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Western Cape Businesswomen’s Association

2009 BWA bursary recipient announced

Fri, 22 May 2009 10:34

The Western Cape Businesswomen’s Association, the leading network for businesswoman in the Western Cape, has awarded its 2009 bursary to Catherine Day, who is currently completing her MBA at the UCT Graduate School of Business.

The bursary is awarded annually to a candidate who is excelling as a woman in business and who has potential to give back to other women.

To be eligible the candidate must be a post-graduate student and a South African citizen who is studying at a recognised Western Cape tertiary institution and pursuing a relevant business degree.

Elspeth Donovan, BWA member and Development Director with Cambridge Programme for Sustainability Leadership, was involved in the bursary selection process and said that Day was chosen out of 16 other potential candidates.

“Day met all the general criteria, but she stood out because she showed great confidence and commitment, wanted to develop her expertise so that she could be a valuable asset to business and society in general in South Africa and she was also very passionate about what we at the BWA do and was eager to become a member.”

“We at the BWA were also confident that the work she does in the future will have a positive impact on other women’s lives,” explained Donovan.

Day, who already has her Honours in Business Science from the University of Cape Town, says that she was delighted in hearing the news that she would receive the bursary.

“When I first heard about the bursary I was extremely interested and immediately applied, not only because the bursary helps to pay for your studies, but also because you are simultaneously welcomed as a BWA member, which in itself is a fantastic opportunity,” said Day.

Day has spent the last six years working in financial services in London as a management consultant and more recently for Lehman Brothers, where she was an associate in the equities division.

“I am excited to see what new challenges will come my way following the MBA, and I am confident that being a member of the BWA will help my future career aspirations greatly,” she added.

Ferose Oaten, BWA President for the Western Cape, explained that the BWA has been awarding bursaries to deserving women since 1988 and manages to raise the funds for the bursary every year through the profits from the Regional Business Achievers Awards dinner.

“The amount is not always the same, but it is always substantial because our members inevitably have big hearts,” she says “Day has put the money to good use and we look forward to seeing her become a success in business - many of our previous recipients have become valuable members of the BWA and business world” said Oaten.