In order to maintain independent and unbiased judging of the Eco-Logic Awards, The Enviropaedia appoints a panel of 12 independent, highly respected, environmentally conscious executives from a diverse range of occupations and professions to judge the Eco-Logic Award entries using 7 criteria that are the ‘V.I.R.T.U.E.S’ of Eco-Logic.
In 2017, the Judging panel consisted of:
Christy Borman
Christy Borman is the editor of EarthWorks magazine, South Africa’s only magazine dedicated entirely to sustainability in the built environment. She specialised in journalism and media studies at Rhodes University and started her career in journalism at a popular engineering publication, which is where her interest in green industries took root some ten years ago. Over the years she has developed a keen sense for critical thinking about all matters related to the very broad topics of sustainability and the environment. She enjoys being able to celebrate and spread the word about people, projects and products that are truly making a difference in this regard.
Rob Collins
Rob was born and educated in Johannesburg. After graduating from Wits University, and doing his stint in the Navy, Rob became legal advisor for Inland Revenue and thereafter joined Deloitte and Touche where he practiced as a tax lawyer, to partner status. In 1993, Rob changed careers and moved into the entertainment, leisure and lifestyle sector heading up the largest Cinema Group. He was also Chairman of Walt Disney, 20th Century Fox and Columbia in Africa, sitting on the World Wide Strategic Committee. In 2000 he took up the challenge of joining one of South Africa’s largest black empowerment companies as Chief Executive Officer MGM Grand SA and later as Chief Operating Officer of Tsogo Sun Gaming, and in 2006 was appointed as Managing Director of Tsogo Sun Gaming.
Today Rob’s role is that of Group Chief Strategy & Operations Officer for Sun International.
Yolan Friedmann
Yolan is the CEP of the Endangered Wildlife Trust, one of the largest conservation NGOs in southern Africa. Yolan’s academic qualifications and senior role in many local and international institutions are too many to list in full, however as an indication of how well respected her work and thought leadership is, Yolan is a Director of the Institute of Directors SA, the first female recipient of the SAB Nick Steele environmentalist of the Year Award, the winner of the CEO Most Influential Woman in Business and Environment Award in the Environmental Category, recipient of the 2012 Green Globe Award, a member of the Golden Key International Honour Society, an Advisory Committee member of the South African chapter of the United Nations Global Compact and was a Regional Councillor on the IUCN Council for 4 years.
Sanusha Govender
Sanusha Govender focuses on Environment & Development with over 11 years of experience in the industry. She started her career as project consultant managing Environmental Impact Assessments, Environmental Management Plans, Local and Provincial Integrated Hazardous Waste Management Guidelines. She particularly enjoyed and has developed policy documents, municipal waste bylaws, waste and environmental policy. Her interests evolved intrinsically to sustainable corporate management. She is currently employed as the Sustainability Group Manager at Santam.
Kevin James
Kevin James is a speaker, debater and radio personality regarding all aspects of sustainability and climate change. He is the Founder and Head of Strategy at Global Carbon Exchange, a leading South African corporate sustainability company and has worked alongside the largest and most complex organisations in South Africa. On the back of his extensive and diverse experience across the sustainability lifecycle he brings an extremely strategic, yet pragmatic perspective. His vision is to shift organisations and communities toward a cleaner and smarter future. Concepts such as integrated, whole system design and bio-mimicry are at the forefront of his strategic thinking and applications in practice. Kevin offers diverse insight into processes that businesses have undergone in order to become more energy efficient and offset their pollution foot print.
Africa Melane
Africa Melane is the host of the Weekend Breakfast Show on CapeTalk. In this role, he has interviewed leading personalities, business leaders, politicians, thought leaders, community activists and religious leaders from both South Africa and abroad. His real joy is derived from engaging with fellow South Africans on matters that are important to them. He is also an ambassador for LeadSA, an initiative of Primedia Broadcasting and Independent Newspapers. As a LeadSA ambassador, he has crossed paths with outstanding South Africans who, in their own way, are making a difference to the communities they live in. Africa Melane studied accounting at the University of Cape Town, completed his articles at PwC and went on to teach a professional development course at the Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of Cape Town. He is the chairperson of MODILA, a trust that offers educational programmes that raise awareness, trains and inspires the public in areas of design, innovation, entrepreneurship and art studies. He also serves on the board of Cape Town Opera and is on the panel of judges for the Fleur du Cap Theatre Awards.
