As the year draws to a close, I would like to take the opportunity to thank our Board Members, Committee Members and Branch Chairs who provide the support in ensuring that we remain the leading organisation for the consulting engineering industry, recognised not only locally but across Africa and around the globe, ably driven by a dedicated team of people in our Directorate. Without our member companies volunteering some of your key staff to participate in our various committees, none of what we do would be possible and for this we thank you for your commitment.

In the second episode of the successful Protecting Lives and Livelihoods webinar series, CESA hosted esteemed panellists on 17 November to discuss how the state’s technical capacity can be improved, while implementing sustainable solutions which will see tangible long-term benefits. The concepts of skills development, sustainable change and public capacity to implement infrastructure effectively were discussed.

In an annual celebration of innovation, quality, outstanding workmanship and professionalism in the engineering industry, CESA and the engineering community enjoyed the prestigious CESA Aon Engineering Excellence Awards which took place virtually on the 12th November. “On an annual basis, these awards showcase and celebrate excellence in South African engineering. This year, the key difference is the use of a live virtual platform to communicate the results in response to Covid-19,” said CESA CEO, Chris Campbell. “The advantage of this is that we can share the excitement of the event with a much broader audience.” Now in its 49th year, this event with platinum sponsorship from Aon South Africa for over 20 years, is one of the highlights in the engineering and construction industry calendar.

Each year, World Quality Day aims to increase worldwide awareness of the important contribution that quality makes towards both organisational and national growth and prosperity. Falling this year on 12 November, the 2020 theme was Creating Customer Value. CESA CEO Chris Campbell comments that this is fitting considering the importance of value in infrastructure development, recently in the spotlight thanks to South Africa’s Economic Reconstruction and Recovery Plan, which sees infrastructure as a key driver.

The CESA Young Professionals Sustainability Imbizo is normally held as a single event which coincides with the CESA Aon Engineering Excellence Awards and the Business of Consulting Engineering (BCE) Graduation, with both events often held in August or September. However, due to the Covid-19 pandemic guidelines implemented, this year’s event was held via a virtual platform as a series of webinars.

On the 27th November, a number of distinguished panelists joined us at the CESA Innovation and Technology Webinar themed ‘Accelerating innovation in the Engineering & Built Environment’. Moderated by Knight Piésold’s Neelam Parbhoo, the webinar topics were definitely a drawcard for attendees. First up was Professor Charis Harley, an academic based at the Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment at the University of Johannesburg. In her presentation Professor Harley discussed the topics, ‘Does the Academy drive/diminish innovation?’ ‘What is the role of data science in innovation and product development?’ and ‘Education as a driver of innovation’. She also mentioned that data science allows for strong links to social science.

Join the elite group of over 120 graduates, whose consulting engineering careers have soared to greater heights after completing CESA’s one-year Business of Consulting Engineering (BCE Development Programme. The programme has the added advantage of providing 15 ECSA CPD credits, claimable on your company’s SETA WSP/ATR submission and Construction Charter B-BBEE Scorecard.

Traditionally, the development of risk management plans is tailored to address assessed and quantified risks. There is however always the ‘the unknown factor’. Enter the COVID-19 pandemic. Of course, we have faced localised pandemics before, but never one on such a globally synchronous scale, thanks to global travel and trade. It propelled the entire world into unchartered territory as mass economic and travel lockdowns were implemented, and contingency plans were hurriedly rolled out. For many industry sectors and businesses already teetering on the brink, it has been a crisis of unprecedented scale - a black swan event that simply cannot be quantified or dealt with, without the benefit of hindsight.

The market downturn in March posed substantial challenges for investors due to the halt in economic activity associated with Covid-19 and the simultaneous sovereign rating downgrade. While the March volatility proved to be a short-term spike, the intensity of these threats significantly impacted investor sentiment. Investors often experience anxiety and concern about their investments during times of high uncertainty and market volatility. While these feelings are rightfully expressed, they can often lead to investment changes that may prove to be detrimental to long-term investment goals, explains Linda Sherlock, Executive Head: Wealth and Business Development for PPS Wealth Advisory.