Imameleng Mothebe has been appointed as the new CEO of the Association of Meat Importers and Exporters of Southern Africa (AMIE) as of May 2.

She will succeed outgoing CEO Paul Matthew.

Mothebe joins AMIE from the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition, where she was the director of industry development: agroprocessing, with over two decades of senior management expertise in both the private and public sectors.

Her career in the food sector spans corporate affairs, sector skills planning and economic development and she has extensive experience in both economic industrial policy as well as stakeholder relations management, the association says.

The AMIE says Mothebe’s extensive experience in the public and private sectors will be of great benefit to the association as it positions itself for the future, and to its members.

“We are very excited that Imameleng is joining us, as she brings a wealth of experience, knowledge and a deep understanding of the agricultural sector, as well as industrial and trade policy.  We believe she will be an asset to the broader import and export sectors, which play a catalytic role in food security and in promoting South Africa’s position within the regional and global trade market.

“We would like to thank our outgoing CEO Paul Matthew, who has served AMIE and its members with such commitment and energy. We wish him well in his new endeavour,” says AMIE chairperson Seymour Talpert.

“My vision is to help grow a sustainable and viable food sector by balancing domestic production capacity with the need to ensure South Africans, and especially those from marginalised communities and income groups, are able to easily access affordable, critical foods.

“AMIE will continue to work towards this balance, while promoting the growth of exports of meat protein through close collaboration with government and the broader sector, to achieve alignment. I am very much looking forward to this new challenge,” adds Mothebe.