Charles Moore
Charles Moore is an award-winning environmental filmmaker producing documentaries and television inserts for local and international TV networks. He has been the Series Producer on the SABC2 environmental programme 50|50, the producer of a series on the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development as well the COPPUCINO series of interviews at COP17 for the Cambridge University of Sustainability Leadership.
Zaitoon Rabaney
Zaitoon Rabaney is the Executive Director of the Botanical Society of South Africa (BotSoc). She has a 20 year history with the BotSoc. She studied Social Work at the UWC with Social work and Psychology as majors. She has undertaken various executive development courses the past few years which include strategy, business and risk management, monitoring and evaluation and various other courses. Zaitoon‘s past experiences includes working as a social worker in the fields of the courts, probation work, the aged communities as well as school social work and engaging local communities. She supports environmental causes, women and children issues as well as education. She cares about people and enjoys connecting people with causes and management of stakeholder relationships. The environment is the business of all people!
Tlou Ramaru
Mr Tlou Ramaru is the Chief Policy Advisor: Sustainable Development in the Department of Environmental Affairs. His responsibilities entail management of South Africa’s negotiations on sustainable development and environmental sector trade in the relevant multi-lateral fora and partnerships. Management of national and international engagement in sustainable development and environmental sector trade programmes. Coordination and implementation of National Strategy for Sustainable Development and Action Plan (NSSD) and the Environment Sector science policy interface framework. Management of the development of the state of environment reports and indicators and provide the Department with state of environment strategic and technical support. Manage the coordination and facilitation of the implementation of the national Greening Programme, sector green economy actions, the national green fund. Mr Ramaru was a technical leader for South Africa during the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20) and represents South Africa in the Friends of Para 47 Group which advocate for sustainability reporting.
Ndvihuho Raphulu
Ndivhuho Raphulu heads up the National Cleaner Production Centre of South Africa (NCPC-SA), the resource efficiency and cleaner production programme of the Department of Trade and Industry (the DTI), hosted by the CSIR, with offices in Pretoria, Cape Town and Durban. He oversees the NCPC-SA’s efforts to promote the implementation of Resource Efficient and Cleaner Production (RECP) methodologies to assist industry to lower costs through reduced energy, water and materials usage, and waste management. Ndivhuho holds degrees in Environmental Science, Environmental Management and Developmental Studies. Prior to joining NCPC-SA he was Senior Sustainability Advisor at national power utility, Eskom. He plays a leading role in various national forums as well as on the continent and internationally, and is currently President of the African Roundtable on Sustainable Consumption and Production (ARSCP), and Chairman of the EU and African Union Partnership on Sustainable Consumption and Production. He also co-chairs the Steering Committee of the African Regional Eco-labelling Project, and serves on the Executive Committee of RECPnet, the worldwide UNIDO and UNEP resource efficiency and cleaner production forum. He is non-executive director of various social and sporting organisations, a trustee of Desmond Tutu Diversity Trust and founder and member of the board of trustees of the Proclaiming Life Church in Centurion.
Catherine Ritchie
Catherine has held the position of Marketing & Communications Manager at WESSA for more than seven years, where her role is to promote the organisation’s key programmes, namely the international eco-labels of Eco-Schools, Blue Flag and Green Key, as well as WESSA’s environmental work skills training and ecological infrastructure and sustainability projects. Through her work she has developed a broad insight into South Africa’s environmental conservation landscape and the associated socio-economic complexities. She is passionate about South Africa’s rich, diverse natural heritage and about engaging with a wide audience to communicate conservation success stories.
Anthony Stroebel
Anthony Stroebel has been the Group Marketing Director for Pam Golding Properties (Pty) Ltd since 2000. He is currently responsible for integrating a ‘green agenda’ into the future of Residential property in South Africa, this as a brand dimension of the Pam Golding brand. His vision is to drive green consciousness in the domestic environment, thereby facilitating the inclusion of green credentials in the valuation of residential property. He schooled at Woodridge College in Port Elizabeth and currently holds a degree in Bachelor of Commerce (UCT), as well as Diplomas in Public Relations and Marketing (Damelin College).