Ghanaian CEO Scoops Award ...

.. Coveted Black Enterprise "Rising Star Award" London, UK, 1 Nov. 2005 -- Ghanaian Frances Williams, CEO of London-based company Interims for Development (www.InterimsFD.com), was named 'Rising Star of the Year 2005' at the fiercely-contested UK Trade & Investment Black Enterprise Awards in October 2005, in London. This award honours exceptional business achievements by an individual or business with outstanding skills, professionalism and perseverance.

The UK Trade & Investment Black Enterprise Award is the latest in a string of major accolades received by Williams and her business in 2005 alone. Described by the UK media as “the Rolls Royce of business awards”, Black Enterprise Awards are the only national, independent business awards event honouring African Caribbean entrepreneurs. In July, Williams was also named 'Business Innovator of the Year 2005' by the Ghana Professional Achievers Awards, held annually in London to showcase Ghana's businesses and professionals. And in February, Williams received the prestigious Gold Award for Innovative Capacity Building at the British Female Inventor & Innovator conference organised by the Global Women Inventors and Innovators Network (GWIIN).

Officially launched in Ghana in April 2003 by the Ghana Government's Minister for Private Sector Development, Interims for Development works with African businesses and international companies operating in Africa to support their Human Resources, business development and capacity building needs. Uniquely, the company taps into the expertise of professionals in the UK, and elsewhere, who join the African company as Interim Managers to take on specific projects or provide in-house training for short periods. Clients, such as Heineken International, Diageo Africa, UNDP-UNESCO, Kenana Knitters Ltd. and Guinness Ghana Ltd, have been drawn from Ghana and many other parts of Africa from a diversity of sectors including textiles, mining, brewing, international development and financial services. Through its quarterly online newsletter, 'Interim Developments', the company raises issues relating to skills development and employment in Africa and highlights success stories and case studies from around the continent.

Expressing her delight at winning the Award, Williams says. “We are delighted to win this prestigious award which recognises our achievements in offering a new and distinctive way of addressing the business and technical skills crisis in Africa's emerging economies. We hope that this additional recognition will encourage more organisations in Africa to invite us to support their technical, skills, and human resources needs.”

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For further information, photography and interviews with Frances Williams, please contact Interims for Development, [email protected] Tel: +44 (0) 20 8200 2373 Fax: +44 (0)20 8200 2383, Mob: +44 (0) 7786 103821.

Founded in 2003, Interims for Development (www.interimsfd.com) is a privately-held innovative UK based business utilising the expertise of professionals from the UK and elsewhere who work within African businesses as interim managers on specific projects or providing training. Through its employment training workshops, the business has helped many young Africans in the UK with skills development and career counselling.