One of the industry highlights at the Johannesburg International Motor Show will be the CAR conference. The event takes place on Wednesday, 23 October, at Nasrec south of Johannesburg. The topic for this year is Technology and Change.
Several leading names from the industry will be presenting their views on the challenges and opportunities facing the motoring industry in these exciting times. Among these prominent names are:
Chairman of the conference: Barlow Manilal, CEO, Automotive Industry Development Centre
Mr Barlow Manilal currently serves as CEO of the Automotive Industry Development Centre (AIDC), a subsidiary of GGDA (Gauteng Growth and Development Agency). He holds a BSc Hons. in Industrial Engineering and a Masters in supply chain management.
Barlow has gained excellent knowledge of project engineering and logistics in the OEM environment at Toyota SA and DaimlerChrysler SA. While at Mercedes-Benz, he was part of the W203 programme planning team which integrated the SA plant into the DaimlerChrysler global planning network. During his employ at Toyota SA he was involved in numerous engineering projects, including the first global export programme launch team.
He serves as the National President of the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transportation of South Africa (CILTSA) since 2006. Barlow is also an Editorial Advisory Board member for Transport World Africa, a representative on the Federation of Supply Chain Management Associations of SA as well as being part of the Automotive Industry Advisory Council to the University of Johannesburg. He has taken numerous Awards, nationally and internationally, including the National Business Award for the Top Performing Parastatal and the Achiever Award for Skills, Development and Training for the Logistics and Automotive sector and the International Diamond Quality Award 2012 as well as being selected as a nominee for the country’s ‘Lifetime Achievement Award’ at the National Business Awards in July 2012.
Government representative: Garth Strachan, Deputy Director-General: Industrial Development Policy Development, Department of Trade and Industry
Garth Strachan is the Deputy Director-General of Industrial Development Policy in the Industrial Development Division – Department of Trade and Industry. He holds a Masters in Finance from the University of London. Garth Strachan left South Africa in 1975 and spent 18 years working for the ANC in exile. He returned to South Africa in 1992 and was Director of the Education Resource and Information Project at the University of the Western Cape in 1992 and 1993.
Garth was MEC Finance and Economic Development in the Western Cape Provincial Government in 2007 and 2008, and then Chief Director of Industrial Policy at the Department of Trade and Industry in Pretoria before his appointment as Deputy Director-General.
Keynote speaker: Doug Newcomb, technology consultant (USA)
Doug Newcomb is a recognized expert on the subject of car technology within the auto industry and among the automotive and general media, and a frequent speaker at automotive and consumer electronics industry events.
Doug began his career in 1988 at the car stereo trade publication Mobile Electronics, before serving as editor of the leading consumer magazines covering the topic – Car Audio and Electronics and Car Stereo Review/Mobile Entertainment/Road & Track Road Gear – from 1989 to 2005. In 2005 Doug started his own company, Newcomb Communications & Consulting to provide content to such outlets as Road & Track, Popular Mechanics, MSN Autos, SEMA News and many others.
In 2008, he published his first book, Car Audio for Dummies (Wiley) and joined Edmunds.com as Senior Editor, Technology to create a new Technology section for the website that continues to educate consumers and supply them with information while shopping for cars. In January 2012, Doug left Edmunds.com to fully concentrate his efforts on Newcomb Communications & Consulting and leverage his expertise to help consumers, car companies and technology providers keep on top of the changes in this rapidly expanding and evolving space. He is a contributor to Wired Autopia, MSN Autos and also writes about car technology for numerous other outlets.
Speaker: Dr Johan van Zyl, President of the National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of South Africa (NAAMSA). President and CEO of Toyota South Africa Motors
Dr Johan van Zyl joined Toyota South Africa in 1993 as Director: Vehicles Sales and Dealer Network, after earning a Doctorate in Business Economics from the University of Potchefstroom, where he subsequently worked as Professor at the Post-Graduate Business Management School until joining Toyota.
Johan was appointed Group Marketing Director in March 1995, and was promoted to Managing Director: Vehicle Marketing in 1996. He took up the post of Managing Director: Toyota (SA) Marketing, a year later.
In January 2002, he was promoted to the position of President and Chief Operating Officer and became President and CEO of Toyota SA Motors (TSAM) in August 2002. In June 2009 Johan was appointed to the position of Managing Officer (TMC) responsible for Africa. In April 2011, he became Deputy Chief Officer : Middle East, Africa and Latin American operations group and in March 2013 he took up the position of Chief Executive Officer for Toyota Africa, while retaining his responsibilities as President and CEO of TSAM.
He has travelled extensively to Japan, Europe, Africa and the United States in connection with business negotiations and extending his knowledge and skills in the automotive industry. Dr Van Zyl was elected as President of the National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of South Africa (NAAMSA) from 2005 – 2008, he has taken up the position for another term in 2013. He was born in Springs, in 1958, but now lives in Pretoria with his wife, Santie, and two daughters, Nadia and Karla.
