Modern Quarrying July-August 2017

AROUND THE INDUSTRY

SRK achieves Top Five status SRK Consulting SA has been rated in the top five companies in South Africa’s consulting engineering (mining and infrastructure) segment in the recent Top 500 Companies Awards. The awards survey over 3 000 busi- nesses and honour those who excel in their sectors in terms of best practice standards as well as implementing strong social, empowerment and development policies. Conducted by Topco Media and the University of Cape Town’s Development Policy Research Unit, the survey singles out the five top firms in each of 100 different economic segments; the top 500 compa- nies currently have a collective turnover of R3,5-trillion. “Being ranked so highly among peers was gratifying and humbling,” says SRK MD Vis Reddy. “We are certainly known as inno- vators and perfectionists in our efforts to create value for our clients’ businesses, and we work hard to stay at the cutting edge of what is an increasingly competitive and demanding field. It is also vital that business promotes equity and social transformation, so it is fitting that the awards recognise this in their adjudication.” As a leading school in the field of rock engineering, the Wits School of Mining Engineering has recently appointed Professor Rudrajit Mitra as Centennial Chair of Rock Engineering. Mitra joins Wits from the University of New South Wales (UNSW) in Sydney, Australia, where his position included Director of Undergraduate Studies in the School of Mining Engineering since 2012. Previous holders of the Chair include well-known local experts in the field such as Professor Dick Stacey and Professor Nielen van der Merwe. According to the Head of the Wits School of Mining Engineering Professor Cuthbert Musingwini: “The Chair has been vacant for two years before the appointment of Professor Mitra, because we needed to make the right appointment.” The Chair is supported by the Centennial Trust, estab- lished by the school in its centenary year of 1996. The research activities of the Chair are supported by a 2014 donation of R1,9-million by global miner Gold Fields. www.wits.ac.za/miningeng The Top 500 Awards consider employ- ment profiles and diversity in management and control, as well as commitment to corporate social investment, employment New rock engineering chair for Wits

equity and skill development. As an inde- pendent network of consulting engineers and scientists, SRK is owned and managed by its staff and invests significantly in foster- ing talent in a culture of excellence. www.srk.co.za

SRK managing director Vis Reddy.

The Wits School of Mining Engineering’s Centennial Chair of Rock Engineering, Professor Rudrajit Mitra.

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MODERN QUARRYING July - August 2017