Ex-Toti local nominated for business woman accolade
There are 71 nominations covering women from all areas of business.
A FORMER Toti resident, Robyn Dunwoodie, now working and living in the UK, has been nominated for a prestigious award – the Surrey Businesswoman of the Year.
“My nomination came through one of the external stakeholders I work with at Miller Brands UK, the UK subsidiary of global brewer, SABMiller. As corporate affairs and corporate communications manager, my role is to implement and support programmes related to alcohol consumption on a regional and national level. The day-to-day communications with local organisations enable me to work with some fantastic local businesses and organisations. In Woking I work with a number of stakeholders, including Woking Borough Council, Surrey Chamber of Commerce, alcohol retailers and local government bodies, the NHS and Surrey police.”
Robyn feels honoured to be part of this initiative as it celebrates talent, success and entrepreneurship of businesswomen across the county. There are 71 nominations covering women from all areas of business and all levels of professional expertise. To get a flavour of the calibre of the competition, nominees include Adele Parks, international best-selling author; Anne Milton, Member of Parliament for Guildford; Geraldine House, global vice-president of Proctor & Gamble UK; Gill Nicholls, vice-president and deputy vice-chancellor of the University of Surrey; Heather Sohl, chief adviser of species for the World Wildlife Fund and Sue Biggs, director general of the Royal Horticultural Society.
“I am thrilled and excited, yet also slightly daunted, as I have been nominated alongside a really esteemed group of businesswomen. It’s also incredibly pleasing that my efforts from a corporate affairs point of view are recognised, as we are often overlooked in favour of more glamourous, public-facing areas of business like brand marketing and sales.
The public is invited to vote for nominees until 27 February. Votes will be counted and a shortlist of 10 finalists will be announced. The finalists will be invited to speak at a black tie event in March, to coincide with International Women’s Day. The winner will be chosen by a panel of well-known and well-regarded representatives from Surrey county and further afield.
It has always been Robyn’s dream to work for SABMiller. “Sounds cliched, but being South African and coming from a family of beer fanatics (my dad is a member of a beer appreciation club), I always aspired to join the business.”
She describes her job as the perfect balance of compliance and creativity, pragmatism and innovation and challenge and reward. “I feel fortunate to be in a role where, through my actions, I can make a real difference to the society and environment in which we operate.”
Robyn was born in Ladysmith and raised in Toti. She matriculated from Kingsway High School in 1996. “After studying law, I took some time off to travel and worked my way around Europe and Australasia. On my return I completed my legal articles at Durban firm, Cox Yeats, where I worked as an attorney before relocating to the UK in 2005 to pursue a career outside of private legal practice.
As she has just bought a house with her partner, Mike, her spare time is dedicated to home renovation and DIY. Robyn also loves sports, watching and participating, and is a keen tennis player.
“I love living in London and all that the city has to offer, although I do still yearn for SA. Working at SAB Miller, alongside a large contingent of fellow South Africans helps with homesickness, as you are guaranteed to hear a plethora of South African accents in the omelette queue at lunch, or can always find a ‘chom’ to share a ‘dop’ with after work in our staff bar.”
