Meet our Top 50 Thriving Female Founder for 2019 Edition

Twenty-five years ago Nelia Annandale, a creative thinker, and passionate entrepreneur founded the high-end, designer children’s clothing business, Keedo. She sees life as an exciting adventure, rather than a humdrum experience. As such she is driven to live a full, happy and purposeful life.

As a true South African, Nelia is dedicated to aiding in building a country that can be lived in and loved by generations to come. Resultantly, and through her business, she has continuously endeavored to bring about social and environmental change, focusing on the empowerment and upliftment of the women of South Africa. In November 2017 she was diagnosed with double breast cancer. True to her positive and purpose-driven outlook on life she made lemonade from lemons when Project Mangaliso, ( the Xhosa word for a miracle) , was born. In conjunction with the University of Stellenbosch, a registered research project was launched to get statistics on the occurrence of breast cancer in South Africa and to make participants aware of the importance of early detection.

The first leg of the project was done in June.  Hundreds of women ( Cape Union Mart, Keedo and Kway) has been screened. Over the last two decades, she has received various prestigious awards, including; National Entrepreneurial Woman of the Year, Top Gender Empowerment Company, Exporter of the Year( Design category), Black Business Quarterly Business Woman of the Year Award to name a few.

Her personal dream resonates with that of our beloved Madiba ‘I dream of an Africa which is in peace with itself. ‘ To make our world a better place, she believes the key ingredient would be to change our future generation- our children.  Education should be a top priority in South Africa and parents need to go back to their very core values, led by example and give children a solid and secure foundation.