Cape Town hosts Rugby Business Network event

Bobby Skinstad

Skinstad, currently business director and shareholder at Itec Innovate, was joined at the Cape Town Club by Rugby World Cup winning coach Nick Mallett, Wesgro CEO Nils Flaatten and Western Cape minister of Finance, Economic Development and Tourism, Alan Winde.

Addressing the close on 100 attendees, Winde focused on his new "red tape campaign" and emphasised the need for skills development in the province, saying, "Network sessions like these will help us become a region of excellence. These sessions allow for business people to work together and network in order for us to realise our objective of job creation which will lead to sustainable growth in our various industries. I urge corporate South Africa to reinvest in our people to create more jobs in order to strengthen industry."

Working together to achieve objectives

Flaatten further stressed the importance of networking in order to take the Western Cape business offerings into other markets both domestically and internationally, focusing on the areas of trade, investment and tourism to boost the economy: "Businesses need to develop an African strategy, as market trends show that in the next couple of years there will be strong links to more lucrative business deals being done on the African continent. This is an exciting prospect as Cape Town is the gateway into these African markets."

Mallett had guests spellbound, taking them through a detailed journey of his career as both a rugby player and manager. He compared the similarity between rugby and business: "In order for a rugby team to succeed you need team work, dedication and hard work, this is exactly the same for a business. It is not necessarily the best player or employee who will make you successful but it is a combination of the teamwork that achieves better results. This is the same in business; we cannot achieve our objectives on our own, and we need to work together. The Rugby Business Network offers business people the perfect opportunity to do just that."

Attendees donated R100 each to the Tinus Linee Foundation, raising R7400 which was matched by Itec Innovate and Wesgro. The former Springbok was diagnosed with Motor Neuron Disease in April. All guests were entered into a lucky draw with the winner walking away with a two-night stay for two at the Wale Coast Hotel, which includes shark cage diving.

Several such events have already been held in Durban and Cape Town, with former Springboks Corne Krige and AJ Venter in the mix. The latest Rugby Business Network Cape Town was held in partnership with Wesgro and sponsored by HSBC.

For more information, go to www.therugbybusinessnetwork.com.