BOARD OF DIRECTORS AND SHAREHOLDERS
ST HELENA AIRPORT PROJECT
SHAHIEN ISHMAIL
Director and Shareholder
Shahien Ishmail is a professional senior architectural technologist. He is also a professional construction project manager. He has led multidisciplinary projects for the upgrade, repair and maintenance of many government facilities. His work included fishing harbours, prison buildings, hospitals, border control ports of entry, housing projects and warehouses. Shahien excelled in managing the Expanded Public Works Programme, including stakeholder management for consultants, government and local authorities. Shahien also led the professional team for the upgrade of health facilities to attain Ideal Clinics for the National
Department of Health’s NHI pilot projects. This programme value was close to ZAR 1 billion. He also leads enterprise development for small and emerging contractors.
JAC WILSENACH
Director and Shareholder
Jac Wilsenach is a professional engineer with experience in water resources, aircraft refuelling systems and multi-disciplinary infrastructure. He obtained a doctorate in bioprocess engineering from the Technical University of Delft in 2006. His work was published in the fields of environmental microbiology and wastewater treatment. In 2008, his research team was awarded with CSIR’s innovation award for development of acid mine drainage treatment technology. Jac is an expert water and wastewater treatment process engineer. He combines his strong theoretical background with a practical purposefulness to pioneer technical solutions for complex problems. In 2019 he led a team that demonstrated direct reclamation of drinking water from treated wastewater in Gauteng.
Sybil Seoka
Director and Shareholder
Sybil Seoka is a pharmacist who obtained a doctorate from the University of Illinois at Chicago. Sybil provides the Board of Virtual Consulting Engineers with insight on strategic directions, customer liaisons and corporate governance. Sybil also shares her experience of serving on the Boards of many other organisations in various capacities. These include the Board of Trustees of the Professional Provident Society (PPS) Holdings Trust and the SA Association of Hospital Pharmacists. She has served as the Deputy Registrar of Medicines of the National Department of Health and as President of the Pharmaceutical Society of South Africa (PSSA).
JASPER MALAN
Shareholder
Jasper Malan is responsible for Technical Operations at the Pretoria office. He has vast experience in the repair, maintenance and upgrading of buildings, electrical and mechanical installations. He was also responsible for commissioning of water and wastewater treatment processes. Jasper led the repair and maintenance of 36 border control ports of entry, with a total contract value of more than ZAR 750 million. Jasper excels in the implementation of multidisciplinary infrastructure for industrial and building complexes. He was also responsible for repair and backlog maintenance of 283 facilities under the NHI Pilot Programme and seven steam installations at Hospitals in North West. Jasper’s dedication to quality of workmanship ensures uninterrupted performance of infrastructure.
MANAGEMENT
ST HELENA AIRPORT PROJECT
Nazeema Shabodien
Nazeema Shabodien is responsible for Technical Operations at the Cape Town office. She holds a project management qualification as well as a NQF5 in Labour Intensive Construction methods. She has gained several years of management experience in the consulting engineering environment. The body of knowledge gained with this experience allows her to coordinate multidisciplinary work. She renders project and programme support services to staff and manages the Built Environment Support programmes such as National Department of Health’s NHI pilot projects, Empowerment Impact Assessments, Evaluation and Implementation of Empowerment Targets and National Youth Service as part of the Expanded Public Works Programme.
Mike Howell
Mike Howell is the Financial Manager and holds a BCompt in Finance. He has experience in consulting engineering, construction, telecommunications and housing, gained both locally and abroad. At Virtual Consulting Engineers he managed the programme cost for the Department of Public Works’ Expanded Public Works Programme as well as the National Youth Service programme, with the professional team’s combined fees of ZAR 57 million. Mike now drives business processes, such as maintaining an ISO9001:2015 quality management system, in line with the requirements of statutory compliance. His hands-on approach ensures that company strategy is implemented across all support functions, to increase the productivity of technical personnel.
Mukovhe Ratshitanga
Mukovhe Ratshitanga is a professional electrical engineering technologist and the
Technical Coordinator responsible for Electrical and Mechanical disciplines. Mukovhe holds a Master’s Degree from Cape Peninsula University of Technology. He was responsible for design on multidisciplinary engineering projects and construction monitoring in the Western Cape, Gauteng and Limpopo. Mukovhe has experience in medium- and low voltage electrical reticulation, street lighting, and building electrical services. His designs have been implemented to upgrade hospitals, prisons and other building facilities. In the field of water and wastewater treatment processes, he is responsible for instrumentation, automation, motor control and power electronics. He also drives greener technologies through energy efficiency and renewable resources.
Reinard Potgieter
Reinard Potgieter is a professional engineer and the Technical Coordinator responsible for Civil and Structural disciplines. Reinard holds an Honours degree in Water Resources Engineering from the University of Pretoria. He has gained extensive experience in all aspects of civil engineering, through the implementation of projects. He has been involved in all stages, from inception through close-out. His work included construction supervision and contract administration at ERWAT Vlakplaats Wastewater Care Works that included the construction of earth dams to contain emergency overflows, the Rooigrond Prison
Water and Wastewater Treatment Works, as well as water and sanitation at rural schools. Reinard understands storm water hydrology and specialises in the hydraulics of open channel flow and pipe systems.