Event organiser Kinetic has confirmed that industry-giant Performanta has signed on as platinum sponsors for this year’s anticipated 6th edition of their successful flagship event; the IT Leaders Africa Summit.

The event, taking place from 18 - 19 March 2015 at The Maslow Hotel in Johannesburg, is set to go beyond your usual routine business conference, evolving to deliver on a more exciting, topical, trendy and current platform, utilising both the latest technologies coupled with the latest in conference trends internationally.

Together with Performanta, the event aims to deliver an expert-lead agenda that features an educational conference program backed by the latest in technology workshops and demonstrations. 

Performanta’s workshop; Safeguard your organisation now, your wallet will thank you later; focuses on measuring your organisation against the industry on 10 information security and privacy measures, derived from real-world assessments.

Performanta Consulting was established by Anthony Olivier 4 years ago, aligning information security consulting services to the Performanta Technology & Services stable. Performanta Consulting has provided services to primary South African banks, insurance companies, brokers, mining companies, service and retail organisations. Their key differentiator: senior, qualified, experienced consultants, integrated frameworks and fair pricing. Furthermore, the team has assisted in addressing security problems in seventeen African countries and has a thorough understanding of the continental landscape.

As thought-leaders in the industry, they are amongst the most active South African participants in industry conferences, blogs and podcasts.An expert-led advisory panel will lead the summit with industry giants Robert Sussman, co-founder and joint-CEO of Integr8; Hugo Timmerman, Head of IT Southern Africa at British American Tobacco; and Tunde Coker, MD of Rack Centre (A Jagal Group Company).

The event also features over 35 speakers, keynotes, panel discussions and numerous educational workshop sessions hosted by key industry providers, all sessions led by some of today’s most notable individuals who are shaping the IT landscape in South Africa and beyond.

Speakers, just to name a few, include; David Visser, CIO of Coca-Cola Southern Africa; Anthony Hlungwane, Group IT Director of Mr Price Group; Sal Laher, CIO Eskom; Rocky Gwewera, Global Head of Infrastructure Architecture at Sasol; Stephan Ekbergh, CEO and founder of Travelstart; and Sunil Joshi, MD and CEO of Neotel.

Some sponsors and partners include; Telkom Business, HP, Performanta and Blue Coat Systems, SITA, Airwatch, Kofax, Dimension Data, Neotel, Meso Systems, Sage Pastel Accounting and ERP Africa, and Blackberry.

For more information on the event to register to attend or to sponsor, visit www.itleaders.co.za or contact the event organisers Kinetic on +27 21 180 4700.Follow the event and stay up to date on Twitter. @ITLeadersAfrica and join in on the conversation using #ITLAfrica.

With a little over a month left to reserve your seat for the Trade Finance Conference 2014, diarise 5 & 6 November where you will have the opportunity to network with decision makers in the trade finance field.

Hosted by Trade Conferences International, at Focus Rooms, Sunninghill, Johannesburg; trade finance experts will be sharing their insights and knowledge on the newest developments and advancements in the industry at the Trade Finance Conference 2014.Take advantage of this favorable opportunity to build lasting business connections and be in the know on the latest regarding trade finance.

A look at the expert speaker panel addressing the Trade Finance Conference 2014
• Harry Kaplan – Chief Executive Officer, American Trade & Finance Company
• Paul Masemola – Managing Director, MiSEC Advisory
• Robert Brine – Risk Lead, IQ Business Group
• Michael Shackleton – Senior Legal Executive, Credit Intel
• Francois Visagie – Head: Structured Trade and Commodity Finance, Absa Capital
• Richard Harvey – Seasoned Trade Finance Structurer and Deal Maker in Southern Africa, First National Bank
• Vanessa Miller – Managing Director, VM Consulting
• Yusuf Ali Khan- Trade Head for Africa, CitiBank
• Tsepo Tsotetsi – Documentary Trade Product Manager – Africa division, Standard Bank
• Graham Megaw – Head: International Banking Finance and Operations Support Services, Bidvest Bank
• Meluleki Nzimande – Partner in International Trade, Webber Wentzel
• Lodewyk Meyer – Director, Norton Rose Fulbright

“Attending the conference will be a great opportunity to network and build industry contacts,” says project manager of the conference Jason Joseph, “while getting a global view on trade finance.”

