About Margaret Hirsch
Margaret Hirsch is the Executive Director of the Hirsch’s Group, the largest independently owned Appliance and Electronics retail outlet in Southern Africa that is now in its 41st year. She is already the enviable recipient of many international and local awards for her business, social and charitable work which has uplifted communities around the country. For many years, she has been heavily involved with Women and Youth Empowerment projects throughout Southern Africa. She personally visits schools around the country, motivating, encouraging and inspiring the youth. For several years she has been a main supporter of the Girls with Dignity project that has distributed reusable panty packs to schoolgirls in disadvantaged areas around the country. She recently started up a Safe Houses for Girls project in Gauteng and plans to roll out the concept in KZN and the Western Cape.
Margaret is passionate about women in business and entrepreneurship. She runs networking clubs at all her branches for Women In Business, encouraging mentorship programmes. Her door is always open to women who want advice on how to make their businesses grow.
As the Executive Director of the company, Margaret sees to the day to day running of all Hirsch’s stores and their concept stores. As well as their 13 branches spread throughout KZN, Gauteng and the Western Cape, Hirsch’s own four Samsung Concept Stores - Sandton City, Mall of Africa, the Pavilion Shopping Centre in Westville and the Samsung shop at Gateway shopping centre in Umhlanga. Hirsch’s has experienced really good results in all the concept stores as they are considered to be an extension of Hirsch’s culture and philosophy which has enabled the Hirsch’s story to be one of constant expansion and success.
“Our strength is in our helpful and well-trained team members who go the extra mile and make every shopping experience a memorable one.” Says Margaret.
MARGARET HAS RECEIVED MANY AWARDS OVER THE YEARS, INCLUDING:
• Business Woman’s Association of South Africa (BWASA)’s Business Woman of the Year (Entrepreneur) 2012.
• In August 2013 at the 10th Annual Top Women Awards evening - Hirsch’s were the proud recipients of two of Best Women EmpoweredCommunity Programme and the Entrepreneur of 2013 Award which was won by Margaret.
• The SANLAM 2013 Life Time Achievement Award in Entrepreneurship.
• In 2014, Margaret was given the great honour of being selected to be inducted into the Global Women Leaders Hall of Fame (2014) for countries in Africa, the Middle East and Asia.
• 2015 - Lifetime Achiever in the Wholesale and Retail sector of CEO Global’s Most Influential Women in Business & Government Award.
• 2016 - Winner of the CEO GLOBAL Award for the Most Influential Woman in the Retail and Wholesale Industry for the African Continent
• Winner of the Queen Victoria Commemorative Medal by the European Business Assembly Margaret Hirsch has become a sought after motivational speaker and is a champion of women’s Empowerment.
• 2017 - Winner of the World Confederation of Businesses - World Cob, Bizz 2017 award. The awards are given every year to outstanding business people from more than 120 countries around the world.
• 2018 - Voted as one of the world’s most Impactful Social Innovators at the World CSR (sustainable development) Congress.
•2019 - At the SA Women’s Givers Awards evening that was held recently in Sandton, Margaret was a recipient of an award - bestowed in recognition, celebration and a symbol of gratitude to the South African Women and Women-led businesses that make a difference by giving back for the wellbeing, development and progress of communities, therefore helping to uplift South Africans.
•2019 – The Standard Bank KwaZulu-Natal Top Business Women celebrating women who have been social change agents in the province. Margaret who was lauded for being a “woman extraordinaire” was one of the winners.
Margaret has been a great inspiration to girls and women around the country and globally!
She has helped uplift schools in the poorer communities around South Africa, providing desks, chairs, mattresses for preschool children for their midday rest, and above all she has left an inspiring message wherever she has been - encouraging the children to be goal setters and reach for the stars.
