Join the KZN Top Business Nexus. Beyond a directory, we offer active networking for regional leaders. Connect with Top Business Award winners, access exclusive insights, and grow your footprint in the KZN economy. KZN Top Business NEXUS Exclusive Offer Join the Business Revolution Directories are Dead. The Nexus is Here. We aren't just revealing the technology. We’re revealing the future of KwaZulu-Natal business Step-by-Step Activation Step 1:Join "The List" (The Discovery Phase) Every legitimate business in KZN belongs on the map. Joining The List is your first step. Because we believe in the power of this network, we have removed the financial barrier. Your entry is immediate, and you won’t pay a single cent in annual fees until 2027. This is our confidence in action. Step 2: Upgrade to "Connectors Club" (The Engine Room) Visibility is the start; connection is the fuel. The Connectors Club is the high-velocity heart of the Nexus ecosystem. This tier is designed for businesses that don’t just want to be seen, but want to drive active engagement and real-time results. Your Marketing Powerhouse: Daily Agility The standout advantage of the Connectors Club is your ability to add and edit digital coupons daily. This isn’t a static listing; it’s a dynamic marketing tool that gives you the power to: Pivot Promotions: Update offers instantly to match your inventory or seasonal demands. Drive Immediate Traffic: Launch daily "Connectors-only" incentives to a captive audience of decision-makers. Own the Narrative: Take full control of your marketing message as it evolves, ensuring your brand stays fresh and relevant. Step 3: Reach "The Platinum Club" (The Inner Circle) The Platinum Club is the pinnacle of the KZN Top Business Nexus. This tier is reserved for those who want to shape the narrative of the province. Membership is bespoke, providing maximum leverage, priority media placement, and exclusive influence within the ecosystem. The "High-Velocity" Approach Unlock Your Digital Dividend "🏆 Redeem Your discount! See how the Nexus turns your business data into digital gold." Read the Strategy → The " Psychological Handshake" The Power of the Digital Handshake The "Ecosystem" Approach Stop Drifting. Start Dominating. "🚀 Escape the Sandbox. Learn how the Nexus puts you at the top of the food chain instantly." See the Blueprint → "🤝 Why a Coupon is Better Than a Business Card. Discover the psychology behind our 'Warm Feel' handshake and collect your launch discount. Go to the Blog → " Ready to Extend the Handshake? Now that you understand the psychology behind the Nexus Connectors, it’s time to stop reading and start connecting. Don't just exist in the market—anchor yourself to the top. Join the List Get Listed MEDIA KIT AI Unlocked at The Oyster Box Explores the Future of Smarter Business in KwaZulu-Natal GROW YOUR VISIBILITY THROUGH THE NEXUS KZN Top Business Nexus-Digital Liberation Transforming KZN Market Dynamics with the Benjamin Franklin Close The KZN Top Business Nexus - Early Bird officially closed The Simplicity of the Struggle

This is placeholder text. To change this content, double-click on the element and click Change Content. < Back Kelly Parker HR Representative This is placeholder text. To change this content, double-click on the element and click Change Content. Want to view and manage all your collections? Click on the Content Manager button in the Add panel on the left. Here, you can make changes to your content, add new fields, create dynamic pages and more. Your collection is already set up for you with fields and content. Add your own content or import it from a CSV file. Add fields for any type of content you want to display, such as rich text, images, and videos. Be sure to click Sync after making changes in a collection, so visitors can see your newest content on your live site. info@mysite.com 123-456-7890

Editor’s Note < Back Gayle Adlam Editor, KwaZulu-Natal Top Business Women 2021 Welcome to our second collection of Standard Bank KwaZulu-Natal Top Business Women. The vision of the Standard Bank KwaZulu-Natal Top Business Women initiative is to celebrate the achievements of women in business and in society through a range of media – webinars, video, photography, and the written word. Through this initiative, we aim to place some of our women role models in the public eye and to honour their extraordinary successes. The theme for 2021 is ‘women inspiring women’ and we have had no shortage of amazing stories to share and to be inspired by. Each story is important enough to be shared, and each person needs to be heard! These women are to be found making a difference in the fields of farming, medicine, health and wellness, community, business development, law, entertainment, environment and the arts, amongst many other life-calling (and changing) jobs and careers. In addition, apart from their incredible accomplishments, they identify themselves as wives, mothers, daughters, sisters ...the list is endless. The team at KwaZulu-Natal Top Business have to thank each of the women featured for the time that they have offered us and the insights that they have shared. Without their willingness to tell their stories, this publication and our accompanying video series would not be possible. All the women were interviewed and asked the same questions: • What are your business and/or community achievements? • How did you get to where you are today? • Who or what has motivated or inspired you and why? • What challenges have you experienced and how