Minister Marthinus van Schalkwyk, the South African Minister of Tourism, has announced the appointment of Ms Thandiwe Sylvia January-Mclean as the new chief executive officer of South African Tourism (SAT).
Ms January-Mclean is currently the appointed South African Ambassador to Portugal. Her appointment as chief executive officer will be for a term of three years and will commence on 1 January 2010.
“Ms January-McLean’s appointment bodes well for tourism and we are very excited about having her on board at SAT. During her term as ambassador South Africa’s relationship with Portugal has flourished and we have seen significant growth in trade between the two countries and tourism from Portugal to South Africa.
“I am confident that her skills as a consummate manager, her exceptional understanding of the South African brand and her insight into the strategic challenges faced by the tourism industry will serve her well in her new position. Tourism in South Africa has grown with leaps and bounds in the last decade, but the industry also faces many challenges. I am sure Ms January-Mclean will steer SAT ably in order to take advantage of the new opportunities that lie ahead,” Minister van Schalkwyk said.
The Minister also expressed his gratitude to Ms Didi Moyle, the Chief Operating Officer of SAT, who acted as chief executive officer from March 2009. “Ms Moyle did an outstanding job as acting chief executive officer during this very busy period as we build up to the 2010 FIFA Soccer World Cup and it was a privilege to have her at the helm of SAT. I would like to thank her for her dedication and the professionalism with which she led the team at SAT.
“Ms Moyle’s passion for tourism and for South Africa is very evident in the way she approaches her work and I know her enthusiasm and insight was appreciated by all. It is a privilege to be able to continue working with her in her capacity as SAT’s chief operating officer,” the Minister said.
Short biography of Ms Thandiwe Sylvia January-McLean
In July 2005, Ms Thandiwe January-McLean was appointed as South African Ambassador to Portugal. She resides in the Portuguese capital of Lisbon.
Under the leadership of Ambassador January-McLean, the bilateral relationship between Portugal and South Africa grew exponentially. The Ambassador hosted high level delegations to Portugal, including two Presidential and one deputy Presidential, as well as the Speaker of the South African House of Parliament, various Ministers and senior business leaders. These were all hugely successful and led to partnerships and investments.
The ambassador also gave great visibility to South African arts and culture and led two trade delegations to South Africa. Trade relations between the two countries have grown by approximately 45 percent in the past three years.
Before taking up this post, Ambassador January-McLean was Deputy Director-General: arts, culture and language in society in the Department of Arts and Culture. She was also national coordinator of the 10 Years of Freedom Celebrations Presidential project.
Prior to her position at the Department of Arts and Culture, Ambassador January-McLean was the Chief Executive of The United Negro College Fund (UNCF), South Africa. She held this post between 1998 and 2003. She was responsible for managing and directing the Tertiary Education Linkages project (TELP), which is a $25 million project, funded by the United States International Development Agency.
Prior to the UNCF (between 1994 and 1998) she was executive director of the Desmond Tutu Educational Trust where she was responsible for the overall administration of the trust, fundraising, public relations, human resource development and programme implementation. The development of Africa and the harnessing of the relevant international and African resources is a key driving force for Ambassador January-McLean. She is also very passionate about issues of gender and women's empowerment.
Ambassador January-McLean was born in Kimberley, South Africa and is a mother of two daughters. She holds a Bachelors Degree in English and Sociology from the National University of Lesotho (1977) and a Master of Arts from Carleton University, Ottawa Canada (1980). She also holds a diploma in Public Relations and a Diploma in Organisation Development and Strategic Management. She is furthermore a Salzburg Fellow, a prestigious fellowship funded by the Kellogg Foundation for the purpose of strengthening the skills base of individuals in the public sector internationally.
Enquiries:
Natasha N Rockman
Tel: 021 465 7240
Cell: 076 429 2264
Fax: 021 462 5237
E-mail: nrockman@tourism.gov.za
Ronel Bester
Tel: 021 465 7240
Cell: 083 242 7763
E-mail: rbester@tourism.gov.za
Issued by: Department of Tourism
18 November 2009
