PROFILE: MEMUNA WILLIAMS, AVANTGARDE TRANSLATIONS

(May 12, 2017) Memuna Williams is founder and CEO of certified women’s business enterprise Avantgarde Translations, Inc.  She started her language services career in Canada at an independent, public railway company with roughly 13 billion dollars in revenue operating in six Canadian provinces and 13 US states. She went on to work in the United States for a global language services provider with more than 70 offices on five continents and for a premier localization service provider. In 2004, she started her own award-winning firm which has since grown to international status with offices in the U.S., Canada, Kenya, Nigeria, and South Africa.

Throughout her career, Memuna has extended her workplace experience with service on the boards of trade associations. At these organizations, she has been entrusted with such assignments as commenting on the state of business for women business owners at a public Chamber of Commerce meeting and representing women business owners as a panelist at a Small Business Administration conference that was gathering information on the needs of women business owners for President Obama. She has written articles and given conference presentations on language services and business management.  She is passionate about helping people build businesses that will continue as going concerns over the long term and contribute positively to their communities.

Memuna has achieved numerous accolades as a woman entrepreneur and business professional including being named a Rising Star Award winner by NAWBO-Charlotte, a Woman in Business by the Charlotte Business Journal, and receiving Honorable Mention as an International Enterprising Woman of the Year from Enterprising Women.

A professional translator and manager with a 21-year career, Memuna has a Bachelor and Master of Arts in Translation and a Master of Business Administration. She is currently a Doctorate of Business Administration candidate at University of Liverpool.

Memuna resides in South Africa with her husband, Victor, who is in the country working for Standard Bank. They have three boys, two at AISJ in Johannesburg and one attending university in the United States.

In 2017, Zandile was nominated for the WEConnect International award for Best Mentor or Role Model