have you overcome these? • What are your future goals? • What advice would you give to young women who are following in your path? Some of the key themes that emerged, amongst others, are: • Being female in a male dominated world • The importance of loving yourself • Being true to yourself • Follow your passions • Never be afraid of learning • Not letting your failures define you • To keep striving amidst challenges • Surround yourself with your tribe • Striving for balance Each of the women featured have travelled amazing journeys, have stood firm and are an inspiration to other women (and men). We are sure that you will enjoy reading their stories and watching their videos. We also extend our gratitude to the various people who have facilitated the process and helped with setting up interviews, handling queries, and writing profiles. A special thank you to our photographer, Nic Carroll, for the beautiful black and white portraits, which are featured in this book. He made sure that we all enjoyed the sessions in front of the camera. Another special thank you to Alan Patrick, who has spent many hours filming interviews, as well as editing the footage to produce the videos that are available on our website: www.kzntopbusiness.com and on our YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/c/KZNTopBusiness This year we introduced each of the women in a three-part webinar series, which are available on the YouTube platform as well. Thanks also to Marlene Powell who facilitated each of the webinars. We hope that the series will continue to inspire other women to achieve their dreams. Our sincere thanks go to the team at Standard Bank KwaZulu-Natal for their support of the KwaZuluNatal Top Business Women: IT CAN BE.

If you’re being authentic and you’re not just a copy and paste, people will be attracted to you.Kim Dyason < Back Kim Dyason Owner of Studio 39 Jewellery Design and Founder of Jewellers by Design Kim reflected that she has faced quite a few challenges over the years. One of these she explains, “Our trade has changed quite a lot. The younger generation are preferring to spend their money on experiences, like travel etc. But I like to ask them, ‘How, when you get back from travelling, when you’ve had your engagement, or that memorable occasion, do you capture the feeling and essence of those experiences?” The answer is that jewellery is the perfect medium for that. “Every time you look at your bracelet or your ring, you remember and feel those emotions and experience. And obviously when you’re handing that jewellery on to your children or grandchildren and you’re telling them the story of your travels, or momentous occasion, that just makes the piece much more special to them. “I don’t just make jewellery; I make future heirlooms.” One of the challenges from earlier days, Kim would say was that jewellery manufacture was very much a man’s world when she started. She found that nobody wanted to share trade secrets or help with any information, not even amongst themselves. “And I don’t agree with that way of thinking.” During lockdown, and having time to reflect and strategise, Kim decided that living by design and not default was her aim and wanted to give back. Jewellers by Design provides an environment that empowers aspiring jewellers and designers to achieve their goal of owning their own business, while working in a nurturing environment incorporating experienced leaders in the jewellery industry. Currently, Kim is collaborating with people who aren’t jewellery designers but have creative concept ideas. She added that working with them to create jewellery that they can go on and make an income from is ‘absolutely divine’. “My daughter is a zoologist, her range is pangolin inspired, so she can give back to her community, donate to wildlife and create employment. There’s just so many ways you can give back and be creative at the same time.” Kim explains that for her design work she looks for inspiration in her love of nature. “I love nature. I get a lot of inspiration from nature and natural gemstones. I find that if I’m designing for myself the stone tells me what it wants to be.” She added that when she is designing for clients, she likes to get a feel for who they are. “I thrive when I work one on one with a client. Great love is poured into every piece, and I understand the sentimental meaning behind every piece. I want to create something that’s going to be meaningful for you. It’s not about me. I want to see smiles on people’s faces when they put on their piece of jewellery. I sell happiness. It’s so special.” In advising younger women she would say to them, find a mentor. “Find somebody you can relate to, who is happy to impart knowledge. Somebody who’s been through all the trials and tribulations, although I’m sure there’s many still to come. You can bounce your ideas off them.” “There are going to be many times where you’re going to feel like ‘I just want to give this up’ because owning your own business, making jewellery, and dealing with the public can be difficult at times.” In order to be a success, Kim thinks that being authentic to who you are is highly important. “Find something where you have a passion, and you will be successful. If you’re designing and you’re being authentic and you’re not just a copy and paste, people will be attracted to you. That was my dream.” To relax Kim enjoys line dancing and music. “I’ve always loved music and it is a very big part of my life and creative side. I grew up with it and played guitar.”

