Grain SA will have a new chief executive officer as of next year. Dr Tobias Doyer will have the mammoth task of leading the maize-led entity to new heights amid the challenges farmers and the commodity are facing in the country.
According to Grain SA chairperson Derek Matthews, Doyer brings a wealth of experience and capabilities to take the organisation forward as a forward-thinking leader.
New leader welcomed
“With a proven track record of driving growth, strategy, and innovation within the agricultural, insurance, and academic sectors, Doyer is well-positioned to lead Grain SA toward a new era of success.
“We are pleased to welcome Dr Tobias Doyer as our new chief executive, his exceptional leadership skills, strategic acumen, and in-depth industry knowledge position him as the ideal choice to lead the Grain SA Group of Entities. We have full confidence in his ability to guide the company towards even greater accomplishments in the future,” Mathews said.
He added that Doyer has played a big role in reshaping the Agricultural Business Chamber (Agbiz) into an independent business representative organisation which has made him the best person to take up the position.
The appointment of Doyer comes after Dr Pieter Taljaard resigned and is headed for Canada where he will be managing a vertically integrated grain and oilseed farm on the eastern border of Saskatchewan.
“It’s been a hard and sad decision, but at this stage of my career, it is the last opportunity given my age to go on an adventure like this. Especially also given that we can experience this as a family together with our two teenage children,” Taljaard said.
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Experience in the agri sector
According to Grain SA, Doyer played a key role in formulating and sharing the vision and identity of the organisation, supported by its diverse stakeholders, including media, politicians, government bodies, farmers’ organisations, and Agbiz members.
“Doyer obtained his PhD in agricultural economics at the University of Pretoria and is a certified director at the Institute of Directors in South Africa. He started his career as a lecturer in agricultural economics at the University of Pretoria.
“He has spent the past 10 years serving among others: As the operations strategy delivery and regional executive for Sanlam’s Pan Africa General Insurance division, overseeing strategy delivery and serving as a director on the boards of Sanlam’s Anglophone Africa businesses. Before that, he lived in Lusaka, Zambia for a few years as Managing Director of the University of Africa in Zambia,” Grain SA said in a statement.
Long road ahead
Doyer said there is more to be done to ensure that the country’s grain industry continue to flourish and it is going to take a positive contribution of the agricultural sector to civil society and South Africa as a whole to make it happen.
“The South African grain, rural and political environment is constantly changing, and we must inspire and make things happen. I am looking forward to my return to the sector and the road ahead,” Doyer said.
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