Email Jason to get more inside scoop on the event. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or visit www.tci-sa.co.za to receive the registration form which can be electronically completed and submitted. There are group booking discounts available! Call 011 803 1553 to find out more.

Website: www.tci-sa.co.za/unlocking-south-africas-international-trade-finance-potential

This month, South African industry heavyweights are making their way to the heart of the Zambian mining region to be part of the Copperbelt Mining Trade Expo and Conference (CBM-TEC) - Zambia's premier networking event for international and regional companies that operate within the country's highly-lucrative Copperbelt region, being hosted in Kitwe on 28 and 29 April 2014.

Joining over 80 exhibitors at the conference this year is IWC - South African leaders in cooling towers and cooling solutions in Africa offering fully integrated solutions, from cooling towers to glass-reinforced plastic (GRP) manufacturing and plate heat exchangers (PHE) supplied by SONDEX. The company’s range of products are packaged cooling towers, large field erected cooling towers and natural draught cooling towers. The company also provides refurbishment services thereof.

IWC’s keen interest to explore the possibilities of Zambia’s mining industry is not without good reason. The dynamic industrial growth and recent accessibility of the Zambian Copperbelt region means new opportunities for business.

Company MD Roger Rusch says, “Zambia is of strategic importance to the Southern African mining sector. With the steady flow of investments, the copper mining industry is growing at a rapid rate and we are keen to be a part of this emerging market.”

Zambia has a mining history spanning over ninety years. In the late 1960s, the country was ranked as the world’s third largest copper producer, after the United States and the former Soviet Union. Currently, Zambia is the largest copper producer in Africa and the seventh largest copper producer in the world.

After a successive slump in output over the past few years, the Zambian copper mining industry had a marked rebound in 2013. The country managed a strong growth rate of 6.5 % in 2013, supported by a 20% rise in copper output in 2012. This trend is set to continue and copper output is projected to reach 1.5 million tonnes by 2015, largely due to investment in new mines and the expansion of capacity at existing plants. Robust international copper prices will provide additional stimulus to mining.

The combination of a stable regulatory environment, responsible corporations, and the right technical skills has been the main attraction for investors from across the globe. Zambia now ranks No. 83 out of 189 countries on the World Bank’s Ease of Doing Business index, benchmarked to June 2013.

When asked what IWC can offer to the Zambian mining industry, company MD Roger Rusch explains that IWC specialises in the design and manufacture of cooling towers and fibreglass products e.g. tanks, piping and process vessels that are used extensively in the mining and metals processing industry in Zambia. “We are well prepared to meet Zambia’s mining-industry specific demands,” says Rusch.

IWC has recently launched a fibreglass production facility. This facility is capable of constructing large diameter tanks, pressure vessels, piping and ducting of all vital components in the mining process and has recently supplied large capacity fibreglass filter vessels to FQML (Kansanshi) as well as large diameter dampers to Mopani Copper Mines Plc for the Converter and Acid Plant project.

The dampers that were supplied are in addition to the two large mechanical draft cooling towers IWC provided, one for the gas plant and another for the acid plant. IWC has a proud association with the Zambian copper industry having previously undertaken work for KCM, Mopani and FQML.

IWC also offers a range of heat exchanger solutions covering the easiest to the most challenging applications. Additionally the company operates a state of the art service centre for the servicing and cleaning of plate heat exchangers. IWC are able to provide a comprehensive range of replacement gaskets and plates for most brands and models of plate heat exchanger.

Participating in CBM-TEC 2014 gives IWC the opportunity to make contact with new clients and potential future partners. “We look forward to delivering solutions to ensure optimal efficiency and quality in the mining operations in Zambia,” says Rusch.

[Pressportal.co.za] The Paramount Group and Mahindra Defence Systems of India sign an exclusive global alliance agreement to develop and market defence solutions internationally.