Introducing the new Chairman of the SAGMJ
As General Manager of the SAGMJ I wanted to share a little more about our new Chairman, Carl Wepener. When I asked him to send me a short biography Carl, clearly modest, provided me with information about his love of motoring which was sparked at the tender age of 4 driving old Fordson tractors with his brother. A neighbour scraped the local kids a track of sorts and soon three-wheel Lambretta' s with the roofs cut off, go carts with the Lambretta engines and much more was put through their paces.
As a teenager Carl discovered motorcycles starting with a 50cc but soon upgrading to his first dirt bike, a Suzuki 400cc single cylinder, which saw him competing in off-road racing. He also developed a passion for rallies and would follow the Total Rally in his Peugeot 404 hoping he would be mistaken for a participant! Not to be limited by tyres Carl next discovered motor boats and partook in endurance skiing events and water gymkhanas.
Carl did his national service in the Airforce where he was stationed in Waterkloof, Snake Valley and the Namibia border in the Missile sector. Having mastered 2- and 4-wheels on the ground and boats in the water it was aviation that next caught Carl's attention. The love of flying would be inherited by Carl's son, George, who qualified as a pilot and has a BCom Aviation degree.
Potchefstroom University was Carl's Alma Mater, along with Johan van Zyl and Toby Venter whom he shared Company Law classes with. He completed his CIS diploma and has also completed an MBA degree in Financial Management in America.
In 1980 Carl married Annelize Zeelie, the love of his life. They have 2 children - George and Chanette. Thankfully Annelize didn't mind the approximately 37 cars Carl has owned through the years.
The above information is all Carl provided me with, but I knew there was so much more to him than a passion for cars.
Carl and Annelize are a formidable pair, whether as life partners or business partners. CEO Global is so much more than just CEO Magazine. The Wepner's initiated the Most Influential Women in Business & Government (MIW) Titans - Building Nations, a recognition programme for powerful women and men throughout Africa who are shifting the African landscape for the purpose of sustainable growth and ongoing development of their nations. MIW & Titans - Building Nations, an annual publication, celebrates various organisational successes, focusses on topics like climate change and the carbon footprint and related business practices. Being a publication that is aimed at the top level of business leaders, the magazine enriches even the most experienced leader with high level quality thought leadership articles.
CEO's Africa's Most Influential Women in Business & Government publication which has been a flagship programme in South Africa for many years and was expanded to include women across Africa. Since its inception the awards have grown considerable and enjoy eminence in the marketplace as a credible identifier of women in business and government who are willing to put their influence to work for the benefit of Africa's economy. To reach women across the continent their Road Show grows to new countries in Africa each year.
A final Continental recognition event takes place to elevate the achievements of men and women that have contributed to continental growth, identifying continental winners from the pool of regional winners and lifetime achievers. Nominees are put through a stringent judging process and regional events take place across the continent including a symposium which brings men of influence and their female counterparts together to tackle critical issues.
It would seem that all of the above was still not enough and CEO Global introduced Mentor Me 24/7 7 years ago. This impressive programme is designed to develop young African women to become confident in whichever leadership path they are following. Being mentored by leaders in society will allow these women the unique opportunity to gain all the benefits that a formally structured programme offers. Their Mentors will become their teacher, guide, counsellor, motivator, sponsor, advisor, role model, referral agent and door opener. Thirty candidates (mostly in South Africa but expanding to other African countries) are selected per annum to participate. COVID-19 may have made this process impossible for 2020 but are planning to induct fifty candidates (young men and women) a year from 2021.
Carl is passionate about the upliftment of especially the youth and women in South Africa. Their mentoring programmes as well as their CEO Global Pan African Awards for Most Influential Women in Business and Government and Titans Building Nations have had phenomenal success in South Afric and in the rest of Africa over the last 20 years. Due to the high credibility of the awards and the fact that independent judges, judge nominees through a three-tier programme ensure that nominees are very credible and worthy before an award is bestowed upon them.
Africa is near to the Wepner's hearts and they also own a plot on the Nile River in Uganda. CEO Global has started its Pan African Awards in Africa and have divided the Continent into eight regions. To quote an email from Carl, "The calibre of people, the dedication of the people and the respect they showed us made them realise that Africa should also benefit through all their programmes and thus they have been active in Africa for the past ten years."
Carl Wepener may be modest - but he certainly is not modest when it comes to uplifting of others. We are extremely honoured to have him as our Chairman, we wish him luck for his tenure and look forward to exciting developments under his leadership.
