Rising Stars of 2013 announced

21 Aug 2013

On Thursday, 15 August, the winners of the 2013 DHL Rising Star Awards was held at Montecasino, Sandton.

Now in its second year, the awards, in partnership with the Human Capital Institute (HCI) Africa, were established to recognise, celebrate and connect young, talented individuals, in an effort to raise awareness of South Africa's talent and increase the sector's talent pools.

Business sector winners

Ashleigh Mc Currie of Ellerine Holdings Limited for the Retail/FMCG sector

Dineo Kwili of Consolidated Power Projects for the Energy & Chemicals sector

Ella Bella Constantinides of Generation Earth for the Entrepreneur sector

Mmuso Selaledi of KPMG for the Professional Services sector

Paul Jackson of the Volcano Group for the Media and Advertising sector

Priza Mantsena of the South African Post Office (SAPO) for the Public Services sector

Ravi Nadasen of Tsogo Sun for the Hospitality and Tourism sector

Sarel Emmerick of ArcelorMittal South Africa for the Mining & Industrials sector

Setlogane Manchidi of Investec for the Financial Services sector

Siveshnie Moodley of Röhlig-Grindrod (Pty) Ltd for the Logistics and Supply Chain sector

Tamzin Burrill of IBM South Africa for the ICT sector

Suzy Boucher, Managing Executive of the HCI Africa and advisory and judging partner for the 2013 DHL Rising Star Awards, says that the judging panels were particularly encouraged by the greater participation across all business sectors.

"The standard of the entries was commendable and the talented young people who made it to the finals have all demonstrated the strength and depth of character that typifies talented individuals. What we saw very clearly in this year's Rising Stars was genuine social and global awareness, qualities that are critical to effective leadership in the 21st century.

According to Laura Barker, MD for the 2013 DHL Rising Star Awards, the awards also support finalists by granting access to the viable network of Rising Stars. "The Rising Star Network, a closed network which all finalists, judges and mentors have access to, creates an intellectual platform for on-going support and education on current business models and management practices."

Speaking at the awards ceremony, Sumesh Rahavendra, head of marketing for DHL Express Sub-Saharan Africa, says that these Rising Stars will play a key role in shaping the future of our country, forming the role models, opinion leaders and inspiration for South Africa in years to come.

"Motivated, engaged and inspired people are crucial to the success of any business, and ultimately to take South Africa, and Africa, forward. It's therefore crucial that we continue to not only motivate our amazing people but that we also identify and nurture this talent," concludes Rahavendra.

Winners' visions

Ashleigh Mc Currie is the merchandise executive for Wetherlys and coordinates buying and planning functions to deliver lifestyle solutions to Wetherlys stores nationwide.

She is passionate about the future of South Africa and strives to push the country's local standards towards international ideals and wishes to translate world retail trends into concepts that work for the local market. *Based in Johannesburg

Dineo Kwili, environmental officer at Consolidated Power Projects, advises the company on sustainable solutions that meet the needs of the client without compromising the well-being of the environment.

She is also the director of Letha Ithuba, a non-profit organisation that tackles social issues facing rural areas. *Based in Johannesburg.

Ella Bella Constantinides is a passionate environmentalist and founder of Generation Earth, a South African-based youth-driven environmental group initiating change from grassroots levels by the youth for the benefit of future generations and industries. She is also the educational officer of the Miss Earth South Africa leadership programme. *Based in Johannesburg.

Mmuso Selaledi qualified as a chartered accountant in 2010 after completing his articles at KPMG and subsequently learnt the ropes on a variety of audit and assurance engagements for public and private sector clients.

He is currently a senior manager at KPMG, as well as chairperson of Advancement of Black Accountants of Southern Africa (ABASA) Free State. He believes that hard work and belief are all the ingredients you need to succeed in life. *Based in KwaZulu-Natal.

Paul Jackson is an inspiring leader and sees the group as a major employer of young talent and launch pad for tomorrow's advertising leaders.

His vision for South Africa is a free, open-opportunity society, which provides necessary job opportunities for the restless, educated youth deserving of a life of contribution and achievement. *Based in Johannesburg.

Priza Mantsena currently heads the Payments and Interbank Department at Postbank, a division of the SAPO and leads a dynamic, young, talented and skilled team. Extremely devoted and committed, she is a Platinum Performance Star at SAPO and influences national policy as a South African Reserve Bank Standing Committee Member.

She is also a Doctor of Law student and is committed to building a sustainable bank of empower talented youth through skills development. *Based in Pretoria.

Ravi Nadasen began his career with Southern Sun in 1996 and has held various roles within the company and around the country during these 17 years.

He believes that one of the responsibilities of a leader is to attract, retain and nurture the abundance of talent that the country has and his aim is to improve the quality of leadership and grow talent by developing leaders at all levels. *Based in Johannesburg.

Sarel Emmerick, a senior SAP (software to manage business operations and customer relations) consultant and Information Management Project Manager, he has over 18 years of experience in Engineering and Information Management spheres.

He attributes his success to his ability to mobilise, energise and motivate teams towards mutual goals. He says that South Africa has a lot of potential talent and with the sharpened focus and more strategic view on talent management in recent times, opportunities for these talents become available. *Based in Johannesburg.

Setlogane Manchidi accolades include being added as an Archbishop Desmond Tutu fellow after completing the Desmond Tutu Leadership Programme.

He is also known for his passion and desire to see meaningful change in people's lives and hopes to further grow in the CSI space, thereby allowing a greater positive influence in directing financial resources towards creating opportunities that harness the great talent pool that this country has to offer. *Based in Johannesburg.

Siveshnie Moodley began her professional career 15 years ago as a filing clerk and over the years has occupied various job functions including seafreight manager at Sturrock Shipping. She credits her path of success to experience, along with academic achievement. *Based in KwaZulu-Natal.

Tamzin Burrill is the CSI manager for the system integrator and independent software vendors (ISV) team and is tasked with the responsibility of developing the local CSI strategy and to build a new team as part of IBM's 2015 Africa Growth Strategy.

She has also been recognised by IBM's Hundred Percent Club - a prize for individuals who met their annual quotas - for five consecutive years, received two competitive win back awards and is the project leader for the Global Enablement Teams' South African Business Partner Project. *Based in Johannesburg.

The South African National Youth Orchestra provided entertainment on the evening, with Gareth Cliff as the Master of Ceremonies.