Finance Monthly Game Changer Awards 2020 Winners Edition

r. Ayanda Vilakazi has been Group Head: Marketing, Brand and Communications at the Coega Development Corporation (CDC) (Pty) Ltd for 8 years. The CDC is the developer and operator of the Coega Special Economic Zone. It is situated adjacent to the Transnet National Port Authority (TNPA) deep water port of Ngqura in the city of Port Elizabeth, South Africa. Dr Vilakazi holds an MBA and Doctoral Degree in Business Administration and is currently undertaking PhD in Neuromarketing at the University of Cape Town. He has published papers in reputable international academic journals and continues to make a contribution in academia as an expert in business administration and marketing. He developed and implemented marketing, brand and corporate communication strategies for both public and private sector organisations in South Africa. He is the recipient of several awards, including:(i) the Bentley SA Public Sector Visionary Award 2019 (attached picture); (ii) Top Young Executive of the year Award (<40 Years) 2014 and 2015. Owing to his contribution throughout his tenure at the CDC, the organisation has been recognised as 2019 Top Investor of the Year in South Africa and Number 1 Special Economic Zone in Africa due to its recent performance results. These accolades have been received, amongst others, from the Department of Trade and Industry (the dti) in partnership with Brand South Africa and Proudly South African. Coega is the largest SEZ (9003ha) in South Africa. Coega was established in 1999 and has 45 operational investors who have jointly invested R11,235 billion in private sector investment and have created in excess of 8000 permanent jobs. In the past 7 years, the CDC has signed 91 new investors (most of whom are undertaking construction of facilities) valued at R48,56 billion and has a healthy pipeline of investment projects in excess of R150 billion. The socio-economic impact of the CDC is important. The CDC’s vision is to be the leading catalyst for socio-economic growth. Its mission is to provide a competitive investment location supported by value-added business services that effectively enable socio-economic development in the Eastern Cape Province and the rest of South Africa. Therefore, the role of the CDC is that of project development, export promotion and foreign direct investment (FDI) promotion, with a focus on investment promotion for both generation and manufacturing projects into the Coega Special Economic Zone (SEZ). In response to the national government strategy in terms of the Industrial Policy Action Plan (IPAP) and President Cyril Ramaphosa’s campaign to raise $100 billion (R 1, 5 trillion) over a five-year period (to 2023), the Coega SEZ has made significant strides to promote SA and attract FDI into the country. Some of the prominent investors at Coega SEZ include R11 billion BAIC SA (the Chinese single largest automotive investment in South Africa in the past 40 years), R3,5 billion Dedisa Peaking Power Plant, R600 million FAW SA, and R600 million Cemza Cement. The Coega SEZ is also home to Discovery and WNS call centres, employing more than 2000 young people. D Dr Ayanda Vilakazi Group Head of Marketing, Brand and Communications Office: 0414030423 | Fax: 0414030401 | M :+27 826457277 E: Ayanda.vilakazi@coega.co.za | W: www.coega.co.za CONTACT FINANCE MONTHLY GAME CHANGERS AWARDS 2020 www. f inance-monthly .com 33

RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy Mjk3Mzkz