Alumni with the Edge
Impala Platinum appointed Brenda Berlin (BCom 1986, BAcc 1987) as Chief Financial Officer from 24 February 2011. Berlin joined the mining group in 2004 where, most recently, she was Group Executive: Strategy and Business Development. After completing her articles with PricewaterhouseCoopers, Berlin held financial positions at Southern Mining Corporation Ltd, Johnnic Holdings and JCI Ltd respectively.
Educational financial access firm Eduloan appointed Michelle Branco (BA Law 1993) as Chief Commercial & Marketing Officer from 3 May 2011. Formerly Executive Head of Marketing at Vodacom Business, Branco has extensive experience in the telecommunications sector, in which she is widely published. She also holds a qualification from the Wits Business School Management Advancement Programme.
Henry Laas (MBA 1992) is the new Murray & Roberts (M&R) Chief Executive- Designate following the retirement of Brian Bruce, a Wits University Council and Executive of Convocation committee member, in June 2011. Laas has experience in the mineral resources and mining contracting sectors. He joined M&R in 2001 and, as Managing Director of M&R Cementation, was instrumental in the group’s global expansion.
The Royal Society of South Africa named Professor Arnold Knopfmacher (BSc 1982, BSc Hons 1983, PhD (Science) 1986) in the Wits School of Mathematics and Professor Fazal Mahomed (BSc Hons 1985, MSc 1987, PhD (Science) 1989) in the School of Computational and Applied Mathematics as Fellows in the mathematical sciences for 2011. The official induction takes place in Cape Town in September 2011.
Sanlam Sky Solutions appointed Anne Livingstone (BEconSc 2000) as Chief Executive on 9 February 2011. After graduating, Livingstone joined the actuarial and insurance solutions team at Deloitte. She joined Sanlam Developing Markets as General Manager: Actuarial Services in 2006 and assumed her most recent position of Chief Finance and Actuarial Officer two years later.
General Motors South Africa (GMSA) appointed Shibishi Maruatona (BA 1998, LLB 2000) as Head of Public Policy and Corporate Affairs, responsible for policy-making and government relations, from 1 March 2011. An admitted attorney of the High Court, Maruatona previously held legal advisory positions at Worldwide African Investment Holdings, Gensec Bank and Absa Bank. He joins GMSA from Business Leadership SA where he was Executive Director.
Mutual & Federal Insurance appointed Karen Miller (BCom, MBA 2001) as Chief Underwriting Officer from 1 November 2010. Miller was most recently Head of Market Underwriting at Zurich Insurance Company and previously worked at Nova Group, Centriq and Investec Insurance Brokers respectively. Interested in developing more sustainable short-term insurance business models through connectivity, Miller co-chairs the business sub-committee of the industry connectivity initiative, STRIDE.
The former CEO of BP Southern Africa, Sipho Maseko (BA 1993) will assume the same role at Vodacom SA, in September 2011 and will sit on the Vodacom Group board. Maseko joined BP in 1997. He was Chief Operating Office and deputy CEO respectively there before becoming CEO in 2008. Prior to BP, Maseko worked at Werksmans Attorneys and at the Financial Services Board. Maseko replaces Shameel Joosub.
From May 2011, the Honourable George Monyemangene (MM 1998) is the new Consul General in the South African Consulate in New York City, United States. Based in Manhattan, the Consulate works to represent and promote South Africa’s national interests by fostering, encouraging and maximising the flow of resources between this country and the USA.
Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan named Shaheen Seedat (BEconSc Hons 2010) the winner in the postgraduate category of the 2010 Nedbank and Old Mutual Budget Speech Competition on 11 March. A Goldman Sachs Global Leader in 2008, Seedat graduated with distinction for a triple major undergraduate degree in Economic Science, Mathematics and Applied Mathematics. He broke records in the School of Economics and Business Sciences by scoring the highest results in the School in the past 30 years, winning 29 class medals and the Chancellor’s Gold Medal for the most distinguished graduate. In 2010, he enrolled for two Honours degrees concurrently in Economic Science and Mathematics as a Mandela Rhodes Scholar. Recently elected a 2011 Rhodes Scholar, he will read for a Doctorate in Financial Economics at the University of Oxford.
Caxton Magazines appointed Clive Vanderwagen (BA (DA) 1997) Creative Strategy Director in January 2011, responsible for creative ideas for clients across the division’s 14 titles. Vanderwagen has extensive experience in the publishing industry. He previously worked in media sales for Southern Sun and American Express titles, as well as in editorial positions at Good Taste, Progressive Leader and Joburg Style.