Alumni in the spotlight January 2023
- Wits Alumni Relations
Catch up on a wrap of Witsie awards and appointments from the past two months.
Awards
Innocentia Mahlangu (BSc Eng 2011, MSc Eng 2018) was the co-winner of the Project Management Institute (PMI) Global Rising Young Leader Award. The PMI Rising Leader Award (formerly PMI Young Professional Award) recognises a young professional who has made a significant impact in advancing project management within an organisation. She is a senior engineer and project manager at Hatch.
Professor Karen Sliwa (DTM&H 1995, PhD 2002) was awarded the University of Cape Town’s prestigious 2021 Alan Pifer Award. The award acknowledges outstanding welfare-related research for her dedication to addressing heart-health challenges common in Africa, especially among pregnant women.
Professor Harry Brand (BArch 1960) was awarded the prestigious Bonei Zion Prize in the field of culture, art, and sport in Israel for his innovation and contribution to changing the Israeli architectural landscape over 50 years.
The Heritage Association of SA presented the Simon van der Stel Gold Medal for Heritage Conservation to Professor Franco Frescura (BArch 1977, March 1981, PhD 1986).
Dr Chris Davis (BSc Eng 1971) was posthumously appointed a Member of the Order of Australia for his “significant service to water management” in Australia. He earned a master’s degree in civil engineering from the University of Texas and emigrated to Australia in 1984. His work with the Johannesburg City Council on wastewater treatment won him the Hatfield Award for Professionalism from the America-based Water Environment Federation. This international award recognised operators of wastewater treatment plants for outstanding performance and professionalism. He sadly passed away on 10 February 2022.
Pippa Hudson (BA 1996, BA Hons 1997) was awarded Best Daytime Show at the 2022 Radio Awards held in Parktown on 26 November 2022. She hosts the lunchtime show from 1-3pm daily on Cape Town talk radio station Cape Talk.
Appointments
Brett Copans (BCom 1994, BAcc 1995) has been appointed as Cell C's chief restructuring officer. He spent 18 years at Investec Bank and then founded Pentrich Financial Services, a specialist financial services business providing capital raising, advisory and management in ongoing restructure situations. He has expertise in investment banking, capital raising, financial restructuring, and asset acquisition in varied industries including banking, telecommunications, and property development.
Cell C appointed Stephen Morony (MBA 2011) as its new chief officer of wholesale business. He previously worked at the company and was executive head of Cell C’s mobile virtual network operator.
Advocate Mojankunyane Gumbi (LLB 1984) has been appointed special adviser on racism by the United Nations secretary-general António Guterres. She is currently the Chancellor of the University of Venda.
Catherine Albertyn (BCom 1999) assumed the position of deputy president of Gauteng Women in Insurance for 2023. She has extensive experience in the insurance industry and is partnerships manager at Garrun Group Insurance Brokers.
Retired Johannesburg high court judge Margie Victor (HDipTax 1991), who in 1996 became the first woman to be elected to the Johannesburg Bar Council, has been appointed as the ombud for long-term and short-term insurance for two years. Victor qualified as a social worker and then as an attorney. In 2008, after 25 years as an advocate, she was appointed to the bench. She was a judge of the Competition Appeal Court and served as acting justice of the Supreme Court of Appeal. In 2019, she was appointed as acting justice of the Constitutional Court for two years.
The South African National Roads Agency appointed former Industrial Development Corporation executive Reginald Demana (BSc Eng 1997) as its new CEO.
Dr Precious Moloi-Motsepe (MBBCh 1987), the University of Cape Town’s Chancellor, has joined the Harvard University Global Advisory Council. The council represents a collective of influential leaders in business, academia, and government from different parts of the world. She joins influential leaders David M Rubenstein, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Dr Charles Chen Yidan, and others.
Dr Donel Skinner (BSc Hons 1989) was appointed as Dean of Hobson Wildenthal Honors College by the University of Texas, Dallas. He is an accomplished researcher and educator.
Frank Rumboll (BA Hons 1991, PDipEd 1991, MA 2000) has been appointed headmaster of The Ridge School in Johannesburg. He has more than 30 years of experience in education and has been involved in school leadership in a variety of contexts, including as a founder teacher of Crawford College, the head of English at St Stithians Boys College, the director of academics at Kingsmead College, the principal of Cedar House, and most recently the executive head of Curro Rivonia. He has also been a national examiner and internal moderator for the Independent Examinations Board for over 25 years.
Banele Lukhele (BMus 2015) was appointed as UCT’s online high school’s executive head of school and chief academic officer.