PEOPLE - ROBUST GETS TO KNOW SALLY DOWNING AND CLIVE GOVENDER
WHAT CAREER MILESTONES ARE YOU MOST PROUD OF HAVING ACHIEVED?
It was a wonderful achievement to be appointed as Commercial Executive of Murray & Roberts Cementation and to then lead and develop the department into a highly
successful, efficient and skilled team.
This team has become highly respected in the industry amongst clients (both internal and external) and counterparties alike and adds true and tangible value to the business.
WHAT ARE SOME OF THE CHALLENGES YOU FACE IN YOUR CURRENT ROLE?
In the current climate, in which tendering for and winning jobs is challenging, we are faced with a constant balancing act to align commercial risk taking with commercial risk mitigation.
Murray & Roberts Cementation is also concentrating on opportunities outside of the borders of South Africa that bring their own commercial and legal challenges!
WHAT EXCITES YOU ABOUT THE FUTURE IN YOUR INDUSTRY?
I think Murray & Roberts Cementation is particularly well placed to win work and to take full advantage of opportunities, even more so when the industry starts to climb out of the current downturn.
WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR INTERESTS OUTSIDE OF THE OFFICE?
I have a young family and love to spend time with them over the weekends – rushing around from sporting events to birthday parties. I love to travel and in my spare time I read and play guitar.
WHAT IS THE BEST PIECE OF CAREER ADVICE YOU’VE RECEIVED?
No one will do it for you.
WHAT WOULD PEOPLE BE SURPRISED TO KNOW ABOUT YOU?
I summited Kilimanjaro.
WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST JOB?
I was a linguistics tutor at university..
WHAT WAS YOUR CAREER JOURNEY TO WHERE YOU ARE NOW AT MURRAY & ROBERTS?
Having studied law, I started my career as a practicing attorney specialising in dispute resolution and commercial work. After a few years I decided to join the corporate world and worked for Steinhoff International as Group Legal Advisor where I headed up the legal department for the Unitrans Group of companies
.
In 2010 I joined Murray & Roberts Cementation.
WHERE DID YOU GROW UP?
I grew up in Port Shepstone and spent almost every weekend on the beach!
WHAT CAREER MILESTONES ARE YOU MOST PROUD OF HAVING ACHIEVED?
I was promoted to General Manager for Supply Chain which gave me exposure to a greater scope of business.
I also established a sourcing, warehousing and assembly facility in China. I am also proud of having been promoted from Supply Chain Executive to Operations Director.
WHAT ARE SOME OF THE CHALLENGES YOU FACE IN YOUR CURRENT ROLE?
My personal challenge is to quickly develop an understanding of the industry and our strengths and weakness.
The other is to energise our teams to constantly identify the opportunities to unlock value within the supply chain. This will require us to re-evaluate the way we do things and will result in the challenge of managing change.
WHAT EXCITES YOU ABOUT THE FUTURE IN YOUR INDUSTRY?
Our industry has many opportunities if you consider the developmental requirements in Africa and it has a critical role to play in uplifting communities.
It is exciting to know that not only do we impact those that are directly involved but have an opportunity to positively impact society as a whole.
WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR INTERESTS OUTSIDE OF THE OFFICE?
I enjoy being active – running, golf, cycling and being outdoors in general. I also enjoy travelling and experiencing different cultures.
WHAT IS THE BEST PIECE OF CAREER ADVICE YOU’VE RECEIVED?
Set ambitious goals and fail often but fail quickly in order to
achieve this.
WHAT WOULD PEOPLE BE SURPRISED TO KNOW ABOUT YOU?
I have an extreme fear of sharks and snakes!
WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST JOB?
Sales Assistant at Edgars.
WHAT WAS YOUR CAREER JOURNEY TO WHERE YOU ARE NOW AT MURRAY & ROBERTS?
I started my career as a Product Controller at Federal Mogul Aftermarket and four years later moved to Automotive Leather Company as a Logistic Co-ordinator.
I then moved back to Federal Mogul as the Procurement Manager and was later promoted to General Manager Supply Chain. After a few years I joined their Global PMO team responsible for strategy alignment within EMEA operations.
My next move was to TecsaReco as their Supply Chain Executive and was promoted to Operations director after a year.
WHERE DID YOU GROW UP?
I grew up in Wyebank, a small suburb in KZN.
