EAS makes top empowerment list

ALAN PEAT
IN THE list of nominations for “Top Empowerment Companies for 2006/07” by the publication Impumelelo, the Bidvest Group subsidiary, Express Air Services (EAS), was selected as an award winner. The awards were endorsed by Themba C Rubushe, chief director: Africa multilateral at the Department of Foreign Affairs. This followed annual research by the Impumelelo team into the operational performance and empowerment status of some 3 000 companies, government institutions, parastatals; government agencies and non-government organisations (NGOs) across 150 different economic sectors. “Empowerment in EAS is real,” said MD Francois Wolmarans. “For example, we started the development of people some years ago, and some have now advanced to director level. “This is a combination of growth of the individual, and empowering the community. This we feel is total empowerment.” Another indicator of the success of the company’s black economic empowerment (BEE) advancement programme, Wolmarans told FTW, was the selection by EAS staff of Roy Solomons for the chairman’s award for best manager of the year in the Bidvest Group. “This places him amongst the top 45 managers in a group which has a total staff complement of over 90 000 employees,” Wolmarans said “Roy is one of those who has grown within the company, and now occupies a position as domestic director of EAS. “It must also be clearly emphasised that his appointment through our development programme is not window dressing. It’s real.”