Linda Mabhena-Olagunju, founder and CEO of DLO Energy Resources Group whose company owns the largest wind farm in South Africa has been ranked 7th out of 100 in the prestigious Choiseul 100 Africa listing making her the only South African on the list and 1 of 4 women included in this ranking. It is also her 5 consecutive listings since 2018.
Mabhena-Olagunju is listed in the top 10 alongside formidable and phenomenal women such as Leila Bouamatou, Managing Director & Board Member of Générale de Banque de Mauritanie, Amrote Abdella, General Manager for Amazon Web Service in Sub-Saharan Africa and Anta Babacar Ngom Diack, Managing Director of Sedima Group.
The Institut Choiseul was founded in 2010 and it is a highly influential body acting as an independent think-tank focusing on economic governance and leadership. The Choiseul 100 Africa ranking was launched to highlight the talent of Africa’s young economic leaders and create a network for the young leaders who embody the dynamism of an entire continent.
These champions are the first actors in the economic development of Africa on a profoundly changing international scene. The Choiseul 100 Africa is an annual study carried out independently by the Institut Choiseul. The selection and classification work is carried out over several months. The Institut Choiseul contacts experts and specialists on the continent to achieve this ambitious study. Specific conditions must be met to be considered for the rankings.
Only profiles meeting the following conditions are selected:
• being a citizen of one of the 54 African states;
• being 40 years old or below on the 31st of December 2021;
• being an active contributor to the economic development of Africa.
To rank the selected profiles, several weighted criteria are taken into account such as the reputation, background and skill of the applicant. Also considered are the function, influence and networks, potential and leadership of the applicants.
The total score obtained in the different categories determines the position of each laureate in the final ranking. As the study was completed on 31 August 2022, professional or other developments after this date were not taken into account.
The methodology is dedicated to representing all the African regions and as many countries as possible to identify an elite cohort from across the continent, as well as from all value-creating sectors.
“I am humbled to be listed for the fifth consecutive year and I am equally impressed to see at least 4 women in the top 10 rankings, the target now is to have the top five being occupied by more qualified and deserving women and hopefully I can get to that number 1 spot for South Africa,” said Mabhena-Olagunju.
Next week Choiseul will be hosting its annual Choiseul Africa Business Forum in Casablanca Morocco from the 19th -21st of October 2022 where Mabhena-Olagunju will be speaking on the energy sector followed by an award ceremony for the laureates.