New government relations manager at GMSA

Elvis Hermans

Hermans will be focusing on creating awareness of strategic business issues which are impacted by legislation and public policy while forging closer relationships with government.

"I plan to engage with local and provincial governments, particularly in the Eastern Cape where we are located, and in Gauteng where we do the bulk of our business. I also intend to network with other companies in the automotive and other sectors, to benchmark against best practices as we strive to advance our social transformation efforts," he said.

Solid relationships

Having spent most of his working career in the Western Cape, the 50 year-old Queenstown-born Hermans said he was excited to be back in his home province. "I am particularly pleased to be working in an industry with solid relationships in place with government, and existing partnerships on which to build," he said.

Hermans has joined GMSA after 16 years at British American Tobacco, where his last role was as sustainability manager, focused on advancing socio-economic development and black economic empowerment.

He worked in local government in Stellenbosch for 11 years, and 18 years in the liquor and tobacco industries in risk management, government relations, and corporate and regulatory affairs.

He has a Diploma in Local Government from the Cape Peninsula University of Technology and a Bachelor's in Business Administration from Hill University in the USA. Having completed a leadership development programme at the Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) at the University of Pretoria, he is currently working towards his MBA through GIBS.