JONATHAN NAIDOO is an economics graduate with post-graduate specialisation in research methods, political and economic geography. He was previously COO of Trade and Investment KZN and holds certificates in imports and exports, project financing for public-private partnerships, conflict management, program management, financial modelling. he also holds an estate agents' diploma and an education degree specialising in mathematics Subscribe Home KZN Leaders Up Up Jonathan Naidoo JONATHAN NAIDOO is an economics graduate with post-graduate specialisation in research methods, political and economic geography. He was previously COO of Trade and Investment KZN and holds certificates in imports and exports, project financing for public-private partnerships, conflict management, program management, financial modelling. he also holds an estate agents' diploma and an education degree specialising in mathematics Jonathan Naidoo - "Always maintain a visionary outlook JONATHAN NAIDOO i s a n economics graduate with post-graduate specialisation in research methods, political and economic geography. He was previously COO of Trade and Investment KZN and holds certificates in imports and exports, project financing for public-private partnerships, conflict management, program management, financial modelling. he also holds an estate agents' diploma and an education degree specialising in mathematics. Jonathan has extensive experience in trade and investment-related activities, having led and accompanied a number of outward and inward business missions. Jonathan's business experiences, coupled with his connectivity, both domestically and internationally has earned him the reputation of an astute "deal maker". As the CEO of SmartXchange, he is passionate about the work that the business incubator is doing to promote the development of entrepreneurs in the MICTe sector. He is focused on what he wishes the organisation to achieve and always maintains a visionary outlook. This approach is necessary in order to remain relevant in the innovation space. Naidoo maintains that the ongoing exposure to the vibey and fantastic ideas of these young entrepreneurs is very exciting and provides momentum to the management of the day to day business. Jonathan's entrepreneurial passion resulted in a number of start-ups: Excellent Signs (1985), a 180 seater a la carte restaurant, and a take away and ice cream parlour at the Port Shepstone beachfront (1989), and Excellent Furniture (1992). In 1998 he established a property development company, Jorano Investments. In 2000, Jonathan sold off his three businesses to focus exclusively on property development. Jonathan is currently appointed onto the Ray Nkonyeni Mayoral Economic Advisory Committee and serves as a Council Member of the KwaZulu-Natal Human Resource Development Council as the lead champion for the ICT sector. Naidoo says that SmartXchange's success has been made possible through three key elements. Firstly, he has the backing of motivated staff, patrons and a highly supportive board. Secondly, SmartXchange has developed powerful strategic partnerships with government and the private sector. Third is the commitment and dedication of SMMEs which is essential. "If they don't give us good," results then we don't look good, commented Naidoo. Naidoo's vision would be to see SMMEs moving from business support and reselling to the innovation of great products, which results in high growth companies. SMMEs also need to ensure that they have a broad client base in order to avoid being a high-risk company in the event of the loss of key clients. This is especially apparent when companies are over-dependent on government contracts, which are at times not renewed at the end of the service delivery agreements. In the future, Naidoo would like to see the SmartXchange model being duplicated as it has the potential to be adopted as a national model. Another of Naidoo's passions is for innovation to contribute to the development of 'Smart African Cities'. He said that South Africa has the potential to be a leader and to have a global footprint. However, innovations in technology are only one aspect of the solution. "We also require people to develop smart attitudes. We need smart minded people who are able to deliver the 'wow' factor. We need those people who are able to give me bad news with a smile and who are able to go the extra mile and make me feel good even if there are challenges.". In conclusion, said Naidoo, "Incubated SMMEs are a formula for success with guaranteed results on condition that they work hard, have a little bit of luck and faith in God," When not at work, Naidoo enjoys the outdoors, including hiking, gardening, golfing and fishing. He says, "Gardening is my therapy. As you would nurture a garden, similarly with entrepreneurs. you would do the same. You plant the seeds, nurture and care for them and watch them grow, blossom and flourish into successful sustainable businesses for all of us to enjoy the fruits of our labour."

