South Africa, Oct. 6 -- She's the first one in and the last one to log off. She closed the deal, mentored the new hire, and fixed the problem no one else noticed. Then she went home for a second shift. Too often, hers is also the name that doesn't make it onto the slide.

This year, that changes. Entries are now open for the 2026 Standard Bank Top Women Awards, and the message to South Africa's women in business is simple: it's your turn to be recognised.

For many women, recognition doesn't keep pace with contribution. Credit goes to the loudest voice in the room, and promotions stall. Achievements get quietly downplayed, sometimes by women themselves. "I was just doing my job" is a sentence too many accomplished women use to shrug off t...