Donna Brown Crockart

Position: SGS South Africa Business Manager: Business Assurance

Main activity of the company/business unit: Assessment, auditing, certification, training and business enhancement solutions powered by the latest technology and digital tools.

Date and place of birth: 30 August 1969, in Dundee, KwaZulu Natal.

Education: I have a National Diploma in Food Technology from Technikon Witwatersrand, a Business Management Diploma from Varsity College, and I am a Certified Natural Scientist.

Management style: Democratic, consultative, transformational, hands-on, transparent and considerate. I will not expect my staff to do something I would not be prepared to do myself. Integrity is everything.

Personal best achievement: Starting an auditing business from scratch in 2007. The business was eventually acquired by an international certification body in 2013.

Person you would most like to meet: I would love to meet many people, but a standout is Maya Angelou, a writer, poet, actor, director, producer and civil rights activist. Her life story is truly inspiring, and she has received numerous awards and honorary degrees.

Philosophy of life: Strive to be authentic and ethical in all you do, as you are setting an example for others to follow. "Authenticity is the practice of letting go of who we think we're sup- posed to be and embracing who we are."

Irma Jansen van Rensburg

Position: Regional Business Development Manager EMEA Geochemistry

Main activity: Driving business development initiatives across the EMEA region while taking charge of strategic key accounts within the mining sector.

Date and place of birth: 15 August 1980, in Welkom, Free State.

Education: After practicing as a reflexologist, I transitioned to business development in the mining industry. I have
24 years of experience in this field and have completed a Business Marketing Diploma and a certificate in Project Management.
 

Management style: I have a transformational management style and am deeply committed to my team's professional growth. I focus on short-term goals, long-term develop- ment, and growth within the company and team. It helps breathe life into more mundane projects and helps team members see the bigger picture of what they are working toward. Personal best achievement: During the South African recession, I negotiated a major contract to secure our jobs. We obtained a three-year contract, which was later extended to six years, helping our company stay afloat and employ more people.

Person you would most like to meet: I would love to meet Simon Sinek, an English-born American author and inspirational speaker known for his work on business leadership. His insights focus on finding purpose, effective communication and building strong relationships at work.

Philosophy of life: Take care of yourself before caring for others. As women, we often neglect our own needs for the sake of others.

Dharmarai Naicker

Position: Business Manager for Health and Nutrition

Main activity: To provide testing services from farm to fork to ensure the safety of food, feed, water and the environment using internationally recognised ISO 17025 accredited methods.

Date and place of birth: 26 May 1973, in Durban, Kwazulu Natal.

Education: PhD (Toxicology), Master’s in Business Leadership (MBL), Postdoctoral fellowship (UCT)

Management style: A transformational management style encourages and inspires employees to innovate and develop new ways to grow and improve the path to a company's future success, gives colleagues the independence to make decisions, and supports new problem-solving approaches. Out of the box thinking and going where no one has gone before is what I encourage with my team.

Personal best achievement: Going to Parliament as part of an executive team to present the laboratory strategy and respond to questions from the Government of South Africa Portfolio Committee.

Person you would most like to meet: US Vice President Kamala Harris. She inspires women worldwide, especially in the Indian diaspora like me.

Philosophy of life: Give back to the younger generations and serve those less fortunate than ourselves.

Tel: +27 11 800 1000

Email: south.africa@sgs.com

Website: www.sgs.co.za