Download Now - Nelson Mandela Bay Business Chamber

Dirk Kotze, 36
Partner, Mazars
Dirk Kotze began specializing in tax consulting after qualifying as a Chartered
Accountant in 2001. Joining Mazars as a tax consultant in 2006, he
found himself swiftly promoted to Tax Partner in March 2008. “The tax
consulting position was initially planned to assist the firm in addressing
the tax risks of clients and provide risk management to tax planning
due to ever-changing legislation ,” says Kotze. “However, I was able to
expand the role into a fully-fledged tax consulting division.” This sense
of initiative saw Kotze promoted to partner at the age of 32, and after
only 20 months with the firm. He advocates humility in young businesspeople.
“When we take over the reins from those who came before us,
we should continue doing what they did right, but have the courage
to change what they did wrong.” He continues, “Sustainable businesses
must be built and retained in order to grow the economy of the Eastern
Cape. We need to attract talent to the region, and overcome obstacles
through self-discipline and perseverance.”
Elzette Pieterse-Landman, 31
Organisational Development Manager, Coca Cola Fortune
Elzette Pieterse-Landman has been tenacious throughout her career.
Through setbacks, sacrifices and redundancies, she has persevered to
pursue her passion for her vocation in the field of Industrial Psychology.
She has recently taken up the position of HR and Organisational
Development Manager within Coca Cola Fortune, with the aim of building
a long-term corporate career. Pieterse-Landman began her career
in recruitment and advanced through the ranks of psychometry, facilitation
and talent management. Facing retrenchment at the age of
28, she began her own practice providing organizational development
consulting services to reputable companies within the Metro. She was
offered the opportunity to gain some operational HR experience whilst
taking up the National Organisational Development portfolio at Coca
Cola Fortune, to establish an Organisational Development function and
to build an Organisational Development mindset in the business. “The
role of young businesspeople is to innovate and reinvent for tomorrow’s
client and consumer needs,” says Pieterse-Landman. “We need to create
and leverage opportunities to identify, inspire and develop talent ahead
of demand. Pro-actively building capability will ensure sustainability in
growing our local economy.”