Speaker: Dr Brand Pretorius, director of companies
Dr Brand Pretorius started his career at Toyota South Africa in 1973. In 1988 he was appointed managing director of Toyota SA Marketing. Under his leadership Toyota became the leader in both market share and customer satisfaction. In 1995 he joined South Africa’s largest motor retailer McCarthy Motor Holdings as chief executive. In 1999 he was promoted to the position of CEO of the holding company McCarthy Limited. It is widely acknowledged that Brand played a pivotal role in turning McCarthy around after it was declared technically insolvent in 2001, following massive bad debt problems in its Prefcor division. He retired from McCarthy and as an executive director of Bidvest on 1 March 2011.
During his career he was the recipient of numerous national marketing, communication and leadership awards including Marketing Person of the Year, Automobile Man of the Year and Best Boss. He became the first member of the South African motor industry’s “Hall of Fame” in 2006.
Brand holds honorary professorships at the University of the Free State as well as the University of Johannesburg. An honorary Doctorate in Marketing was conferred on him by the Durban University of Technology in April 2013. He is currently the non-executive chairman of Italtile and also serves as a non-executive director on the boards of Barclays Africa, Tongaat Hulett, Reunert, RGT Smart and Tata Africa. He is the chairman of Business Against Crime SA, and also serves on the board of the READ Educational Trust. Brand is the ambassador for the acclaimed national Rally to Read literacy program, which he founded in 1998. He has just published his first book “In the driving seat – lessons in leadership”.
Speaker: Dr Martin Zimmermann, President and CEO of Mercedes-Benz South Africa
Dr. Martin Zimmermann has been in the employ of DaimlerChrysler and Daimler AG since 2001, when he joined as Vice President for Product and Production Planning and member of the Executive Committee of the Commercial Vehicles Division. In 2003 he was appointed Vice President Strategic Alliances, responsible for managing the strategic alliances with Mitsubishi Motors and Hyundai Motors.
In 2004, his portfolio widened and he served as Vice President for Strategy, Alliances and Business Innovation for the Daimler Group until 2011. As part of these responsibilities, Martin also supported the build-up of Daimler’s business in China as a member of Daimler’s Executive Board in China in 2004 and 2005, and served as a board member for Daimler India.
Since 2011, Martin took over the responsibility of President & CEO of Mercedes-Benz South Africa. He is also Chairman of the Board of Sandown Motors and a Member of the Board of Mercedes-Benz Financial Services SA.
Prior to joining Daimler, Martin headed Strategy and Business Development at Porsche AG, and worked as Senior Engagement Manager for McKinsey & Company in their Stuttgart and Seoul, Korea offices.
Martin is an engineer by profession and gained a Diploma in Mechanical Engineering from Stuttgart University, a Master of Science in Nuclear Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Boston, USA, and a Ph.D. in Mechatronics from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich, Switzerland, where he also served as a lecturer until 1992.
Speaker: Oona Scheepers, head: design colour and trim at Volkswagen AG
Born in Prieska, Oona Scheepers studied Graphic Design in Cape Town. She began her professional career in 1985 as a junior designer in Cape Town, and later moved abroad where she spent two years in Worthing, England. In 1989 she moved to Germany where she worked as a freelance designer in the automotive industry in Cologne.
In 1997, Oona joined Porsche’s design department in Weissach and was part of the team that was responsible for the Porsche Cayenne and Carrera GT designs.
In 2004, she to Audi Design, where, as Head of Design, Colour and Trim, she was responsible for all models as well as special projects and show cars. In November 2007, she moved to her current position at Volkswagen in Wolfsburg, and is responsible for the overall design and colour features of all Volkswagen Group products.
Her design philosophy is “Keep it simple – every line has a function”!
Oona believes that creativity is not only a natural talent, but that good ideas are created through hard work and a lot of thought – some inspiration with a lot of transpiration! Direct communication is the golden rule to guarantee good automotive design. Creativity means approaching things from a different angle.
Speaker: Sizwe Nxedlana, FNB Chief Economist
Sizwe Nxedlana is Chief Economist at First National Bank. Prior to that he was a Senior Economist in FNB’s Wealth segment where he was involved in macroeconomic and investment research and is a member of the investment and asset allocation committees. Before joining FNB Wealth he was an economist at FNB Commercial.
He began his career at the Bureau for Economic Research in Stellenbosch followed by a stint at Kagiso Trust Investments.
Sizwe completed a Bachelor of Commerce degree majoring in Philosophy, Politics and Economics from the University of Cape Town and a Master of Commerce degree in economics from the University of KwaZulu Natal.
Speaker: Jakkie Olivier, CEO of the Retail Motor Industry
Jakkie Olivier is the Chief Executive Officer of the Retail Motor Industry organisation (RMI), which celebrates more than 100 years of serving its 7 500 members, ranging from vehicle dealers and motor body repairers to workshop and service station owners.
Jakkie began his career at the RMI taking care of the service station industry and later became the regional manager of the Northern region, one of the RMI’s six regional offices. Before being appointed as the CEO, he served as the as the organisation’s Executive Director for 14 years. In addition to his work at the RMI, he has been the chief negotiator for the entire retail industry (18 000 businesses employing 280 000 employees collectively) for the past 15 years, where he was instrumental in securing multi-year wage agreements for peace and stability in a rather volatile labour market.
Jakkie took the helm of the RMI in July 2013 and currently serves on the Boards of merSETA, MIBCO, MIFA and Moto Health.
