Page 13 - SACCUK Awards FINALIST Brochure 2023

SONGO DIDIZA Songo Didiza is a founder and up initiatives within the consulting,

Green Building Design Group managing partner at Green Building technology and renewable energy
business service offerings sector. She
Founder and Director (SA) Design Group, a leading Tier 1 Energy
Services Company (EsCO) based in has been voted Sub-Saharan Africa’s
SA. Equipped with an economics and Energy Innovator of the Year by the
sustainability background she has Association of Energy Engineers (AEE)
led diverse project teams focused on in 2019. Green Building Design Group,
advancing sustainability transitions actively uses smart digital technologies
within infrastructure projects (both to enable enhanced ESG reporting for
public and private sectors). Songo has real estate and manufacturing asset
over 14 years’ experience working in portfolios. These innovations led her
the fields of sustainability and the green to winning the 2023 Proptech award at
economy value chains. Her experience the Greenovate Awards.
includes facilitation of renewable Songo is an eco-entrepreneur and
energy, energy services and green philanthropist at heart and is motivated
building project development deals by the desire to have Africa as a global
exceeding ZAR 13 b in SA. green economy.
Songo is also involved in several start- Songo Didiza | LinkedIn

JEREMY FORD Jeremy Ford is the lead trustee and engagement. He also actively manages

Director & Trustee, Qhubeka (UK) director of the Qhubeka Charity’s UK Qhubeka’s most high-profile global
and European presence. Qhubeka is partnership: being the international
one of South Africa’s most impactful charity of the Tour de France and
charities: fabricating and distributing Tour de France Femmes. In the last 18
their unique new bicycles to months, Jeremy has personally, and
schoolchildren and key workers to through the initiatives he drives, raised
improve their social mobility – truly over GB£100,000 for the charity, putting
the ‘S’ in ESG, and with over 110,000 well over 350 children on bicycles. He is
bicycles now distributed and lives already working on a Q1 2024 auction
changed. of signed Tour de France winners’
jerseys; organising a large team of
Whereas most trustees are in place for fundraisers for the ‘Ride London’ 100-
mainly governance reasons, alongside mile charity bike ride in May 2024; and
Jeremy’s ‘day-job’ as head of BD/ major activations during two key stages
Marketing for an elite law firm - Jeremy of the 2024 Tour de France and Tour de
plays a highly active role in donor France Femmes.
relationship development, large event
fundraising, media and social media Jeremy Ford | LinkedIn

ILANA FRIEDMAN Ilana Friedman’s life-changing story March 2018, Ilana finally manifested

Founding Director & CEO, Magical begins with an armed carjacking on 13 her Wildly Audacious Dream of 14 years
May 2003 in Bryanston. This pivotal and and created a “Home of Distinction” in
Moments (SA) traumatic event serendipitously led to Sandhurst – a sanctuary for the soul
the creation of Magical Moments, a to take refuge in, “Where Imaginations
unique non-profit organisation creating Come to Play®”.
“Magical Moments & Extraordinary
Days” for hundreds of thousands of Ilana Friedman is an advocate for
abused, abandoned, disadvantaged, Children’s Rights, with a passion
impoverished, neglected, orphaned for Early Childhood Education and
and vulnerable children in the greater Development; with a focus on
Johannesburg region. education through play & imagination.
Due to the broad profile and For almost 20 years, parallel to Magical
demographic foot print, Magical Moments, Ilana has been actively
Moments has reached out to children involved in personal development and
who would ordinarily “slip through transformation, facilitated and assisted
the cracks”, the children who are not on life changing workshops.
institutionalised. The silent majority. In Ilana Friedman | LinkedIn

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SA CHAMBER UK ANNUAL
AWARDS FINALISTS 2023