Provide people with the freedom to make their own decisions and take accountabilityLiesl Phillips < Back Liesl Phillips Industrial Relations Manager for LabourNet Liesl Phillips, the industrial relations manager for LabourNet has had 13 years of experience in industrial relations. As compliance partners to businesses. Liesl assists Labournet’s clients to resolve their labour related matters. The company’s national footprint means that they are able to service clients anywhere in South Africa. She says that she has had the privilege of managing the KZN Industrial Relations team for the past five years. Liesl commented, “The people aspect of the business is something that I’m really passionate about as I believe in empowering people to reach their full potential.” Building blocks to success Hard work, having the right attitude and doing the right thing consistently over time, are said Liesl, the three things that have been the building blocks to her success. “There’s that very famous saying that nothing in life comes easy. And if it were easy, everyone would do it,” she added. Thirteen years ago and straight out of university, her working career started with LabourNet. Liesl then relocated and for a short period left LabourNet. However, she added, “I love the brand so much that I ended up coming back and was subsequently promoted to industrial relations manager five years ago, and I’ve really been enjoying my role.” An effective and productive leader Liesl is proud to be an effective and productive leader and this success she believes is achieved through her people skills. Liesl believes that it is important to empower people and continuously identify successors to ensure the sustainability of the business. She has done this by applying the leadership principles of servant leadership ensuring that she manages people individually based on their specific needs. “Firstly, when I ask my team members how they are doing, I really care about the answer. Secondly, I trust my team and this to me is crucial in business. Providing support and frameworks is absolutely necessary but what is more important is to provide people with the freedom to make their own decisions and take accountability for their business.” “I also actively focus on the growth of our business, and I am quite passionate about obtaining new business, which provides my team and I the opportunity to solve their problems and add value at a high level. I successfully led my team throughout the Covid 19 pandemic and proud to say that we managed to support our clients full time as well as pay full salaries to our staff.” Be a cheerleader Throughout her career Liesl has been inspired and motivated by multiple individuals and has had the privilege of working with some amazing mentors. She explained that challenges are something that we all face. For the longest time Liesl thought that she needed external validation to really believe in her own thoughts and initiatives. However, with the guidance of mentors and of cause some maturity, she started to realise that she needed to be her own cheerleader. She added, “I only need one vote and that was my own. The only person standing between you and your goals, is YOU.” Focus on your mindset Her advice to young women today is to focus on your mindset. “You can’t expect the A plus performance with a B minus mindset,” says Liesl. “We live in a world of information, with so many platforms to gain knowledge and inspiration. We shouldn’t wait for something or someone to make you great. Whether you enjoy reading business books, listening to podcasts, or watching TedTalk videos. Just do it! That is completely in your hands.” An infinite game “My future goals are to always play an infinite game, meaning that there’s no finish line. So, to continue to grow year on year,” said Liesl. “I’m also in the process of acquiring my business coach qualification. I think if in today’s time if you are not upskilling yourself or researching how to deal with a diverse workforce or with the upcoming Gen Z and millennials, you’re setting yourself up for failure.” Liesl is determined to always be driven by being passionate about her position, irrespective of the title or the position she holds. “I think passion is the driving force to really make a difference in people’s lives. People don’t remember the bad days or the challenges they faced. They remember the leader and the mentor at the time and how that person actually made them feel.” To relax and unwind Commenting on creating balance in her life, Liesl says, “I’m very much of an extrovert and a social butterfly, so I enjoy just spending time with some friends and having a glass of wine. I enjoy outdoors, so my husband and I love going for hikes. We love spending weekends away and doing some adventurous things.” In conclusion, Liesl said that being part of the KZN Top Business Women initiative has been very refreshing and it is an honour to be part of such a well organised event. “I think, if this story lands on one lady’s ears and I could motivate and leave her with something inspirational, then I feel that I’ve won something.”

