Company Announcement - Yokogawa is proud to announce that Vinesh Maharaj, Sales and Marketing Director for Yokogawa South Africa, Angola and African Anglophone Region has been awarded Industry Personality of the Year for 2015. The Award ceremony took place recently at the Dome in Johannesburg as the culminating event of the successful Africa Automation Fair 2015 from 5 to 7 May 2015, which drew a record number of over 4,200 local and international visitors.

Vinesh was one of 5 deserving candidates for the award including Dave Wibberley, Managing Director of Adroit Technologies, Robert Wright, Managing Director of RJ Connect, Pregs Naidoo, Technical Sales Director for Afrilek Automation and Chris Yelland, Managing Director of EE Publishers.

Vinesh studied BSc Electronic Engineering at the University of Natal and later went on to complete an MBA in Strategic Financial Management. He joined the SAIMC in June 2006 as a member of the Durban Branch and was requested to join the Committee later that same year. He was elected Vice-Chairman of Durban Branch Committee in 2007 and assisted the branch in ensuring regular technology evenings took place.  In 2008 he was elected Chairman of Durban and championed the re-opening of the Richards Bay Branch later in 2008. Under his leadership the Durban Branch won the Branch of the Year Award 2008 from the SAIMC, the first time in over 20 years.

Vinesh was elected to the SAIMC National Council in 2010 and began sowing the seeds of change amongst fellow councilors. He was elected Vice-President in 2012 and took over responsibility of the Innovations Committee, whose objective was to focus on the future of the SAIMC. The ideas of rebranding the SAIMC and revamping the website were all borne out of this committee. In 2013 he was elected as President of SAIMC and spearheaded the re-branding and re-positioning of the organisation to appeal to the youth while presenting a greater value proposition to the Control and Instrumentation Industry in Southern Africa.

Vinesh has thus far accomplished many initiatives in growing the industry. He was involved in a campaign to gain financial support for various youth focused initiatives such as the Tshwane University of Technology, FTC programme, by providing R100 000 in seed funding for the start-up of the competition in South Africa. The University of Pretoria also approached the SAIMC for funding the renovations of the Automation Laboratory for third year students. A sponsorship of R200 000 has resulted in the new laboratory being named after the SAIMC, resulting in long-term visibility with students for the SAIMC. Vinesh was instrumental in securing SAIMC involvement in the Electrical Engineering group of the inaugural Thought Leadership Forum in 2013. This forum still continues with representation from the SAIMC.

Vinesh also assisted on the SAIMC/IIG Team for the rebranding and conceptualisation of the Africa Automation Fair 2015, the new face of The Process Expo Africa. He assisted the SAIMC Council in creating a SABS Technical Committee for Control and Instrumentation which resulted in the creation of SABS TC165 within six months. TC165 is dedicated to Automation and Control, for the first time in the history of South Africa resulting in the Control and Instrumentation fraternity having its own voice at SABS and no-longer falling under the broad electrical engineering category. Vinesh is also campaigning to have Control and Instrumentation Engineering recognised as the tenth discipline by ECSA.

Outside of the industry, Vinesh is the Chairperson of the Midrand Branch for Food For Life, a food relief charity feeding orphans and disabled children in Tembisa.