This was the first year the Women's Property Network would be making the award, said past chairwoman and judging co-ordinator Lisa Forshey.

"We had an excellent response and received entries from all three of our chapters, in Cape Town, Gauteng and Durban," said Forshey.

She described the three finalists as epitomising " the attributes of exceptional commercial property professionals". They are Lisa Blane, a partner at KMH Architects in Cape Town; Lynette Finlay, CEO of Finlay & Associates in Johannesburg, and Helen Dingwall-Fordyce, who owns Lalea Properties Johannesburg.

The winner will be announced at the annual Women's Property Network ball to be held at the Sandton Sun on August 4.

Blane, an architect, has extensive experience in design, project management and practice management in the construction industry.

Finlay is a chartered accountant and her property management company can boast institutional commercial property portfolios valued at more than R1bn. She was recently appointed president of the South African Property Owners Association for 2004 and is the driving force behind its executive council for the planned property charter.

Dingwall-Fordyce has many years experience at senior level in the commercial property sector and after spending six years as a director of Colliers International, she started her own company, the broking firm Lalela Properties . Among her achievements she can count the relocation of the JSE Securities Exchange SA to Sandton.