Labour legislation or employment legislation is ever changing in South Africa and is sometimes complex for the employers or business owners to understand or implement. LabourNet tries to provide solutions that are affordable and effective to employers in South Africa that simplifies employment legislation compliance. Why would a company use LabourNet? Business owners need to focus on their core business to maximise the return on their investment but also need to manage and adhere to employment related responsibilities and compliance on the other hand. LabourNet has teams of multi-disciplinary consultants in the different solutions that clients can call on a day-to-day basis and can have immediate feedback or a solution to their compliance needs. LabourNet is a firm believer in building relationships with their clients and becoming a partner in their businesses. They also strive to give their clients a competitive edge in becoming employers of choice of the best talent. HR Consulting, Labor and Employment Law, and Payroll ServicesJohan van DeventerJohan van Deventer is a dynamic and dedicated individual with broad-based human resources knowledge and management skills. He is able to apply knowledge of organisational systems, structures, policies and procedures to achieve results. Johan is a firm believer of business development and professional relationships. Up Up HR Consulting, Labor and Employment Law, and Payroll Services Price No Cost Duration 30 minutes Assessment < Back EXPLORE FURTHER Dynamic and dedicated individual with broad-based Human Resources knowledge and Management Skills. I am able to apply knowledge of the organizational systems, structures, policies and procedures to achieve results. Firm believer of business development and professional relationships. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YyDh-lvN_jI Your Business Guru Johan van Deventer Labour legislation or employment legislation is ever changing in South Africa and is sometimes complex for the employers or business owners to understand or implement. LabourNet tries to provide solutions that are affordable and effective to employers in South Africa that simplifies employment legislation compliance. Why would a company use LabourNet? Business owners need to focus on their core business to maximise the return on their investment but also need to manage and adhere to employment related responsibilities and compliance on the other hand. LabourNet has teams of multi-disciplinary consultants in the different solutions that clients can call on a day-to-day basis and can have immediate feedback or a solution to their compliance needs. LabourNet is a firm believer in building relationships with their clients and becoming a partner in their businesses. They also strive to give their clients a competitive edge in becoming employers of choice of the best talent. Johan van Deventer's News Blog & Publishes Articles “a brilliant read” J ohan van Deventer

Learning to manage your time will be key to your successDeashini Moonsamy < Back Deashini Moonsamy Owner, Hydratool Deashini (Dee) Moonsamy is the proud mom of two adult sons. Her eldest son is 27 and he is a chartered accountant, her youngest son is 21 years old and he is in his third year studying electrical engineering at the University of Pretoria. Dee says that her husband is also an entrepreneur and he’s her ‘go to life partner in business’. Dee’s journey began in 1995 when she worked with her husband at Morgans Transport in Port Shepstone. After gaining valuable experience in the transport sector, the couple realised that there was a lack of diesel mechanics in the area. They decided to bridge that gap and open their own workshop to do all their in-house repairs. “Our workshop rapidly grew into a thriving and lucrative venture, we are now still doing work for Mercedes, Volvo, Man Trucks and many other prominent transporters in the area,” explained Dee. However, they noticed that they were experiencing a huge problem in sourcing parts to service these trucks. So said Dee, “We took another bold step and opened Hydratool in 2009. Initially it started as a joint venture, but due to work constraints, my husband could not cope, and I was left to run Hydratool by myself.” Hydratool specialises in industrial filtration, lubrication, pneumatic and power tools, and all hydraulic components. The company caters to the mining, agricultural, construction, manufacturing, and the automotive sectors. Learning the ropes Dee said that she had no clue as to what