Seona Shand Named as a Finalist in the National Business Women’s Awards 2025

Seona Shand, Chief Operating Officer at the Scottish Africa Business Association (SABA), has been named a finalist in the International Business Woman of the Year category at the prestigious National Business Women’s Awards 2025.

This highly competitive category recognises women who are leading the way in international business, forging global partnerships and driving significant cross-border impact. Seona is one of only a handful of finalists from across the UK and faces strong competition from exceptional women across a range of industries.

In her role at SABA, Seona has played a vital role in strengthening Scotland’s trade and investment links with African markets. Over the past year, she has led multiple high-level trade delegations, hosted inward visits from African governments and businesses and developed new partnerships that have helped open doors for Scottish companies in priority sectors such as energy, hydrogen, education & skills training, agriculture, maritime and infrastructure.

Thanks to her efforts, SABA has supported more businesses than ever before to explore opportunities abroad and the organisation’s reach across international markets continues to grow significantly.

Reflecting on the nomination, Seona said: "It’s absolutely incredible to be nominated, but to be named a finalist is an absolute honour—especially in a category with such impressive and inspiring women. This recognition is not just for me but for the whole team at SABA. We’ve worked tirelessly over the past year to support Scottish businesses in expanding internationally and I’m so proud of what we’ve achieved together."

Frazer Lang, CEO of the Scottish Africa Business Association, added: “We are all incredibly proud of Seona. Her leadership, drive and deep commitment to building meaningful international partnerships have helped SABA go from strength to strength. Thanks to her, our global reach is expanding and more businesses than ever are benefitting from our work. Being shortlisted is a testament to the impact she’s made—not only at SABA, but across the wider international business community.”

The National Business Women’s Awards celebrate the achievements of outstanding women in business from across the UK. Winners will be announced at a black-tie awards ceremony later this year.