Brand Pretorius to speak at 2017 Leadership Summit

Respected South African business leader and leadership author Brand Pretorius is among the stellar line-up of speakers to address delegates at the upcoming Nelson Mandela Bay Leadership Summit later this month.

Pretorius is widely respected for the role he played in McCarthy’s turn-around strategy and for saving thousands of jobs when the company was technically insolvent in 2001 as result of massive debt write-offs in the Prefcor division. In 2011, he retired as CEO of McCarthy and as an executive director of its controlling shareholder, Bidvest.

He holds several national marketing, motor industry and leadership awards including Marketing Person of the Year, Automobil Man of the Year, and Boss of the Year, as well as honorary professorships at the University of Johannesburg, University of Pretoria, University of the Free State and an honorary doctorate in marketing from the Durban University of Technology.

He is a Fellow in Leadership at the Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) and the chairman of the Italtile Foundation. Pretorius serves as non-executive director on the boards of Agrinet, Tongaat Hulett, Reunert, Italtile and Tata Africa Holdings and is the non-executive chairman of Metair Investments.

In 2013, Pretorius published, “In the driving seat – lessons in leadership,” which was the most popular business biography in South Africa in 2013, according to Nielsen Bookstats. In the book, Pretorius reflects on four decades in business to distil leadership lessons allowing other leaders to navigate all of our country’s complexities.

In the upcoming Leadership Summit, various speakers explore the dimensions of ethical leadership and how it can be harnessed to create and cultivate a stronger strain of forward-thinking, responsible and sustainable organisations in South Africa. Pretorius will discuss ethical behaviour as a pre-requisite for effective leadership.

Other speakers at this year’s event include:

• Sipho Mila Pityana, chairman of AngloGold Ashanti and Onelogix who will discuss ethical leadership in times of questionable business and government conduct.
• Nosipho Damasane, chairwoman of the Richards Bay Coal Terminal and a non-Executive Director of JSE-listed WBHO, who will discuss the impact of ethical leadership on organisational performance and employee behaviour.
• Dr. Jeff Govender, owner and MD of the Famhealth Medipark in Gelvandale PE, The Herald Citizen of the Year (2011) winner in Sustainable Development and board member of the Northern Areas Development Trust, will provide a case study entitled: Famhealth Medipark story: Empowering Communities.
• Lincoln Mali, Standard Bank’s Group Head of Card and Emerging Payments across Africa in Personal and Business Banking and author of the blog www.leadershipconversations.co.za, is also on the line-up of presenters.

The Nelson Mandela Bay Leadership Summit 2017 is an initiative of the Ukuvula Foundation and NMMU Business School, and is supported by sponsors Metrosecurity, KPMG, Mandela Bay Development Agency (MBDA), Standard Bank, Times Media Group, Engeli Enterprise Development, VWSA, Rennies and the Boardwalk.

The event will take place on 28 June 2017 at the Boardwalk Convention Centre, Port Elizabeth. To register and for further information on the Nelson Mandela Bay Leadership Summit 2017, visit: www.nmbleadershipsummit.co.za. Alternatively contact Charmaine Smith on 041 365 7591.

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