Employee-owned consulting engineering company Aurecon is moving its transformation process up a gear with the appointment of Portia Derby to the position of Gauteng senior regional director. She is the first black woman appointed to a senior management position involved in the operations of the company.

Derby will be responsible for the leadership and performance of the Johannesburg and Tshwane offices.

She holds a BSc in geology and economics and a BSc (Hon) in economics, all obtained at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, as well as an MBA from the University of the Witwatersrand.

Derby is currently a director at strategic advisory and investment holding company Ubu Investment Holdings, where she has a number of fiscal and fiduciary responsibilities and is responsible for advising on strategy, business development and investment.

Prior to joining Ubu, she was director-general at the Department of Public Enterprises and a strategy and corporate governance consultant at State-owned freight and logistics group Transnet.

She has previously held senior positions at the Department of Trade and Industry, as well as in the private sector. Derby has additionally served as an adviser to Ministers in the then Energy and Mineral Ministry and was actively involved in the drafting of the Mining Charter.

In terms of economic development and innovation, Derby considers herself an Africanist and, through Ubu, has been involved in significant West African infrastructure projects. Her focus will be to grow the company’s business in the context of the broader African continent.

“Derby brings with her a wealth of knowledge and experience that will enable us to secure and expand our market position, not only in South Africa, but throughout the sub-Saharan region,” says Aurecon Africa MD Ferdi Nell.

Moreover, he highlights that her appointment is an expression of the company’s commitment to building a cross-cultural, multidisciplinary and gender equal workforce.

“I believe South Africa’s future depends on innovation. It is only by being flexible and open to new ideas that we are going to be able to build a truly sustainable economy. An industrial economist at heart, for me, fostering innovation in the designing and funding of economic infrastructure is both my mission and my passion,” Derby comments.

Nell emphasises that Derby’s knowledge of government processes and procedures will be a significant asset to the company. He adds that innovation in engineering that helps government to achieve its development goals is going to be an important success factor in both the public and private sectors in the future. “Derby is the perfect person to bridge the gap between the two sectors.”

She is also “extremely capable” when it comes to building strong teams that work across multiple disciplines and sectors. As Aurecon is a company that focuses on bringing ideas to life, her ability to progress projects from concept to implementation will also be a key factor in the company achieving its goals in Gauteng.