July movers and shakers
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Catch up on alumni awards and appointments during the month of July.
Awards and honours
Professor Isidor Segal (BSc Hons 1948, MBBCh 1962) was awarded an honorary doctorate for his contribution to medicine. Veteran actor and playwright Dr John Kani was awarded an honorary doctorate in literature for his service in the performing arts.
Professor Mark Collinson (MSc Med 2007) is Co-Director with Professor Kobus Herbst of the South African Population Research Infrastructure Network and was awarded the Data for Research Award from the National Science and Technology Forum awards for work at the network.
Professor Michèle Ramsay (PhD 1987), Professor of Human Genetics in the Faculty of Health Sciences at Wits, won a won the Lifetime Achievement Award for pioneering genomic medicine approaches in Africa and leading the transcontinental study on factors that contribute to African diseases at the 2020 National Science and Technology Forum awards.
Dr Sumy Thomas (MBBCh 2010, MMed 2019) is the recipient of the 2020 Discovery Foundation MGH Fellowship Award.
Jimmy Yuan (BSc 2020) has been awarded the 2020 Adrian Gore Fellowship Award.
Saaleha Idrees Bamjee (BA Hons 2005) was announced as the winner of the 2020 Ingrid Jonker Prize for English Poetry for her collection Zikr.
I’ll Call You Later, a short film by Aurelie Stratton (BA 2000) was selected for African Women in the Time of COVID-19 Short Film Competition.
Appointments
COMMERCE, LAW AND MANAGEMENT
Accountancy
Kyriakos Anastassiadis (BCom 1976) has been appointed senior advisor for institutional and maritime affairs at MSC Cruises where he will liaise with public authorities and regulatory bodies.
Finance Minister Tito Mboweni appointed former JSE president Roy Andersen (BCom 1979), ex-Brait executive and deputy chairperson of the board of BMF Investments Jesmane Boggenpoel (BCom 1995, BAcc 1996) and Wits Accounting School head Nirupa Padia (BCom 1986, BAcc 1996, MCom 2006) to the Independent Regulatory Board for Auditors.
Kevin Glass (BCom 1980) was appointed to the board of directors of Spin Master, a leading global children’s entertainment company.
Caroline Henry (BCom 1990) was appointed as new Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Eskom Pension and Provident Fund.
Private hospital group Life Healthcare has appointed Peter Wharton-Hood (BCom 1985, BCom Hons 1987) as CEO with effect from the beginning of September.
Economics and Business Science
Hylton Socher (BEconSc 1983, BSc Hons 1986) joined Grantham, Mayo, Van Otterloo LLC (GMO), a global investment manager in a new role as chief technology officer.
Business School
South African digital systems aggregator and solutions provider, Nexio has appointed Mickey Mashale (MBA 2010) as the company’s new CEO with effect from 1 August 2020.
Robert Nkuna (MM 2006) was welcomed as new Director-General for the Department of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation.
Maurice Radebe (MBA 1997), former MD of Sasol, was appointed as new head and director of Wits Business School. He was profiled in the Financial Mail.
Diane Radley (MBA 1995) was appointed as an independent non-executive director at Redefine Properties.
Thulani Tshefuta (PDM 2018) has been appointed chair of South Africa’s National Governing Council for the African Peer Review Mechanism to champion the interest of citizens through the continental body.
ENGINEERING AND BUILT ENVIRONMENT
Giyani Metals Corps appointed Maureen Mokgaotsane (MEng 2010) to the board of Menzi Battery Metals, the company's wholly owned subsidiary in Botswana.
Kgathatso Tlhakudi (BSc Eng 2006) was appointed permanently as Director-General of Public Enterprises and profiled in this City Press article.
Yunus Ballim (BSc Eng 1981, MSc Eng 1983, PhD 1994) was appointed to Ministerial Committee of Inquiry by Minister of Higher Education, Science and Technology Blade Nzimande to probe business processes, systems and capacity at the National Student Financial Aid Scheme.
HUMANITIES
Professor Glenda Daniels (BA 1989, BA Hons 1990, MA 2006, PhD 2011) Associate Professor in the Department of Journalism, was appointed new editorial board member at Routledge: Media, Cultural and Communications Studies.
Tshiamo Mokgadi (BA DA 2006) has been appointed as the new Chief Executive of the Market Theatre Foundation.
SCIENCE
John Alan Gould (BSc 1983) has been appointed to the board of directors of Hanna Capital Corp.
The Wits Alumni Relations Office would love to hear from you. Update and share achievements with us at alumni@wits.ac.za