recognize a woman SME leader in the media, advertising, marketing, branding and PR & communications industries.

This award category is to recognize a visionary woman SME leader, either an entrepreneur – who has launched a successful business within the past 12 months in any sector – or a corporate executive who has significantly impacted the women-run and owned SME ecosystem in the region. The winner for this category should have the following superior characteristics (but not limited to):
The Visionary:

This award category is to recognize a visionary woman SME leader, either an entrepreneur – who has launched a successful business within the past 12 months in any sector – or a corporate executive who has significantly impacted the women-run and owned SME ecosystem in the region. The winner for this category should have the following superior characteristics (but not limited to):

Creativity in the solution developed
Either has a large number of users within their target market or a significant potential for growth
Has created a scalable business
Either has raised significant funding or has a high potential being funded
Created new solutions that has benefited the SME sector
Developed policies that drives growth of the SME sector

The Leader Of Tomorrow:

This award category is to recognize woman SME leader below the age of 30 who through her talents has achieved significant milestones whether in her career, in the society and the people around her.

The Social Impact Leader

This award is to honor a woman SME leader who has made a substantial positive impact on society through charitable work, help needy people, creating job opportunities, or providing a framework for a better education and healthcare.

Lifetime Achievement Award

This award will go to a woman that has made an outstanding contribution to creating an inclusive working environment and equal opportunities for women in the workplace in the past three decades and has helped women to break the glass ceiling. This is also referred to as the Lifetime Achievement Award.

Home-Based Business Of The Year

This award category is to recognize a company business led or founded by a woman and run exclusively from her place of residence and has been operating for more than two years. The winner of this category should show a significant growth in terms of revenue and the value created.

Momrepreneur Of The Year

This award category is to recognize a mother who has started a small business or is part of a small size business. The winner for this category should show significant positive impact of their role on the business and its growth.

Eligibility Criteria for Mastercard Women SME Leaders Awards

Nominations are open for individuals and organizations and they invite all women SME leaders to participate.
You must be a small enterprise that has a turnover of less than AED50 million and employs between 6 to 50 people.