AQRATE CLIENT NEWSLETTER - AUGUST 2022

 

Dear Valued Client,

We’re already more than halfway through the year, and after our much-needed mid-year break, we’re back in full swing at the office!

We have some exciting news from our team to share and want to update you on important industry news too.

New Association of B-BBEE Professionals Board of Directors elected

A hearty congratulations to Mokgadi Rameetse, one of our directors, and Lizel Loibner-Smuts, our legal and compliance manager, recently elected to the Association of B-BBEE Professionals (ABP) Board for the next two years.

Mokgadi’s tenure as Chairperson of the board will include developing and maintaining sound and progressive relationships with all stakeholders. Lizel’s responsibilities include assisting the chairperson of the Technical portfolio on all matters relating to technical aspects of B-BBEE legislation and engaging with the Dtic and SANAS. She is also responsible for facilitating the PR, marketing, and membership development portfolio.

The ABP was established to lead the B-BBEE Verification and Consultancy industry as it plays a vital role in the transformation of the South African economy. The first and only industry Professional Body of its kind, the ABP aims to facilitate the accreditation of qualifying B-BBEE Verification Agencies as set out in the Codes of Good Practice.

Get to know Mokgadi

Born in a small village, Botlokwa in Polokwane, Mokgadi is a highly ethical professional with in-depth knowledge of all B-BBEE legislation as well as the SMME landscape in South Africa.

Mokgadi possesses extensive B-BBEE experience across a broad spectrum of entities. She is a specialist in implementing sustainable empowerment strategies and undertaking corporate B-BBEE due diligence investigations, including strategic assessments, implementation scenario planning and public sector procurement consulting.

A mother of two children, aged ten and seven, Mokgadi obtained her MBA in 2017 by balancing her work, family and studies with the help of her husband of 13 years – she considers this her most significant achievement to date.

A true transformational leader, she inspires people with her positive energy and leads by example.

Get to know Lizel

With more than 13 years of experience in the industry, Lizel first started her career as a B-BBEE consultant in 2008 after being admitted as an attorney. She is a firm believer in true transformation and believes in healing the divisions caused in our past to create a society based on inclusion.

As the Legal and Compliance Manager and a SANAS-appointed Technical Signatory at AQRate, Lizel oversees the business’s legal functions and compliance with relevant legislation, ensuring that SANAS compliance standards are met and maintained.

Lizel believes that her legal background provides her with the tools to properly navigate, understand and interpret legislation (especially in instances where the Codes are unclear) and states her strong moral values and business ethic as her most significant character attributes. 

Integrity, responsibility, quality, trust, leadership, teamwork and customer satisfaction are all very important to Lizel and play a crucial role in the way she promotes business sustainability.

Our new Chief Operating Officer

Please join me in welcoming our new COO, Shireen Pienaar! As our COO, Shireen is responsible for the smooth operation of daily business activities. She works closely with our staff and me to support and manage all company-related procedures. She is integral in accomplishing our objectives and goals, keeping business strategies and plans on track, and ensuring your needs as our valued client are met.

Shireen has been a part of the B-BBEE transformation era since 2006, right at the start of its implementation by the South African government. 

A mother of four. Shireen’s number one motivation is her family. She believes in helping create a better South Africa for her children and notes that they are her inspiration for doing what she does. 

Shireen has been with AQRate for 14 years and sees it as a blessing that she has grown her career with the company. She started as an administrator at AQRate in 2008. She then worked her way up in the company, having been promoted to administration manager and client liaison manager in 2016 and 2019, respectively, before becoming our new COO this year.

Shireen strongly believes in transformation and the positive changes it has brought to South Africa. She is a highly efficient process management implementor and has the innate ability to build and maintain relationships with all around her effectively.

With qualifications in Public Management, Financial Management and High-Performance People (encompassing the management of the individual employment relationship), Shireen is a hard worker that believes in perseverance and motivating others. She implements pure faith and grace in her interactions with others and herself, consciously surrounding herself with good people and doing her best to inspire the best within others.

As one of the top B-BBEE rating agencies in South Africa, we are committed to providing you with the utmost quality and professional service, with uncompromising ethics and a passion for transformation.

If you have any queries, please do not hesitate to contact our office at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. For technical queries outside of your verification, please direct your question in as much detail as possible to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Sincerely,
Jeanette Buys
CEO

 

 

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Contact Details

Tel: 0861 277 283 / 021 045 0801
Email: enquiries@aqrate.co.za 

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