TOP WOMAN:
Philisiwe Buthelezi
Chief Executive Officer
In 1992, Philisiwe came back to South Africa and joined the supervision arm of the South African Reserve Bank. The following year she joined the treasury division of Standard Corp and Merchant Bank (SCMB) as a dealer, trading the Financial Rand. The scrapping of the Fin Rand moved her to another post, where she became the first black female South African to become a corporate dealer at SCMB. In 2002 she was appointed as chief director of black economic empowerment at the DTI. She was instrumental in the negotiations around the formulation of the Mining and financial Services Charters and served as a government representative on the Financial Services Charter Council.

COMPANY SYNOPSIS
The National Empowerment Fund is an agent of the Department of Trade and Industry and is a development finance institution. The organisation has been
mandated by government to promote and facilitate black economic equality and transformation. The NEF provides finance and financial solutions to start-up and expansion business to black people through its Fund Management division and secondly, it structures accessible retail savings products for black people through its Asset Management division which houses state allocated investments for the purpose of savings and investments amongst its beneficiaries. The National Empowerment Fund employs 103 employees. Since capitalisation by government in 2004, the NEF has to date approved deals over R1 128-billion and disbursed over R740-million in funding to black entrepreneurs.

Mission: To enable develop, promote and implement innovative investment and transformation solutions to advance sustainable black economic participation.

Vision: To become the leading provider of innovative transformation solutions for an inclusive economy.

GENDER EMPOWERMENT & CSI
The NEF has made an undertaking to target 40 percent funding to women led businesses. There is emphasis on the empowerment of women. The warehousing
of shares on behalf of women has taken a significant step forward as has funding for the establishment of women-owned franchises.

FAST FACTS
(1). Approved over R1 -billion funding to black entrepreneurs

(2). Of the R1 -billion, R740-million was disbursed to 147 mvestees
(3).NEF processes funding applications by black businesses for start-up. expansion and equity acquisition objectives
(4). Funding starts from R250 000 to R100-million