JUDI NWOKEDI APPOINTED TOURVEST COO

Black-owned and global integrated tourism company Tourvest has appointed Judi Nwokedi as chief operating officer and executive member of the board with effect from 1 February 2014.

Nwokedi was the managing director of public broadcasting at the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) between 2001 and 2005, during which time she led a media portfolio comprising fifteen radio and two television stations. She is known for her business re-engineering acumen and innovative product development, and it was during her time at the SABC that the state broadcaster enjoyed unprecedented success in terms of viewership figures and advertising revenues.

Nwokedi is a past chief executive of Motorola Sub-Saharan Africa and a former senior vice-president of AREVA in South Africa, the French multi-national conglomerate focused on nuclear and other carbon-free power generation solutions. She sits on the boards of the South African Nuclear New Business Consortium and the Consolidated Infrastructure Group. Nwokedi chairs the AIDS Consortium and the International Women’s Forum South Africa’s Global Business Connect sub-committee.

In welcoming her to Tourvest, chairman Robert Gumede said that he looked forward to the fresh perspective Nwokedi will bring to the board’s deliberations. “Judi is a highly respected leader with global business networks and values strongly aligned to those of Tourvest. We believe she can unlock considerable value for the company as it starts its next growth phase, Gumede said.

Group chief executive Tommy Edmond said Nwokedi is an inspirational leader and that her appointment will have a transformational impact in the company’s operations. She will drive our expansion into Africa and the BRICS countries and, among other, things lead our stakeholder engagements, Edmond said.