Illovo appoints Mamongae Mahlare as first woman MD

Sugar producer Illovo Sugar South Africa (Illovo SA) on Wednesday, appointed Mamongae Mahlare as managing director (MD) with effect from March 1, 2018.

Mahlare will succeed Dave Howells who, after nine years as local MD, had chosen to take up the opportunity of a new role within the broader Illovo Sugar Africa Group as corporate and external affairs executive.

Mahlare brings with her a wealth of general management, commercial, operational and engineering experience from roles at SABMiller, Tanzania Breweries , Unilever and Coca Cola Beverages Africa.

She holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and a BSc Chemical Engineering degree from the University of Witwatersrand.

Group MD, Gavin Dalgleish, said Mahlare would join Rebecca Katowa at Zambia Sugar as the group’s second female country MD and the first woman MD of a sugar producer in South Africa, a long overdue step forward in closing the gender gap in the industry.

“At Illovo Sugar Africa, we are committed to the transformation of the sugar industry across the continent and we are confident that the vision and expertise Mamongae brings to our South African business will be a key enabler of our growth and success in the years to come,” Dalgleish said.

Mahlare said she strongly endorses Illovo SA’s commitment to the transformation of agriculture and agribusiness across the continent.

“Having worked in multiple African markets, I strongly support the role of business as active participant in delivering on the social and economic development agendas of each country, while maintaining its core commercial imperative,” Mahlare said.

“I look forward to being part of the delivery of the next stage of Illovo SA’s strategy for transformation, its ambitious growth agenda and downstream diversification.”

– African News Agency (ANA)

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