PROFILE large companies alike to invest in the profession ’ s future through bursaries .
He worked for Van Wyk & Louw during university vacations and then worked there full time following graduation , as the company evolved into Africon . He continued his studies , obtaining a master ’ s degree . “ Technical skills and competence will always be a major driving force for the future of engineering .”
Finding mentors
At Africon , he met his first nonwhite engineer , Ali Naidu , who was to become his mentor and eventually his business partner in a new start-up company PD Naidoo & Associates ( PDNA — which is today the local subsidiary of one of the biggest consulting firms in the world , Mott MacDonald ). “ This was a major step up for me because engineers are typically risk averse and not entrepreneurial — but probably the most influential move in my working life . PDNA was a start-up company and entrepreneurial venture in which broad-based black economic empowerment ( B-BBEE ) principles were ingrained . The company was a great illustration that the principles of B-BBEE do work as long as individuals buy into a longterm game plan , re-invest profits , and do what is right — not just focus on enrichment ,” says Pather .
There he met the second great mentor of his life , Dempsey Naidoo , founder of PDNA and an entrepreneurial visionary who was to become an even more important influence on Pather ’ s career . “ You need mentorship for success ,” he says . These were exhilarating times — not only was the country going through huge changes , but working for what was then a small firm exposed Pather to a far wider spectrum of experiences . He was also a young parent , and the move to Johannesburg meant the loss of his community support system .
Once the three of them , together with other founding directors Jackie Naidoo , Anton Middelton , Vijay Dhana , and Sham Singh , were together under a single corporate roof , the business grew exponentially through mergers and acquisitions — acquiring 12 companies , all through shareholder reinvestment rather than debt . “ That was genuine B-BBEE without the legislation to enforce it , and much of the growth was achieved by investing in our people ,” adds Pather . From a wholly-owned business in 1997 , PDNA grew to a staff complement of 650 with 54 shareholders by 2013 .
From the perspective of that positive experience , Pather is somewhat censorious of how today ’ s empowerment policies are implemented , especially those regarding procurement , as they tend “ to place a cap on how big these black owned and managed companies can grow , often motivating them to remain single-engineer or small firms ( so as to benefit from preferential procurement ), whose impact on the industry is consequently limited ”. PDNA , in contrast , grew to a sizeable consultancy with the purpose of generating broad-based wealth as well as training as many engineers as possible . Since being acquired by Mott MacDonald , all its empowerment policies have been retained within the firm .
Joining the big league
Pather attributes PDNA ’ s attracting the attentions of a large multinational like Mott MacDonald to the former ’ s principles of reinvesting and empowering staff . “ We were a South African start-up company , but were considered valuable enough for a multinational to invest in . The result is that South Africans are now able to work abroad to gain other opportunities , while at the same time being able to bring new skills into this country .”
Notwithstanding his enthusiasm for the experience of working for a small to medium-sized firm , Pather says that large firms are where the critical difference can best be made — though at 650 people the firm is not in the ‘ big ’ league . “ They can employ and train large numbers of people , and they typically are the ones to be involved in large , influential projects .”
Staying small has its pros and cons , but on the downside is the fact that a small firm typically revolves around one or two personalities who “ can become a slave to the business , as every client wants to see you personally ”, he says . “ There ’ s no time for holidays and it can become a lonely place . Today I appreciate being part of a multinational firm : I particularly enjoy interacting with colleagues from other countries such as the UK , the US , and Australia . That wouldn ’ t have been my major motivation 15 years ago — so a preference for one over the other depends entirely on where you are in your personal life .
“ My advice to youngsters starting their career is therefore to define what it is they want to do with their lives , and only then make important decisions ,” says Pather .
While managing the transition from a South African start-up to local subsidiary of a major multinational , Pather was from 2003 becoming more involved in CESA . He became the first chairman of the Young Professionals Forum ( YPF ) of CESA . “ Youth involvement in institutions is vital to ensure survival of our profession . I was encouraged by my mentors and welcomed into the inaugural formations of CESA ’ s YPF .”
His involvement culminated in his appointment 14 years later as president of CESA in 2018 . “ Through my involvement in the various bodies and structures of CESA , I have been nominated to represent our industry , an honour I am truly grateful and humbled to have ,” concludes Pather . nn
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