Capital Equipment News June 2017

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CAPITAL EQUIPMENT NEWS JUNE 2017 18
BUSINESS
USHERING
IN A NEW ERA
A new executive team at Metso Southern Africa has an end-to end focus on its
business, all the way from human capital through to sales and operations, but
understanding its customers’ businesses and provision of unparalleled service
rank highly among its key focus areas, writes Munesu Shoko.
As part of Metso’s global focus on
its human capital, a new executive
team has recently taken the reins at
Metso Southern Africa. Comprising five key
personnel, the young and dynamic executive
team brings a whole new perspective
and renewed energy to the business. It
comprises Julian Palliam, Administrative
Managing Director; Steve Clark, Director,
Africa Market Area; Carmen Theron, Head
of Human Resources; Mikhail Kirienko,
Vice-President – Operations Africa; and
Qasim Abrahams, Vice-President – Sales
& Service Southern Africa.
In a recent exclusive interview with
Capital Equipment News, Kirienko and
Abrahams reiterated that while there
are possible challenges associated with
having a new team at the helm, the scope
to establish a high-performing organisation
is much higher, especially considering the
experience the whole team brings to the
table, complemented by renewed energy
from the frontline to the back office.
From a sales perspective, which is
obviously a huge driver of growth for
any business, Abrahams brings a wealth
of knowledge of the African market
from his previous engineering, sales
and management roles. A mechanical
engineer by profession, he started his
career as a design engineer in the offshore
mining sector where he was involved in
design engineering, quality control and
commissioning.
Abrahams joins Metso from ABB where
he held several roles from business
development through to head of sales and
head of business unit during his tenure
Operational excellence is a huge focus for Metso
Southern Africa this year.