/ 11 March 2008

The best equipped to make the best decision

Yolandi Groenewald introduces the judges of the Investing in the Future Awards

Reg Rumney

Reg Rumney, the chairperson of the panel of judges, is an independent consultant, researcher and analyst who focuses on investment issues, especially those relating to the role of business in society. He was executive director of the BusinessMap Foundation, an organisation concerned with economic transformation, specifically BEE and foreign direct investment, for five years.

Rumney is one of the founding members of the Investing in the Future Awards and has been a judge on various awards panels, including the BusinessMap Empowerment Awards and the Sanlam Financial Journalist of the Year Awards.

He is also a representative on the press ombudsman panel of appeal. Rumney has wide-ranging experience in business journalism. He was economics editor at the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) before joining BusinessMap. Prior to the SABC, he was the Mail & Guardian‘s business editor, managing editor and a member of the M&G board.

Dr Iqbal Survé

Dr Iqbal Survé is a medical doctor, philanthropist, entrepreneur and global business leader. He is chairperson, CEO and founder of the Sekunjalo Group, chairperson of Sekunjalo Investment Holdings and executive chair of Sekunjalo Investments Limited, which is listed on the JSE.

The Sekunjalo Group has investments in more than 70 companies in the fields of biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, healthcare, industrials, fishing, information technology and telecommunications, resources and financial services.

In 2007, Sekunjalo was selected as the only South African company to be a founding member of the World Economic Forum New World Champion companies. In 2006, Sekunjalo was ranked by the Financial Mail/Empowerdex as the top empowered company of the top 200 companies on the JSE.

Survé is a recognised global leader, a fellow of the Africa Leadership Initiative and a fellow of the HRH the Prince of Wales Business and Environment Programme.

He was appointed by former US president Bill Clinton to the board of governance on the Clinton Global Initiative. He also sits on the boards of Pioneer Foods, Siemens and Nokia Siemens Networks. He is a recipient of numerous awards for business excellence and business performance, including Sakeleier van die Jaar 2007 by the Kaapse Sakekamer and Die Burger.

Dr Ivan May

Dr Ivan May serves on the board of the Advertising Standards Authority of South Africa. He is a council member of the Institute of Directors and Wits University and vice-chair of Business and Arts South Africa. He also chairs the Territorial (Business) Advisory Board of the Salvation Army across five Southern African countries. He is on the board of the Charities Aid Foundation (Southern Africa).

May is an elected fellow of the IMM (SA) and of the Chartered Institute of Marketing UK, and is also a registered chartered marketer in South Africa and the United Kingdom.

He is the inaugural convener and chairperson of the Sunday Times Business Times Marketing Excellence Awards Council. He is a member of the appeal board of the Advertising Standards Authority, presided over by Mervyn King, SC.

May has served on the board of the Market Theatre Foundation for many years. He was also a four-term president of the Audit Bureau of Circulation, a former vice-chancellor of the Order of St John in South Africa and a trustee of the Arts and Culture Trust of the President, the Green Trust and the South African Democracy Education Trust.

He was jointly awarded the Jewish Report’s inaugural Humanitarian of the Year Award together with then president Nelson Mandela. May runs his own strategic business consultancy and is chief executive of 1485 Radio Today (also DStv audio channel 169), an award-winning community radio station. He has recently taken on running the Constitution Hill Trust (of South Africa) and is a member of the King 3 committee on corporate governance.

Mokhethi Moshoeshoe

Moshoeshoe is the founder and director of the African Institute of Corporate Citizenship (AICC); president of Civa Innovation Management — providing sustainability solutions, corporate governance and corporate citizenship services and products for developing country contexts — and a partner at Feedback Research and Analytics, which specialises in research and development of sustainability performance-measurement tools and action research, and monitoring and evaluation.

He is a member of the intergovernmental working group of experts on the international standards of accounting and reporting of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (in Switzerland), a member of International Advisory Network of Business and Human Rights Resource Centre (UK), a member of the International Advisory Council of the Ethos Institute (Brazil) and a member of BHP Billiton’s Forum for Social Responsibility. He serves on a number of non-profit governing boards and corporate foundations.

Glenda White

Glenda White is a director of Verge Management Services, a company providing operations and programme management services to the public sector. She is the former executive director of the Centre for Public Service Innovation. She has an honours degree from the University of the Witwatersrand, a master of arts degree from the University of Sussex and a master of sciences degree in development finance from the University of London.

She previously worked for the Gauteng provincial government and has been a consultant on various institutional development and empowerment projects. White is the publisher of numerous reports and conference papers.

Shirley Moulder

Shirley Moulder is a trustee of the Southern Africa Trust. She serves as a non-executive director of a number of social development organisations in Southern Africa, having been involved in human rights and development work for more than 30 years. Based in South Africa, Moulder’s professional experience includes engagement with governments, the private sector and international aid agencies and serving on a number of commissions for the Anglican Church in Southern Africa and the global Anglican Communion.

Neville Gabriel

Neville Gabriel is executive director of the Southern Africa Trust. He previously coordinated human rights and public policy advocacy work for the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference before joining Oxfam as an adviser. He has been involved in building civil society campaigns such as Jubilee 2000 and the Global Call to Action against Poverty. He serves as a non-executive director of several civil society organisations, including the Southern African Regional Poverty Network and the African Network on Debt and Development.

Judi Nwokedi

Judi Nwokedi is country manager and an executive board member at Motorola Southern Africa. A psychologist by training and well-respected broadcaster and leader, Nwokedi joined Motorola after heading the SABC’s Public Broadcasting Service — comprising 15 radio and two television stations.

In her time at the public broadcaster she mandated the stations in her portfolio to empower and embrace the diversity of South Africa, subsequently commanding the largest radio-listening audience in the country. She brings with her a true passion for social investment. Her voluntary work includes board membership of the Johannesburg Art Bank, the Institute for the Advancement of Journalism and Sithengi (South Africa’s premier film market).

Shereen Usdin

Dr Shereen Usdin is a senior executive at the Soul City Institute for Health and Development Communication, an NGO which she helped to establish.

She qualified as a medical doctor at the University of the Witwatersrand and holds a master’s degree in public health from Harvard University.

She was named the 2004 SABC/Shoprite-Checkers Woman of the Year in the health category and received a Gibs Social Entrepreneur Award in 2006.

She works in the fields of health and development communication, HIV and Aids, gender, health and human rights. She sits on the Presidential Working Group on Women.

Nombuyiselo Mapongwane

Nombuyiselo Mapongwane has been living with HIV since 1994, when little was known about HIV/Aids and the disease was stigmatised. In 1997 she was diagnosed with full-blown Aids and she became very ill.

Her miraculous recovery inspired Mapongwane to become a motivational speaker, sharing her story and telling people what it means to live with HIV/Aids.

She is employed by Anglo American as an HIV/Aids educator and counsellor.

Eric Richardson

Eric Richardson became the operations manager of the Themba HIV and Aids Organisation, which facilitates interactive theatre performances and innovative training in schools, community-based organisations, correctional centres and businesses. Eric was promoted to the position of managing director and member of the board in November 2006.

In 2007, the NGO won the Mail & Guardian‘s Investing in the Future Award for most innovative project in South Africa.

Eric has a master’s degree in education from Wits University and has published articles and book chapters internationally. He continues to give guest lectures and talks on HIV, lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) issues as well as gender and social justice issues, is involved in research and serves on the board of the Durban Gay and Lesbian Community Centre and the board of editors of the international Journal of LGBT Youth.