A vital change at Röhlig- Grindrod on March 1 will see new man Kuben Reddi take over the MD’s hot seat from current MD, Sarel Pretorius. For more than four years Reddi has been the MD of Kapele Freight and Logistics, Johannesburg, a subsidiary of Röhlig- Grindrod SA. Prior to that, Reddi spent 15 years with Kuehne & Nagel (K&N) – many of those working with previous Röhlig-Grindrod MD and current board member, Hylton Gray. While there, he served in various senior management roles, including head of seafreight operations in SA. Reddi told FTW that he was looking forward to the challenges of the new post, and was currently assembling his portfolio of strategies to fulfil the task. Summarising these, he noted that a primary role was to promote the Röhlig- Grindrod brand in SA. “I shall also be looking at the development of additional products within the group,” Reddi added. He also intended to focus on trade lane development. “One example of this in the current global context,” Reddi said, “is the trade agreements being signed with the emerging markets in the Bric (Brazil, Russia, India, China) grouping. This is a significant area of present and future trade and investment for SA, and, for that matter, for the African continent as a whole, and I feel that we must be prepared to be a part of this development.” The whole function of training and staff development is also strongly at the front of his mind.
