Rising Star

What Rising Star does

Rising Star is an annual awards programme operated by BlackBark Productions, a privately-held South African company founded in 2010 by Laura Barker and headquartered in Cape Town. Its core product, the TransUnion Rising Star Awards, identifies and recognises exceptional young professionals under 40 years of age across 12 industry categories in South Africa, including Banking & Financial Services, Energy & Environment, ICT, Manufacturing, Mining, and Professional Services. The programme uses a three-phase selection process — questionnaire assessment, video interview, and in-person panel interview — judged by over 70 senior executives drawn from major South African corporates annually, with judging criteria covering vision/innovation, passion/impact, responsible engagement, agility including digital transformation, and systems thinking.

The business model is event-driven, monetising primarily through multi-tier corporate sponsorship (Flagship, Gold, Category, Silver, Travel, Media), culminating in an annual Gala Dinner. Approximately 60 finalists (5 per category) form the Rising Star Network each year, with senior sponsors such as TransUnion (headline), Accenture, Sage, Absa, BMW, Zutari, MTN, Glencore, Tiger Brands, DHL Express, News24, SAA, Mondelēz, Momentum Metropolitan, ENGIE, Exxaro, Massmart, Rand Refinery, Gautrain Management Agency, Golden Key, Engagement Dynamics and Hello Coach participating. Pricing for nominations or participation is not publicly disclosed. Adjacent products include the Leadership Conversations Webinar Series (CEO/MD interviews with mentorship offerings), and sister programmes GradStar (9th year) and Schools Star (2nd year), broadening the talent pipeline.

Go-to-market relies on a website-driven nomination portal, direct email outreach to corporate HR contacts and alumni, earned media (Mail & Guardian, News24), and referral through corporate sponsors who promote the programme internally. The company operates as a domestic, single-geography business in South Africa, is privately held with no disclosed institutional funding, and is founder-controlled.

Name

Rising Star

Legal name

BlackBark Productions

Website

https://awards.risingstar.co.za

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Rising Star (operated by BlackBark Productions) runs the annual TransUnion Rising Star Awards, recognising South African professionals under 40 across 12 industry categories via a three-phase judging process and year-round alumni programming.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Talent Recognition and Leadership Awards

NAICS

Convention and Trade Show Organizers (56192)

SIC

Miscellaneous Publishing (2741)

akta.pro primary industry

Awards Ceremonies & Recognition Events (MPAGAHAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Professional & Association Conferences (MPAGAGAB), Gala Dinners & Fundraising Events (Nonprofit/CSR) (MPAGAHAE)

Keywords

• Talent recognition awards
• Leadership development program
• Young professional recognition
• Industry awards program
• Executive mentorship events

Headquarters

HQ city

Cape Town

HQ country

South Africa

HQ region

Africa

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Operations, Others

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Rising Star operates an annual awards programme that identifies and recognises exceptional young professionals under 40 years of age across 12 industry categories in South Africa. The programme uses a multi-phase judging process (questionnaire, video interview, in-person panel) involving 70+ judges from major South African corporates, culminating in a Gala Dinner celebration and the formation of a 60-person Rising Star Network. Sponsorship revenue from headline sponsor TransUnion and other corporate partners (Accenture, BMW, Sage, Absa, MTN, etc.) funds the programme.

Product overview

Rising Star is an awards programme operated by BlackBark Productions that recognises, celebrates and connects young talented professionals in South Africa. The core offering is the TransUnion Rising Star Awards, an annual programme that identifies outstanding young leaders under 40 years of age across 12 industry categories. The programme also includes a Leadership Conversations Webinar Series, a webcast platform interviewing CEOs and MDs to provide guidance for future leaders. These products work together to create a comprehensive ecosystem for identifying, celebrating, and developing South Africa's future leadership talent.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• TransUnion Rising Star Awards Annual awards programme recognising the most talented young professionals across South Africa in 12 distinct industry categories, bringing together over 70 judges each year to identify emerging leaders under 40 years of age through a three-phase judging process (questionnaire assessment, video interview, in-person panel) culminating in a Gala Dinner and formation of the 60-person Rising Star Network.
• Rising Star Programme The overarching programme operated by BlackBark Productions that recognises, celebrates, and connects young talented people who have a capacity for achievement and contribute inspiringly to the future of South Africa, establishing a living community of young African talent for development, mentorship, and communication across 12 industry categories.
• Leadership Conversations Webinar Series

Quantifiable outcome

• 60 finalists annually form the Rising Star Network
• +2 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

