African Rainbow Mineral Gold (ARMgold) boss, Patrice Motsepe, was chosen as South Africa’s Best Entrepreneur for the year at a banquet in Johannesburg, banking group Absa said on Thursday night.
ARMgold is the fifth largest gold mining company in the country. Motsepe will represent South Africa at the World Entrepreneur of the Year Award to be held in Monte Carlo in May next year. He was chosen from a line-up of local entrepreneurs which included Kananelo Makhetha of BTI Connex Travel, Reg Lascaris of TBWA Hunt Lascaris advertising agency, Annette van der Laan of IT Company, CS Holdings and Fred Robertson of Brimstone Investment Corporation.
”Judges based their decision on both quantitative and qualitative analyses of each business as a whole,” Absa said in a statement.
The panel of judges included two former South African winners, Ivan Epstein, CEO of Softline who won the award in 1999, and Mark Lamberti, CEO of Massmart, last year’s winner.
”Patrice (Motsepe)… has created a world class company — one that competes on a global stage and that truly reflects the spirit of our country: energy, determination, perseverance, ingenuity and ubuntu,” said Robert Emslie, managing executive of Absa Business Banking Services, which co-sponsors the award.
Motsepe will fly to the United States in mid-November to attend the International Entrepreneur of the Year Conference and then on to Monte Carlo in May next year to compete against winning entrepreneurs from 18 countries for the World Entrepreneur of the Year Award. – Sapa