Mastercard has announced the winners of its second edition of the Women SME Leaders Awards at a virtual ceremony, celebrating the achievements of women-led businesses in 22 categories across multiple industry sectors in Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa.

Launched in 2022 in collaboration with Entrepreneur Middle East, the Mastercard Women SME Leaders Awards is the first initiative of its kind to recognize women-owned and run SMEs shaping the future of the region.

“The second edition of the awards has once again exceeded our expectations – from receiving entries from diverse businesses to seeing the women of tomorrow raising the bar as we embrace a future that includes more women across industries. I’d like to congratulate all the winners for their contributions and commitment to the SME success story and for being a part of the Women SME Leaders Awards 2023,” said Amnah Ajmal, Executive Vice President of Market Development, Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa at Mastercard.

The second edition of the awards saw 4,547 submissions from businesses with a turnover of less than US$13.6 million (AED50 million) and employing between six to 50 people.

Entry to the award’s 22 categories – which included The Designer, The Logistician, The Retailer, The Educator and The Investor – was open to all female individuals or businesses who have their offices or offer their services in EEMEA. Other award categories included The F&B Leader, The Educator, The Real Estate Leader, The Health Custodian, the Executive, The Leader of Tomorrow, The Leader in Agriculture and The Visionary, in addition to others.

The Women SME Leaders Awards 2023 judging committee included Amnah Ajmal, Executive Vice President, Market Development, EEMEA for Mastercard; Tamara Pupic, Managing Editor of Entrepreneur Middle East and Nezha Alaoui, Founder and CEO, Women Choice.