22 partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• TransUnionflagshipGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2024TransUnion serves as the Headline Sponsor of the Rising Star Awards, with category sponsorship for Banking & Financial Services. The partnership provides major funding and branding association with the program.
• AccenturecoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2023Accenture sponsors the Professional Services category and provides judges for the selection process. Supports the program's mission to develop future South African business leaders.
• SagecoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2023Sage sponsors the Entrepreneur category and provides judges including PJ Bishop, Vice President of Partners, Alliances and Accountants.
• AbsacoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2023Absa sponsors the Energy & Environment category, supporting recognition of emerging leaders in this sector.
• BMWcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2023BMW serves as a Gold Sponsor and provides judges from their South African operations. Many BMW employees have been finalists and winners in the program.
• Gautrain Management AgencyminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2023Gautrain supports the program as a sponsor and provides judges from their leadership team.
• ENGIEminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2023ENGIE South Africa sponsors the program and provides judges for the Energy & Environment category.
• MTNminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2023MTN South Africa supports the program as a sponsor with visibility in the ICT and technology categories.
• GlencoreminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2023Glencore sponsors the program and provides judges from their South African mining operations.
• Tiger BrandsminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2023Tiger Brands supports the program with sponsorship and provides judges for Manufacturing and FMCG categories.
• DHL ExpressminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2023DHL Express provides Travel Partner sponsorship and judges for Transport, Logistics & Security category.
• News24minorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2023News24 serves as Media Partner, providing editorial coverage and visibility for the awards.
• South African Airways (SAA)minorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2023SAA serves as Travel Partner, providing flight support for the awards program.
• Rand RefineryminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2023Rand Refinery supports the program and provides judges from their Mining & Minerals expertise.
• Mondelēz InternationalminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2023Mondelēz International provides Gold sponsorship and judges for Manufacturing categories.
• Momentum MetropolitanminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2023Momentum Metropolitan provides judging venue partnership and judges from their leadership team.
• ExxarominorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2023Exxaro serves as Silver Sponsor and provides judges for Energy & Environment categories.
• MassmartminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2023Massmart provides Silver sponsorship and judges from their retail and wholesale operations.
• Golden Key International Honour SocietyminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2023Golden Key serves as a partner organization, providing judges and professional development support.
• Engagement DynamicsminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2023Engagement Dynamics, led by MD Janet du Preez, serves as partner and provides advisory committee members.
• Hello CoachminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2023Hello Coach serves as Training Partner, providing prize sponsorship and development resources.
• ZutaricoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2023Zutari sponsors the Service: Public & Private category and provides judges including CEO Percy Moleke.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Destiny Man Young Leaders: South African recognition platform celebrating young leaders and professionals. Comparable in audience, geography and corporate-sponsorship model, with overlapping target nominees and similar event-driven format.
• CNBC Africa All Africa Awards: Pan-African awards platform recognizing leaders and businesses across the continent. Comparable in event-driven format, sector categories and corporate sponsorship base, though broader in geographic scope.
• World Economic Forum Young Global Leaders: WEF program recognizing exceptional young leaders globally. Comparable in age-bracketed recognition, rigorous multi-phase selection, and corporate/Fortune-500 sponsor engagement, but with a global rather than single-country footprint.
• Standard Bank Rising Star Award: Banking-sponsored recognition of young achievers in South Africa. Comparable in age targeting, sector focus on finance/leadership and reliance on a headline corporate sponsor to fund awards activities.
• Mail & Guardian 200 Young South Africans: Annual recognition of 200 young South Africans across sectors. Closely comparable to Rising Star in terms of demographic targeting, sector categories, single-country scope and earned-media-driven awards model.
• GradStar: Graduate-level talent recognition program run by the same operator (BlackBark Productions). Most directly comparable as a sister brand under the same management, targeting a younger cohort but using a near-identical awards-and-sponsorship model.
• Forbes Africa 30 Under 30: Annual recognition list for young African professionals and entrepreneurs. Directly comparable as a pan-African, age-bracketed awards program targeting emerging leaders and reliant on media-driven brand and corporate sponsorship.
• One Young World: Global summit and recognition platform for young leaders from over 190 countries. Comparable in identifying and convening under-40 leaders, though operates as an international summit rather than a country-specific awards program.

Emerging players

• African Leadership Network: Pan-African community and recognition platform for emerging African leaders. Comparable in mission and audience (next-generation African leaders), though focused on community-building events rather than a structured annual awards program.

Broad incumbents

• EY World Entrepreneur Of The Year: Global corporate-sponsored awards program recognizing entrepreneurial leaders. Comparable in event-driven awards format and blue-chip sponsorship model, but broader in age criteria and global in scope rather than country-specific.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/risingstarsa
• Facebookfacebook.com/RisingStarSA
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/risingstarsa

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Rising Star