Dube Tradeport’s new CEO
THE Dube Tradeport has appointed its former acting chief executive officer, Hamish Erskine, as its chief executive.
Erskine, whose appointment was announced by board chairwoman Zanele Gasa to staff yesterday, has been acting in the position following the suspension of Saxen van Coller in February last year.
It had emerged that Van Coller had failed to disclose previous criminal offences and had exaggerated her academic qualifications.
Gasa said a number of “crucial processes” had to be undertaken to appoint Erskine as the new chief executive. They had received 143 applications for the position.
Gasa expressed gratitude to Erskine for what she called “tried and tested leadership over the past 19 months”. “Although it appears to have been an extended length of time that the organisation has been led by an acting CEO, there has been no negative impact on the performance. In fact, the organisation has excelled over the last 19 months,” she said.
Erskine has overseen a clean audit, 46% growth on international air passengers from July to a year previously, and securing three new international airline services – Turkish Airlines, Ethiopian Airlines and Qatar Airways.
Erskine said the DTPC board’s continued guidance and faith they had in him was the reason they had continued running smoothly. “It is a continual privilege to contribute to an organisation that is geared to fundamentally impact on unemployment, poverty and inequality through new industrial and manufacturing development and providing a world-class operational environment for international and domestic investors. I look forward to continuing to lead Dube TradePort to achieve this strategic vision,” he said.
Durban Chamber of Commerce president Zeph Ndlovu wished Erskine well in his newly formalised role. “Hamish has certainly passed the test of a ‘hammermill’ during his acting period. He brought a lot of innovative ideas, especially during the formative stages of the Dube Trade Port,” he said.
KZN Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs Department spokesman Bheko Madlala said Erskine had the necessary skills to guide the organisation and had been with the institution for more than a decade.
“The MEC, Sihle Zikalala, is confident that under Erskine’s leadership, the institution will reach unchartered heights,” he said.