THOUGHT LEADERSHIP
‘ Our future is now !’
By Kim Kemp
Consulting Engineers South Africa ’ s ( CESA ’ s ) newly appointed president addresses effective ethical leadership in his presidential message and discusses the theme for 2018 .
At a function in Johannesburg , newly elected Neresh Pather outlined that his focus for the year will be on effective ethical leadership with the theme of ‘ Our Future is Now !’ He stated that change can be effected if we believe in it , work hard enough to achieve it , and with great leadership , succeed in achieving this end . The new president began his presentation by stating , “ The world of the future can only be changed and facilitated through the leadership of today embracing the true purpose of service to humanity .” The recent smooth transition in the ANC leadership race that concluded during December 2017 , he believes , along with the recent successful trip by the South African contingent to the World Economic Forum in Davos , has directed the country onto a journey to restoring confidence in its leaders . Pather believes that leadership starts with values and purpose that underpin governance and process and , during the year , he will direct his energies into the following key objectives : effective ethical leadership that creates role models to inspire future generations ; transformation efforts to change people ’ s hearts and minds ; embracing the Fourth Industrial Revolution , the new world of digitisation , and improved ways of doing things through innovation and data informed techniques ; industry integration and working collaboratively on common issues that benefit industry and society ; and working with industry clients in addressing corruption , governance , and client leadership . “ In formulating a theme for this year , I started to unpack what could possibly help change the volatile , uncertain , complex , corrupt , and ambiguous world we live in . Engineering impacts directly on people ’ s lives , making clean water possible and providing reliable energy , safe transport , fast communications , life-saving medical equipment , and the transport of food and supplies — all rely on engineering solutions to make the world a safer , more comfortable , and exciting place to be . I am proud and blessed to be an engineer ,” he added with passion . He said that all South Africans and Africans must be assured of a fair chance to further their contribution to the continent . “ We need to allow for practices to address the imbalance of the past , for this will take many , many years to address ,” he added . Planned programmes of employment creation , skills development , and encouraging trade relations with neighbouring countries and both developed and emerging countries should be accelerated , he maintains , while black empowerment , he believes , needs to be encouraged , “ not as a means of compliance , but to truly develop African industrialists to grow our economy .” As part of the ongoing transformation drive , he says that both youth and gender equality need to be embraced to ensure the inclusion of all participants ’ conversation on the country ’ s future .
“ The world of the future can only be changed and facilitated through the leadership of today embracing the true purpose of service to humanity ,” he said . Pather commented that populous uprisings against authoritarian rulers in Africa in favour of delivery-orientated governments , in future , will leave its imprint on governments across the continent . He refers to the present climate of corruption , state capture , and economic decline with which the country is battling : “ We have had to navigate through these troubled times and it is CESA ’ s firm belief that the answer to addressing these challenges is leadership ,” he stated . He claimed that upskilling more than a generation will not only develop skills but also address the social imbalances that have hampered communities . “ These answers do not lie in unsustainable enrichment practices that are masked as empowerment , but should rather focus on skills development and training to ensure that we encourage capable future generations to compete locally and abroad . We must ensure that we do not inadvertently create a future generation that is short of technical skills and competence with little or no value system ,” Pather stressed . Pather commented , “ CESA hopes to play the role of a facilitator of good values and good business principles that enables transformation not for any other reason but because it is the right thing to do .” He outlined that the industry has changed since democracy in that “ We now have 27 % of the
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