VALERIE, DIVERSITY AND TRANSFORMATION

THE Dormehl Phalane Property Group (DPPG) is mighty proud of, and holding thumbs for, one of its principals - a woman who is in the running for a top national award recognising empowerment in the workplace.

She is Valerie Munro, the principal of Business Unlimited Consultants, trading as DPPG for Northern Suburbs, Cape Town, which has been nominated for a Gender Mainstreaming Award. These coveted awards are an initiative of Business Engage Association NPC, of which The Sunday Times is a sponsor.

Valerie's Business Unlimited Consultants has been named as a finalist in the Diversity and Transformation category for Unlisted companies.

She will know on September 13 - at a dinner and awards ceremony at Blue Wing Ticketpro Dome in Northgate, Johannesburg - if she will take home the floating trophy as recipient of the award, won last year by Ernst & Young.

Valerie is over the moon about being a finalist and her colleagues at DPPG and in the real estate profession in general, have been quick to recognise her achievement and congratulate her.

Winning the award, she says, would be wonderful.

"It would mean public recognition for good practise and excellence in tackling gender mainstreaming" she explains.

"It would enable my business to maximise its growth and profits through diverse offerings that include networking, mentorship, training, collaboration, entrepreneurship development and support," she adds.

"Perfect mentors such as PWC, The Sunday Times and the like, as well as the exposure, will be huge."

Valerie is not new to the limelight. She won praise last year as one of the Dormehl Phalane Property Group's four ambassadors for the South African Ladies' Team at the World Indoor Cricket Federation World Cup in Dubai. That team, proudly sponsored by DPPG, took a silver award.

Valerie is also not new to winning awards. She smiles as she mentions taking the book prizes for Business Economics and History in her matric year in 1986, and also mentions being named as Drake's Personnel Temp of the Year years ago.

One of her proudest moments, she recalls, was being named the Chamber of Commerce Alberton Business Person of the Month, when she worked for an auditing firm, TCG Chartered Accountants.

"I was up against phenomenal business people. It was a huge honour as I was not the owner, or business partner, of the business... purely an employee. I opened a can of worms."

She had not been aware of the Gender Mainstreaming Awards until she was introduced to them by the advertising house Picasso, says Valerie.

"Participation is open for companies that have started putting in place strategies for gender mainstreaming or which have achieved success in gender mainstreaming in South Africa and/or internationally."

Valerie explains that the award application process began with companies completing an application by June 25, either online or by downloading a copy. Valerie entered online.

Applicants and nominees were then shortlisted by judges, and shortlisted companies and individual nominees were interviewed by judges early in July.

A member of the Dormehl Phalane Property Group since 2014, Valerie was born and raised in Melville, Johannesburg, and has been living in the Cape since 2005.

She has been in real estate since April 2007, when she was part of the Acutts estate agency in the Bothasig/Plattekloof areas.

After Acutts split in May 2008, she established the first Harcourts real estate franchises in Cape Town, in the Milnerton and Blauuwberg areas, then in 2014 joined Owen Dormehl, working the Parklands area, when he set up his real estate company under his own moniker.

What does Valerie most enjoy about being part of the DPPG family?

"My long business and personal relationship with Owen Dormehl," she says, adding that "Owen is very energetic and his hand-on approach is what I admire most".

A mother of a 27-year-old daughter, Sheree, now married, Valerie's home in Flamingo Vlei, Cape Town, is shared with her two pets, a chihauhau and a Pekinese.

Her golden rules as a property person?

"To be bold, honest, transparent and productive," she replies.

No-nos in her profession?

"A definite no-no is to be dishonest and to engage in unethical tactics to win over buyers."

Away from property, Valerie enjoys socialising with her family, reading and movies.

Her plans this year?

"Training, training, training... get our agents qualified," she says.