Call for board members to head up World Design Capital 2014 company

This week marks the official signing of the agreement in Cape Town on Friday 29 June 2012. In terms of the agreement, the City of Cape Town has mandated an independent World Design Capital 2014 implementation company to oversee the planning, coordination and rollout of Cape Town's World Design Capital 2014 programme.

Board members needed

A not-for-profit organisation that is still in the process of name registration, the World Design Capital 2014 implementation company will be responsible for delivering on the requirements of the agreement and ensuring alignment with Cape Town's World Design Capital 2014 vision of bridging historic divides and repositioning the city for a sustainable, inclusive future, through design.

It will report to an independent, voluntary (non-paying) Board consisting of experienced directors. Potential candidates for the Board can be nominated by organisations or individuals, and will be evaluated for their leadership capabilities, skills and experience, rather than as 'representatives' of particular organisations.

Nominees are required to demonstrate capabilities of collaborative leadership, including a commitment to working with diverse organisations and embracing different perspectives. Nominees will also need to demonstrate experience and understanding of areas of expertise including business management, corporate governance, local and provincial government contexts, the design and creative industries, information management, working in partnerships, higher education, finance and contracts, marketing and communications, the media, events and, finally, community engagement.

Selection committee

The board will be appointed by a multi-sector selection committee made up of Luyanda Mpahlwa (committee chair), architect, founder and design principal at DesignSpaceAfrica; Leshni Shah, operations director of Design Indaba; Gavin Silber, coordinator of the Social Justice Coalition; Rashid Toefy, CEO of the Cape Town International Convention Centre; Mike Marsden, deputy city manager, City of Cape Town; Bulelwa Makalima-Ngewana, MD of the Cape Town Partnership and Martin Smuts, deputy mayor of Stellenbosch Municipality.

"Part of why Cape Town won the World Design Capital 2014 bid is because we demonstrated collaboration between government, the design community, business leaders, academics and the broader public," explains Mpahlwa.

"Now we have been given an opportunity to put this into practice. It's about bringing the benefits of the designation to communities, to practitioners and policymakers, and proving that design can in fact be used for social good, to achieve an inclusive city. It's a big responsibility for any city. We need passionate, committed, partnership-minded Board members to help the World Design Capital 2014 implementation company - and Cape Town - to live up to this challenge."

Board nomination forms can be downloaded at www.capetown2014.co.za and must be submitted, together with a CV, by 6pm on Wednesday 18 July 2012 to az.oc.4102nwotepac@rotanidrooc or via fax on +27 (0) 21 419 0894. The Board will be announced by no later than 31 August 2012.