The UCT Graduate School of Business is pleased to invite you to an interactive talk on Wednesday, 11 June 2008 presented in association with Deloitte and Old Mutual Personal Financial Advice. Our featured speaker this month will be Ivan Clark, Chairman of Grindrod Limited who will be addressing us on the topic:

"The Grindrod success story"

These thought-provoking talks follow a format of the speaker's chosen topic followed by an interactive Q&A session and cocktails. Seating is limited, so please advise as soon as possible if you are able to attend. We look forward to seeing you there!

Speaker profile

Ivan Clark, was born in Durban a good few years ago and with his family being resident in the area attended Glenwood Junior Primary, Parkview Senior Primary and matriculated at Glenwood High School, playing 1st team cricket and rugby. He attended the University of Natal and qualified as a chartered accountant.

He is married to Jeanne and has a son and two daughters and five grandchildren. The whole Clark family live at Mount Edgecombe, except for Andrew Clark who is now farming in Bosch Hoek and the children were all educated in Durban. The family has their own business, Clark Investments, with premises on the Umhlanga Ridge and with Ivan being the entrepreneur that he is, the business is going from strength to strength.

Ivan has always been a keen sportsman and has completed 13 Comrades Marathons with seven silvers and can still be seen on the road most mornings and weekends. He has also completed the Washie, a 100 mile road race between Port Alfred and East London.

Ivan joined the Grindrod Group in 1977 and rose through the ranks to CEO a position he held from 1999 and retired as CEO in 2006. He is a past winner of the British Airways/Natal Mercury KwaZulu Natal Businessman of the Year, Past President of the South African Shipowners Association and the South African Chapter of the Institute of Chartered Shipbrokers. He serves on many boards both locally and internationally.

His colleagues and associates will tell you that his management style is open and direct with no bureaucracy. He is a people person and is held in high regard by employees, partners, customers and suppliers. He is a self-motivator and dislikes people who talk around the point and don't get on with realising that life is real.

He lists as some of his professional achievements the fact that Grindrod has been voted the Top Listed Company in South Africa for 2005 and 2006, the Financial Mail's top company for 2005, 2006 and 2007, the top KZN Company in 2005 and the Marine Money International top listed shipping company in the world for 2005 and 2006.

Ivan tells us that his biggest ever opportunity was becoming CEO of Grindrod and being able to buy a good equity interest in the company several years ago.

In his leisure time he likes to exercise, watch sport, listen to music and spend quality time with his family and friends.

A word from our partners

Deloitte is a proud partner of the Distinguished Speakers Programme. As one of Southern Africa's foremost professional services firms, delivering world-class assurance, financial advisory, tax and consulting services to top private and public sector organisations, Deloitte is pleased to be associated with business and political leaders of distinction in Southern Africa.

Old Mutual is the largest and most well-established financial services provider in Southern Africa. Our prominent position in the industry is reflected in our strong operating performance across all our businesses and strong financial flexibility with demonstrated access to international capital markets and diversity of our business portfolio.

At Old Mutual, we are committed to contributing to South Africa's economic transformation, finding ways to improve South Africa's savings rate, and to increasingly directing our investments into areas of the economy that will drive long-term sustainable growth for the benefit of all South Africans. Visit www.oldmutual.co.za to see more about what we are doing to stimulate South Africa's economic growth, invest and improve our infrastructure and empower countless South Africans through skills development.

Venue

Date: 11 June 2008
Location: Exhibition Hall,The UCT Graduate School of Business,Breakwater Campus,Greenpoint, Cape Town
Cost: No cost

Contact: Phyllis Jordan
Company name: UCT Graduate School of Business
Telephone number: 021 4061366
Email address events@gsb.uct.ac.za