The Investec Head Office played host to the ‘Young Professionals Forum Gauteng North CEO Round Table Panel Discussion’ on Thursday, 23rd May. The theme of the event was ‘The renaissance of techno-utopianism as a challenge for innovation for SA: shaping the future of SA’s economic growth through science, technology and innovation’. Panellists included Prof Daniel Mashao, the Executive Dean of the Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment at the University of Johannesburg, Sindi Mzamo, Director at Divaine Growth Solutions and Malani Padayachee-Saman, CEO at MPA Consulting Engineers. This interactive discussion platform saw young consulting engineers from different CESA member firms and other companies come together to listen to the speakers who discussed growth in the profession and the need for youth to actively play a role in the sector.

CESA CEO, Chris Campbell was also present giving the opening address to the packed room. The moderator on the day was Anglo American’s Chiedza Mnguni who ensured constructive dialogue between panelists and the audience. In her remarks, Malani Padayachee-Saman encouraged young engineers to be innovative and work towards solving challenges in South Africa and her concern is that in the Built Environment space, we have a big gap between recent graduates, those who are about to get their professional registration and those who we should regard as mentors. “We need to bridge that gap," she said. Professor Mashao said there is a lot done in this country to assist innovators, such as The Innovation Hub and we are one of the countries spending a big percentage of our GDP on education. “The solution you create might not be used today but it could be used somewhere else where it will make a lot of sense," stated the professor. In her remarks, Mzamo encouraged the audience to play an active role in the economy by exploring entrepreneurship. “You can imagine as a young person all of us sitting here were running our own companies with our own innovation, what impact are we creating on the ground, not only for ourselves but also for our communities,” she stated.

In the final session, attendees were given the opportunity to interact with panel members as they provided clarity on some of their discussion points and general questions the audience posed. CESA YPF vice-chaiperson, Yankho Banda provided the final address before attendees and panellists engaged in a networking session.
To find out when the next event will be held, please email godfrey@cesa.co.za