she was getting herself into, especially as back then it was a male dominated industry. She explained, “I had to quickly learn the ropes and figure how I would succeed. I was not knowledgeable in hydraulics or filtration. I was used to extracting information from spread sheets and processing balance sheets, doing cash flow statements. I didn’t even know how to do a stock take.” In addition, Dee said, back then her boys were 13 and 7 years old; she was juggling being a mother and trying her best to make this venture work. “Google and YouTube became my new friends,” explained Dee with a smile. However, her success meant that she had suppliers approaching her and giving her sole distributorship to sell their products. “That empowered me to thrive. I was given the Donaldson Filtration distributorship in 2013 and was awarded in 2014 for Top sales in KZN. Today I’m the only woman in KZN that still has the Donaldson filtration distributorship,” explained Dee. Dee is deeply involved in a collaboration with the TVET Colleges and Trade schools, where her company supplies these institutions with all the necessary workshop apparatus needed to complete their syllabus and curriculum. “We are committed to supporting the learning journey of these students. We conduct apprenticeship programmes for students to offer the hands-on experience and practical knowledge that supplements their theoretical education,” explained Dee. Consequently, they have been successful in producing many qualified diesel mechanics, welders, workshop assistants and other artisans. They are also involved in teaching people how to drive heavy duty vehicles. “I remember doing my first driver training lesson in 1996 on an Iveco Truck. I also drove an Actros with a super-link timber trailer from Port Shepstone to Harding when I was pregnant with my first child,” recalled Dee. “Being a part of these initiatives is incredibly rewarding as we are not only helping the students gain valuable skills, we are empowering them to pursue successful careers.” Sheer determination Dee says that her journey has been shaped by sheer determination, a strong work ethic and a deep passion for what she does. “The pursuit of innovation and continuous learning has kept me inspired. The evolving nature of business pushes me to stay ahead of new technologies. My drive to innovate has kept our business relevant and also fostered a culture of growth within our team.” In addition, says Dee, her mom has been her biggest motivator. “She always says I was never born to fail. My family has been a constant pillar of strength, always encouraging me.” Dee’s husband provides her with the strategic guidance when she needs it and her mother-in-law often provides support. Business challenges have presented Dee with the opportunity for growth and leaning. “My initial challenge was establishing Hydratool in a competitive market. Building a reputation and gaining the trust of clients required constant effort. Economic fluctuation has also been a challenge as most of our products are imported and based on the dollar rate. Market uncertainties have impacted the demand for our products. To overcome this, we’ve had to focus on diversifying our product range and expanding our client base across different industries.” “Ultimately the challenges I have faced have taught me to remain resilient and proactive, rather than seeing these challenges as roadblocks, I have chosen to see them as opportunities,” explained Dee. Looking ahead Looking ahead Dee is dedicated to giving back to the community that has supported her. She plans to expand their community initiatives with the TVET colleges and trade schools, offering more educational and skill building opportunities. She is also hoping that when her son completes his degree in electrical engineering that he will start a programme for these colleges. To young women, Dee says, that there is one person in the world that you will be spending your entire life with and that’s yourself. “So take care of your mind, take care of your health and always be proud of who you are. Learning to manage your time will be key to your success. Remember that your journey is uniquely yours and each step you take contributes to your own growth.” Dee enjoys reading in her spare time and unwinds by spending time with friends. She also enjoys knitting and crocheting as well as spending time in her garden. She added that she loves going on holidays. Being part of KZN Top Business Women allows her the opportunity to commemorate all her achievements.