Norton Rose Representatives - From left Sibusiso Gule (Chairman of Norton Rose Fulbright) and Riza Moosa (Head of banking and finance at Norton Rose Fulbright) holding trophies for lifetime achievement award for Mr. Gule, Law Firm of the year and Overall Professional Services Firm of the year.
Sindi Zilwa (centre) with colleagues from Nkonki Inc. holding her two trophies won on the night - Legal & Finance Category Woman Professional of the year and Overall Professional Services Woman Professional of the year.
Globally there are a number of successful awards ceremonies to honour professional services firms and their professionals. This year, on the evening of the 30th of October, South Africa hosted the first South African Professional Services Awards (SAPSA) to recognise various players within a variety of industries for their excellence.
The inaugural awards ceremony took place at Emperors Palace where companies within the fields of legal, accounting, finance, management consulting, actuarial science, engineering and the built environment were in attendance. PPS, the financial services provider focused on graduate professionals, sponsored the prestigious event.
Mike Jackson, CEO of PPS, says the company was eager to support the event, which recognises professional firms and persons for their best practices and exceptional work within their respective industries. “At PPS we believe that it is important to honour professionals who have done remarkable work within their distinct industries, as it is these individuals who are in many ways the driving force behind the development of the economy.”
KC Rottok, Project Manager of SAPSA, says the rationale behind the awards ceremony was to bring all the professionals who provide professional services together in order to network, further explore best practices, as well as to recognise companies and individuals who have excelled within the industry.
The main award winners:
The Overall Professional Services Firm of the Year Award was awarded to Norton Rose Fulbright. The award was given on the basis of the following accomplishments: outstanding contribution to the profession over the past three years; commitment to ethics; contributing towards the South African community; excellence in customer service; achievement of business and growth targets; and contributing to transformation for the benefit of the previously disadvantaged.
Suresh Kana, the PwC South Africa CEO was announced as the Overall Professional of the Year. Kana started his career in 1976 and was promoted to the position of Senior Partner for PwC Africa in July 2012.
The Overall Woman Professional of the Year was presented to Sindi Zilwa, the CEO and co-founder of Nkonki. Zilwa has more than 20 years of experience in the field of auditing following her qualification as a Chartered Accountant. She currently serves on the audit committees for various JSE listed companies.
Adele Lombard, Structural Engineer at GIBB Engineering, was awarded the Investec Award for Young Professional of the Year. Lombard joined GIBB Engineering five years ago as a Cum Laude student from Stellenbosch University and has since been involved in and leading up various complicated and successful projects.
“We would like to congratulate all the winners and nominees of the 2014 SAPSA awards and we look forward to another successful event next year,” concludes Jackson.
The full list of winners is:
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