Air Traffic and Navigation Services (ATNS) SOC Limited has announced on April 5 the appointment of Nozipho Portia Mdawe as its new CEO, effective from 1 April 2022. She is the second woman to be appointed in this role within ATNS, marking a significant milestone for the company.
Air Traffic and Navigation Services SOC Limited (ATNS) provides air traffic, navigation, training and associated services within South Africa and a large part of the Southern Indian and Atlantic Ocean, comprising approximately 10% of the world’s airspace.
Nozipho Portia Mdawe takes over from Dumisani Sangweni, who has held this position on a delegated basis since April 2020. With over twenty-eight years of professional working experience, she is an accomplished executive with a strong history of orchestrating operational excellence in the Freight, Maritime, Aviation, Mining, logistics and Supply Chain industries.
Nozipho Portia Mdawe is a former Chief Operating Officer and acting Chief Executive Officer at Transnet National Ports Authority, which is part of Transnet, major South African railway, port and pipeline company. Her Transnet career spans 14 years. She began in the Transnet Corporate Office in 2001, where she drove organizational transformation and worked to align the company’s Human Resources development strategies with organizational objectives and strategies. At Transnet Port Terminals she served for three years as a Business Unit Executive before moving to Transnet Freight Rail (TFR), first as Area Production Manager for the Gauteng Cluster’s production and operations activities and then as Deputy General Manager for Inland Operations. She was promoted and served as General Manager: Mineral Mining and Chrome at TFR between March 2012 and 2015, managing a complement of 1285 employees, turnover of R5.7 billion per annum with total volumes that grew from 18.6 million tons in 2013 to 24 million tons in 2014.
Between July 2015 and April 2018, Nozipho Portia Mdawe has also served as Secretary General of the Port Management Association of Eastern and Southern Africa (PMAESA), based in Mombasa (Kenya), a non-profit intergovernmental organization composed of port operators, government ministries, logistics and maritime service providers and other stakeholders in the port and shipping sector in the East, West and Southern Africa and Indian Ocean regions.
She was also a member of the strategic committee of the Crans Montana Forum Ports Club.
First black trainee Geology Technician at BhP Billiton
Nozipho Portia Mdawe received a number of accolades in her career journey. Among those are, being appointed the first black trainee Geology Technician at BhP Billiton (the then Gencor); successful introduction of a Transnet Value Chain Coordinator (TVCC) Approach; improved membership and implementation of collaborative initiatives for PMAESA; formed part of various continental and international committees in the maritime sector; improved safety, operational efficiencies and reduced the cost of business through the implementation of Lean Six Sigma, a quality management method that focuses on improving performance by systematically eliminating waste, inefficiencies and wastage while improving quality and standardization.
Impressive academic qualifications
Nozipho Portia Mdawe holds a number of impressive academic qualifications, including professional membership with the Institute of Directors; Master in Business and Administration (Gordon Institute of Business Science) and is currently pursuing her Doctoral Degree, focused on influencing policy development in the maritime and transportation sectors across the value chain, as well as growth in East Africa. She completed the Global Executive Development Program from the Gordon Institute of Business Science in 2012. Before then she acquired an Advanced Strategic Management Program (IMD, Switzerland); IRSMI Management Development Program (University of France); Transnet Executive Women Development Program in Operations and Logistics Management (Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS), and Management Advanced Program from Wits Business School.
Leadership skills, experience and influence to lead ATNS
Commenting on Mdawe’s appointment, ATNS Chairman Simphiwe Thobela says: “ATNS believes that Ms Mdawe has the leadership skills, experience and influence to lead ATNS in the coming years. We believe that she is an excellent choice to lead our company, especially as our business, the aviation industry and the country recovers from the devasting impact of Coronavirus and continues to explore new areas of growth and development across Africa and elsewhere. Her exposure, contributions and insight into the transport sector in Africa – in her role as Executive Secretary for Continental Ports and Secretary General of Eastern and Southern African Ports based in Mombassa, Kenya – is an advantage for ATNS and the aviation industry as a whole”.
