WINDHOEK – State-owned rail enterprise TransNamib’s chief executive officer (CEO) Johny Smith has been honoured with the Lifetime Achiever award for SADC South 2019/20 at the Pan-African Awards ceremony hosted by Titans last month in Johannesburg, South Africa. The award is focused at celebrating excellence in organizations and in recognition of achievements as a lifetime achiever. This is not the first time that Smith has received such accolade. In 2016, he was named Africa’s Transport Leader of the year and in 2014 he was named Africa’s Logistics CEO of the year. The award came after a competitive vetting process. The programme covers various economic sectors and has for close to two decades independently recognized leaders who are at the pinnacle of their industry.
Under the Titans, Smith was recognized for his outstanding achievements in SADC as he has significantly contributed to the transformation of the transport and logistics sector with special emphasis on building transport corridors and positioning Namibia as a logistics hub.
His career and life journey is an embodiment of an individual who has generously and selflessly shared his knowledge and skills to make a difference in this sector and the lives of other people in Africa at large.
The Africa Awards incorporate a range of solutions that match individual purpose with organisational goals, creating value in the process.
As CEO of TransNamib, Smith has been given the mammoth task to transform and reposition the national rail service operator. The chief executive of CEO Global, Annelize Wepener, presented the award to Smith amidst applause from the audience comprising influential personalities in the public and private sectors. Receiving the award, Smith said: “One of the characteristics of an astute leader that I have learned is that you must have the vision to see far ahead.”