Entries open for Business Day Supplier Development Awards

Entries are open for the fifth annual Business Day Supplier Development Awards, which recognise and celebrate supplier development best practice and encourage cross-sector collaboration to boost the local economy. 

The awards, founded by Fetola and Arena Holdings in 2018, attract entries across diverse industries and have grown to become the premier supplier development awards in SA. They were established to celebrate those who go beyond what is expected and encourage knowledge-sharing and community.  

The Business Day Supplier Development Awards programme:  

• Encourages and rewards excellence in supplier development; 
• Recognises the strategic imperative of supplier development; 
• Measures and shares the annual benchmark report of best practice; 
• Promotes supplier sustainability; 
• Enables skills transfer and sector-wide advancement; and
• Encourages industry collaboration.

The awards target unemployment, inequality and poverty, by creating access to markets to grow businesses and generate jobs.

“The Business Day Supplier Development Awards are about more than recognition. They inspire and showcase best practice and motivate corporates in SA to collectively advance their supplier development initiatives through shared learning and collaboration,” says Fetola CEO Catherine Wijnberg, head judge and technical lead of the awards. 

She says past award winners highlight how supplier development deployed as a strategic business imperative helps strengthen competitive advantage and ensures business sustainability. This leads to healthier supply chains that can grow employment during the challenging post-pandemic economic times. 

“Fetola is delighted with the growth of the awards and pleased they bring recognition and prestige to finalists and winners alike. This year’s programme continues to be interactive and engaging, with opportunities for collaboration and learning between leading corporations and the suppliers they support.”

Previous award winners include some of SA’s most prominent corporate brands: Massmart, Sappi SA, Distell, Hatch, Exxaro, Empact Group, SAB, Macsteel, Spar, Unilever and Tiger Brands.

If you’re using supplier development to build transformative supply chains and want to improve your impact and benchmark your progress, these awards are for you. Join this inclusive ecosystem of executive leaders to pursue collaborative partnerships and seek professional peer learning. 

To participate or nominate a business, complete your expression of interest form to start your journey to the 2022 awards. 

The winners of this year’s Business Day Supplier Development Awards will be announced on November 15 2022. 

Entries are now open and can be made online. If you would like more information or to become a sponsor of the Supplier Development Awards, contact mnicol@fetola.co.za. You can follow the latest updates on the awards on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook.