The Mastercard “Women SME Leaders Awards 2022” announced this year’s winners, recognizing the success of women-led businesses in 22 categories and different industries across the Middle East and Africa.
The Women SME Leaders Awards 2022 is the first initiative of its kind in the MENA Region to recognize women-owned small and mid-size enterprises (SMEs), with a turnover of less than $13.6 million and employing between 6 to 50 people.
And the Lebanese Jennifer Mansour, the founder of the children’s food company, Little Melly, was awarded “Momtrepreneur of the Year”.
The awards are part of Mastercard’s global commitment “to connect 25 million women entrepreneurs to the digital economy by 2025, as part of its goal to build a more inclusive world.”
“The passion that women SME owners display is unmatched, they raise the bar higher every day,” said Amnah Ajmal, Mastercard’s Executive Vice President of Market Development in Eastern Europe and the MENA region.
“The Mastercard Women SME Leaders Awards recognize and celebrate these inspiring women entrepreneurs,” she added.
The Women SME Leaders Awards 2022 winners include women entrepreneurs from across the MENA region, such as Lebanon, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Egypt, Kenya, Nigeria, and Tanzania.
Jennifer Mansour founded Little Melly, producing fresh baby and kids’ food, after becoming the mother of a daughter in 2018.
Jennifer embarked on the food journey when her daughter Melanie became 6 months of age. Following a tiresome search for nutritious baby food suitable for her baby, she decided to cook all her meals herself.
Jennifer found a new love for cooking and went on to start the “Little Melly” journey, which has made freshly made baby’s and kid’s food accessible.
Little Melly has developed further, offering weaning nutrition courses and meal subscriptions (blends & BLW), and the facility for parents to order online.
Little Melly stood out as a valuable enterprise that makes a positive difference, receiving support from organizations like USAID, Bloom, Swedish Institute, and European Bank for Reconstruction and Development in order for her to reach bigger goals.
Today, Jennifer Mansour has been acknowledged by Mastercard as an exceptional momtrepreneur and a woman SME Leader.
