Ferial Haffajee, Terry Volkwyn and Esmare Weideman have been chosen as finalists in the 1st for Women Insurance Brokers’ Women in The Media Awards 2012. Shortlisted out of 41 women in media, they will vie for the Media Woman of the Decade Award, established to mark the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the awards.
“Haffajee, Weideman and Volkwyn epitomise what this award has come to stand for. They have dedicated their lives to the media and to its advancement, and we find it apt that their contributions will be acknowledged at such an important occasion,” said Sandra Gordon, CEO of Wag the Dog Publishers and founder of the event.
Gordon added that the company launched the awards a decade ago in a bid to celebrate the achievements of women within the media sector, many of whom were not acknowledged despite their significant contribution: “What we have uncovered is a wealth of excellence, dedication and thoughtful mentorship. And we have seen previously all-male environments such as newspapers, responding positively to the role of woman by appointing them into senior positions. We continue to run the awards to elevate the role of women in this space and highlight their stance on quality, standards and impact of the sector.”
The Media magazine’s editorial board made up the judging panel; while some of the 41 finalists initially chosen are a part of the editorial board, they recused themselves from the final judging.
“We hope that younger women in media will be inspired to follow in the footsteps of these remarkable finalists. Their tenacity and courage in such a very challenging sector is commendable,” said Robyn Farrell, managing director of 1st for Women Insurance Brokers.
In addition to the main prize accolade, awards are also given to a Rising Star and Lifetime Achiever.
The event takes place on 26 July 2012.
About the finalists:
Ferial Haffajee is the Editor-in-Chief of City Press Newspaper. She is former Editor of the Mail & Guardian and the first woman editor of this major South African newspaper. She is former chairperson of the South African National Editor’s Forum. Haffajee sits on the boards of the International Women’s Media Foundation, the World Editor’s Forum, the International Press Institute and the Inter Press Service (IPS).
At 22, she was one of the fortunate few to interview Mandela in his first TV interview following his release from Robben Island
She held jobs at state broadcaster the SABC as a radio producer and television reporter, and in 1997 was appointed as senior editor of the Financial Mail magazine, responsible for political coverage covered the presidency and the tripartite alliance and was its managing editor.
Terry Volkwyn is CEO of Primedia Broadcasting and is responsible for integrating the four radio stations in the Primedia stable: Talk Radio 702, 94.7 Highveld Stereo, 567 CapeTalk and Kfm 94.5.
She has served as chairperson of the Radio Committee of the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) for 10 years (since 2002) and has been the driving force behind the Radio Advertising Bureau (RAB). She was recently appointed to the board of Kaya FM.
Volkwyn was a finalist in the Women in Media Awards in 2004 and won the Boss of the Year Award in 2006.
Her involvement in radio was initially through sales. The role has grown somewhat over the last decade, and she is now the leader of one of the most successful broadcasting companies in South Africa.
Esmare Weideman is Chief Executive Officer of Media24. She has served as Editor-in Chief of Huisgenoot, You and Drum at Media24 Family Magazines.
With degrees in business and journalism from the University of Stellenbosch Weideman’s first beat in 1985 was as a labour reporter at Finansies & Tegniek – now Finweek – before joining The Star in 1989 as a political writer. This was during the frenetic roller-coaster days that shaped South Africa’s democracy, and provided her with the unique opportunity and privilege of being the only journalist to accompany Nelson Mandela on his six-week world tour after his release from prison. Her stint in the trenches continued with Media24 in Cape Town. Drum was the first glossy that proved Weideman’s editing skills, followed by Fair Lady, before being appointed as the first woman (not to mention the youngest) editor of You magazine.
