In the capacity of General Manager I hold accountability for overall business operations and achievement of organisational goals. One of my key focus areas at present is delivering a multimillion-rand EPCM expansion project to significantly increase Hosaf’s operational scale and industry competitiveness. Strategy development and driving the implementation of operational initiatives take up the bulk of my time and I am proud to lead the organisational step-change required. From a people perspective, I am responsible for building and leading high-performing capabilities, motivating my leadership team and driving the achievement of strategic priorities. I have successfully embedded a culture of operational efficiency and encourage the identification of business process improvements to enhance delivery, quality while saving costs. I oversee diverse areas from operations to support functions including human capital, risk, finance, business development and IT.

For more than three years I held overall supply chain responsibility related to transportation, shipping, warehousing and handling of products – a multimillion-dollar portfolio. In addition I lead the Sales and Operations Planning function across multiple business units and continents. By leveraging the strength of cross-functional teams, and driving implementation of effective business strategies, I facilitated the achievement of multiple financial and operating records. I spearheaded the first Global Ocean Freight Procurement initiative across three continents and delivered significant cost savings through operational improvement initiatives. During my tenure, I developed strong relationships with vendor partners, and earned a reputation for being a subject matter expert on global supply chain matters.

As General Manager of Business Development I was responsible to identify, quantify and motivate business growth opportunities to increase the overall return on investment for the division. A 70% expansion in the manufacturing capacity of chemical cellulose in 2011 resulted. A bio-based energy strategy was added to the business portfolio, targeted at reduced operating costs. Rigorous business development tools were deployed to progressively test the viability of the projects against corporate hurdle rates, while improving the project scope definitions and costing models.

This position was focused on driving regional and country sales across South-East Asia. Through continuous partnering and prospecting I expanded the South-East Asian customer base and reduced operating costs through process optimisation. I successfully improved pricing structures across approximately 30 customers in Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam and India resulting in increased revenue and organisational profitability.

In the capacity of International Marketing Business Manager I was responsible for Sales and Operational alignment and supply chain management. This included development of annual business plans and definition of KPI’s per business function. In 2005 I was promoted from Product Manager to Business Manager as a result of my expertise, commitment and track record of continuously exceeding expectations. I fulfilled this role for five years, after which I accepted a Commercial Management Sales position based in Hong Kong.