Real Estate Investor Magazine South Africa July 2016 | Page 11

Durban’
s
Property Maverick
How Billionaire Property Icon Vivian Reddy is redesigning Umhlanga’s skyline

W

hen Vivian Reddy was 16
year-olds, he was chosen
to represent South Africa
at a Scout Jamboree in
Japan where he met Neil
Armstrong, the first man
on the moon. He uttered what eventually became his
personal mantra of life –“if you can dream it, you can
achieve it”. This was a life-changing occasion for the
young scout.
Years later he had the privilege of meeting Nelson
Mandela. “He was so impressed by what I had
achieved and the contribution I was making to social
upliftment that he heaped praises and encouragement
as a father would do to a son. This would not have
been too remarkable especially for the fact that it had
come from one of the greatest persons to ever walk
this earth”
Central to Mr Reddys strategy is in developing
other business sectors by creating relationships with
well-chosen international entities.
The first major international participation was
created with New Zealand Post, now Transend
Worldwide. This partnership was introduced into
South Africa and we won the largest Tender in
the postal sector in Africa. In 3 years the company
transformed the South African Post Office into a
profitable business and rolled out over a million postal
boxes largely in rural areas.
As this Country transformed into the postapartheid era, Reddy saw other numerous
opportunities emerging, foremost among them was
the impending issuing of casino licences. He pursued
this opportunity vigorously and developed 4 casinos.
Having secured himself as a player in the Casino
industry, he set his sights on the lucrative Health
www.reimag.co.za

Industry in this country. He created and became
the Chairman of Edison Health, which was a major
supplier of hi-tech medical equipment to the State’s
Health sector in addition to supplying pharmaceuticals
and having secured a strategic relationship with UCB
Pharma of Belgium.
“Our entire workforce has adopted the Canei
principle (Constant and never ending improvement).
That is what business needs to do. You need to
consistently and continuously improve yourself. “It’s
how we ensure self-development, both as an employee
and a private individual,” Reddy points out. “It is one
of our life principles: it means that if we consistently
improve even the simplest thing by making today
better than yesterday, we are growing, we are become
better people.

BIOGRAPHY

Qualifications: Diploma in Electrical Contract Management
Age: 63
Married: Sorisha Naidoo, former actress and radio
personality and currently a business entrepreneur
Children: 5

Currently Reading? Who will cry when you die by Robin
Sharma
Mentors? My dad KP Reddy an Educator, community leader
and philanthropist who instilled in me all my values in life
Motto: service to humanity is the best work of life

JULY 2016 SA Real Estate Investor

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