HORTGRO BOARD WELCOMES SPEIRS AS NEW DIRECTOR

Hortgro, the deciduous fruit industry body of South Africa, is pleased to announce the appointment of Ms Unati Speirs as a new board director. She will be taking over the vacancy left by Dr Mono Mashaba who served the industry for many years.

Speirs holds an MSc in agriculture and is currently a PhD candidate. She has worked in agriculture since 2009 when she started as head of agriculture at the East London Industrial Development Zone. Since then, she has gained extensive experience in senior management in the agriculture sector in South Africa and abroad, where she worked in the US, Japan, and with the United Nations and European Union in Italy.

Speirs is currently a ministerial trustee for the Red Meat Industry Trust of South Africa and a board member of AllJoy Foods. Formerly, she was a Vice-Chairperson for the International Sugar Organisation based in London and a former chairperson of the UN Environment Programme’s Sustainable Agri-Food Production.

Speirs has vast experience in agri-business strategy and business funding, having previously held the position of Head of Business Unit: Industrial Development Division and Chief Director at the Department of Trade and Industry.

“I hope that my appointment will inspire youth and women to aspire towards careers in agriculture,” she says. “Hortgro represents a very important part of South African exports and has world-class technical market access, protocols, and product standards. Horticultural stakeholders around the globe respect Hortgro and being part of its board is a privilege.”

Persverklaring: 13 Mei 2022

HORTGRO-RAAD VERWELKOM SPEIRS AS NUWE DIREKTEUR

Hortgro, die sagtevrugtebedryfsorganisasie van Suid-Afrika, het aangekondig dat me. Unati Speirs onlangs as direksiedirekteur aangestel is. Sy sal die plek inneem van dr. Mono Mashaba wat onlangs na etlike dekades uitgetree het.

Speirs het ‘n MSc-graad in landbou en is tans ‘n PhD-kandidaat. Sy is sedert 2009 in landbou betrokke en was voorheen hoof van die Oos-Londen Industriële Ontwikkelingsone. Sy het etlike jare se ervaring in die landbou en het etlike bestuurposte in dié sektor in Suid-Afrika en oorsee gevul. Sy het ondermeer in die VSA, Japan, en met die Verenigde Nasies (VN) en Europese Unie, in Italië, in die landbousektor gewerk.

Speirs is tans ‘n ministeriële trustee vir die Rooivleisbedryfstrust van Suid-Afrika en ‘n direksiedirekteur van AllJoy Foods. Voorheen was sy ondervoorsitter van die Internasionale Suiker Organisasie in Londen, en ‘n voormalige voorsitter van die VN-omgewingsprogram vir volhoubare landbou-voedselproduksie.

Speirs het baie ervaring in landboubesigheidstrategie en -befondsing. Sy was voorheen die sake-eenheidshoof van industriële ontwikkeling en hoofdirekteur van die Departement van Handel en Nywerheid.

“Ek hoop dat my aanstelling jongmense en vroue sal inspireer om loopbane in die landbou te oorweeg,” sê Speirs. “Hortgro verteenwoordig ‘n baie belangrike deel van Suid-Afrikaanse uitvoere en het wêreldklas tegniese marktoegang, protokol en produkstandaarde. Hortgro word wêreldwyd gerespekteer deur rolspelers in die tuinboubedryf. Dit is ‘n voorreg om op die Hortgro-raad te dien.”

• For more information contact kara@hortgro.co.za
• Vir meer inligting kontak kara@hortgro.co.za