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PROFILE CANDIDATE Code K080928INT
Sex: m
Year of birth: 58
Education:
1980 Technikon Natal, South Africa
National Diploma in Horticulture
1975 Northlands Boys High School, Durban, South Africa
Natal Senior Certificate
Courses:
Computer training: MS Office
Performance Appraisal Course – Malawi Institute of Management
1992 International Packaging Seminar, Paris, France
Managing People (Arnold Moll) – Company internal training
Situational Leadership – Company Internal Training
Interaction Management- Company Internal Training
1985 Diploma in Missions- Evangelical Bible Seminary of South Africa, one
year full time course
Partial fulfilment of B.Comm – UNISA:
1991 Economics 1
1990 Industrial Psychology 1
1984 Business Economics 1
Skills:
Driving Licence: Motor vehicle, truck, motorcycle
Computer skills: Microsoft Office Works
Languages*:
English: Native speaker
Afrikaans: Good
Fanagalo: Satisfactory
*According to candidate
Working experience:
Our candidate has followed a clear horticultural career path starting with his diploma in
horticulture and initial work experience in plant propagation. His early career took him from
plants and ornamentals into fruit trees and subsequently, the production of cashew nuts. While
being responsible for cashew nut production in Malawi from 1993 to 1995 he was also
responsible for the overseeing of a number of other projects such as the cultivation of tissue
culture bananas and 30 hectares of paprika. At this stage he was also responsible for the
management of 70 hectares of fresh vegetables and herbs production. In 1996 he made the
decision to start out on his own and returned to an earlier field of experience by growing cut
flowers and foliage in open field and partially under glass. He currently has 13 hectares of
production with 13 staff managing the nursery. His products are sold locally through a farmers
market, wholesalers and florists, as well as to contract buyers who sell through the national
auction in Johannesburg. The nursery also produce perennial plants which are marketed to
landscapers and wholesale nurseries.
1996-present Function: Owner
Company: Cut flowers and fillers producer, South Africa
Responsibilities: All aspects of running a 13 hectare flower and foliage nursery.
1995 Function: Agricultural Manager
Company: Cashew nut producer, South Africa
Responsibilities:
• Manage agricultural activities
• Planning
• Budgeting
• Procurement of materials
• Labour management
• Evaluation and vegetative propagation of dwarf cashew clones
1993-1995 Function: Agricultural Projects Officer
Company: Agricultural production company, Malawi
Responsibilities:
• Management of cashew nut production and processing
• Mango development
• Management of 70 hectare vegetable export project – asparagus, salad onions, mange tout, fresh herbs produced and exported to the UK
• Managed introduction of 2 hectares of tissue culture bananas
• 30 hectares of paprika grown on contract for a Zambian company.
After the 1994 elections his Temporary Employment Permit wasn’t renewed.
1990-1993 Function: Area Manager - Cashews
Company: Same agricultural company as above
Responsibilities: Apart from Estate administration, planning and controlling budgets, and staff training, key responsibilities have been:
• Vegetative propagation of cashew nut and mango trees.
• The management of 600 ha of cashew nut orchards.
• Developing an additional 50 ha of clonally propagated high yielding local and imported selections.
• Establishing a cashew nut processing factory. This included the design, procurement of processing machinery, and the layout and design of processing systems.
• Marketing - domestic and export - of cashew nuts
• Starting a crop improvement program for cashews. This included importing improved selections, establishing demonstration plots, evaluating local selections, and doing trials in the vegetative rejuvenation of mature trees.
• Liaison with Government organisations on cashew research priorities and raw nut marketing, and the promotion of cashew as a viable smallholder crop.
• The establishment of a high density 5 ha mango orchard and the monitoring and evaluation of a mango cultivar trial.
• Preparation of feasibility reports for cashew and mango production in Malawi.
1987-1990 Function: Project Manager
Company: Fruit nursery, South Africa
Responsibilities:
• Establishment and maintenance of an avocado and mango mother block (as part of the Plant Improvement Programme to establish ‘clean’ mother plants)
• Propagation of sub-tropical fruit trees and ornamentals
• marketing, project administration, budgeting and financial control, staff training and development.
1986-1987 Function: Assistant Project Manager
Company: Same as above
Responsibilities:
• maintenance and expansion of an existing sub-tropical fruit tree nursery (avocado, litchi, macadamia nut, coffee, guavas, pawpaw, and granadilla)
• establishment of a citrus and mango nursery for rural development projects.
1981-1985 Function: Propagation Manager
Company: Florist and nursery, South Africa
Responsibilities:
• Propagation & sales of ornamentals for wholesale and retail markets
• Nursery & staff management
• Industrial & domestic landscaping
• Relieving the manager
1979-1981 Function: Assistant Superintendant of Gardens
Company: Department of Community Development, South Africa
Responsibilities:
• First 18 months Pupil Horticulturalist – plant propagation, glass house and nursery practice, ornamental horticulture, pest control, design of gardens, drawing of plans, arboriculture, pruning, plant decorations.
1977 Function: Student Nurseryman
Company: Florists and nursery, South Africa
Responsibilities:
• Propagation and sales of ornamental plants.
Personality:
Our candidate is an optimistic, calm and peaceful person who takes responsibility for his actions and is pro-active. He is a practical person who thinks well ‘outside the box’. He is a man of integrity and will stand up for what he believes in. He believes in being firm on standards and soft on people – no compromise on quality but always being fair and understanding with people. He is a strong family man and enjoys his private time to ‘recharge his batteries’ but has enough experience of running his own nursery, to understand the need to be flexible i.e. if a pump needs to be repaired or a vehicle breaks down, he needs to be available.
Description of the new challenge:
Our candidate has been experiencing some financial strain as his nursery is not developed to a point where it can sustain him and his family. He would like to find an interesting and challenging position in Africa where he can make a difference in the life of a company.