President: Zulch Lötter

President of CESA, Zulch Lötter, says that the presidency of CESA is the most important office he has held outside of UWP Consulting and he regards it as a great honour to be able to plough back into an industry that he has been an active participant in for close to 40 years.

In this role he aims to focus on improving the business environment for consulting engineers. It is important to him that both CESA members as well as their clients conduct business with integrity and ina professional manner.  He strongly believes that consulting engineers should not be perceived by clients and the public as commodities, but as their trusted advisors. To this end, CESA and its members must engage with politicians and decision makers  to guide, advise and assist them in creating a sustainable South Africa where all our inhabitants work towards the common goal of creating a future for our children.

Zulch Lötter was born in 1948 in Worcester in the Western Cape where his parents were wine farmers.  He matriculated from High School De Villiers Graaff, Villiersdorp and thereafter graduated as a Civil Engineer from the University of Stellenbosch in 1970.  Zulch, a CSIR bursar spent a few years performing accident research at Transportec.  In 1973 he joined Uhlmann Witthaus and Prins, who were at the time, a three man consulting engineering company.  In 1976 he studied at the University of California in Berkeley as a Road Federation Bursar, and obtained an MS degree in Transportation Engineering.  He is also a member of ECSA and SAICE.

After his return from the USA, Zulch was involved with the planning, design, rehabilitation and construction of roads and runways, as well as traffic engineering.  Since 1984 Zulch has been a partner and later a Director of UWP Consulting.  In April 1999 he was appointed Managing Director of the company, responsible for approximately 300 staff members situated in 16 offices across South Africa, as well as subsidiary offices in Zambia, Tanzania and Botswana.  Zulch has served on the CESA Council and EXCO since 2003.  He has been Chairman of CESA’s National Liaison, Finance and Staff as well as Disciplinary committees. He is also a Director of two of the Section 21 companies created by CESA including the Project Development Facilitation Alliance (PDFA) as well as the Built Environment Professionals Export Council (BEPEC).

Zulch has been married to Marilien for the past 33 years and has three married children who are all back in SA after working abroad.

Directorate

The Directorate of the Association comprises 10 highly competent staff and is situated in Bryanston, Johannesburg.

GRAHAM PIRIE Chief Executive Officer Graham, being the Chief Executive Officer of the Association is responsible for determining strategic direction, initiating new approaches, implementing corporate business development strategies, representing CESA at national and international levels and initiating liaison with client bodies in government and industry. Strategic partners include organisations representing the other built environment professions, contractors, business, the International Federation of Consulting Engineers (FIDIC), and the Group of African Member Associations (GAMA).

BRENDA LACEY SMITH Manager - School of Consulting Engineering Brenda is responsible for sourcing and implementing new business related courses that would benefit members of the CESA, as well as running and updating existing training courses. Brenda is currently working closely with CETA (Construction Training and Education Sector) and SAQA (South African Qualifications Authority) to ensure the courses are accredited and acknowledged in terms of continuing professional development.

ROELOF VAN TONDER CEO: Built Environment Export Council Roelof's primary role is to create an enabling environment for the pursuit of international business opportunities to firms who subscribe to this additional service. Roelof also serves on the Board of Trustees for the Built Environment Professionals' Medical Scheme and is actively involved in the National Liaison Activities of the Association. Furthermore, together with Quentin, he fulfills the role of Regional Manager which is aimed at providing active support to certain Branches of the Association.

JEAN STANFORD Personal Assistant to the Chief Executive Officer Jean is the Personal Assistant to the Chief Executive Officer and her duties include support to the Association’s various Committees, providing administration and secretarial support as well as the handling of the Association’s travel arrangements. She also co-ordinate the smooth running of the office.

GILLIAN WANDS Administrative Officer As Administrative Officer, Gillian is responsible for maintaining the Membership Database and Committee Database. She also renders IT support to the Directorate and performs duties as Secretary to Council, the Executive Committee and other working committees of the Association.

KUVASHNEE GOVENDER Marketing and Communications Manager Kuvashnee’s primary responsibility is that of Marketing and Communications. Her role also includes the following: Events Management Production of the CESA Directorate of Firms CESA Annual Review Internal support to the Association’s Committees Development of strategies to increase membership

WALLY MAYNE Contractual Affairs Manager Wally is responsible for the contractual affairs section of the directorate and is tasked with: Contractual matters; Existing and new legislation affecting the industry; Legal matters affecting the Association; Risk management and insurance issues; Disciplinary matters (CESA code of conduct); Procurement legislation.

GODFREY RAMALISA Manager: Client Liaison Godfrey is responsible for client liaison and the following are his primary roles: Liaise with high priority clients at national level of government such as DPLG, DWAF, DoT, NDPW, DPE, DoF and DBSA Assist and support the branches and their branch chairman with client liaison structures and reporting. Manage and monitor the National Liaison Committee (NLC) system Give support to specific initiatives relating to providing capacity to public sector infrastructure delivery.

SUE DAVIS Manager: Finance and Administration Sue is responsible for the following areas: Overall financial administration and management of the accounting system Administration and management of house keeping, reception etc Human Resources Public officer for CESA

GLENDA TSHABALALA Accounts Clerk Glenda is responsible for the full management and maintenance function of the customers accounts including preparation of input documents for new customers, approval of invoices, answer all debtors queries. She is also responsible  for the maintenance of all orders placed on behalf of the Association, ensuring that they are properly authorized.

PATIENCE TSOTETSIE Receptionist Patience is the CESA receptionist. She is responsible for the sale of contract documents and publication. She also renders clerical support to Manager: International Business Support; Manager: Marketing, Communications & Events and Manager: School of Consulting Engineers.

NOMSA KHUMALO Office Assistant Nomsa, whose Zulu name means "Faith", is the most popular person in the office, for she ensures that refreshments are always available to staff and their guests. She takes care of daily housekeeping so that our offices are always presentable, and she also assists with document processing and the movement of documents within the office.