PIETER PHILIP FOURIE

(B.Sc. Eng,B.Sc. Eng. Hon,MBA)

Period July 2007 –2012: Own company Ekodesign

Summary of consultancy projects in Civil Engineering, project management and multidisciplinary engineering disciplines:
· Analysis of structural failures and consultation for arbitration.
· Design of concrete and steel grain storage .bins including total infrastructure and project management.
· Structural design of holding bins for animal feed factory.
· Hopper and weighbridge design.
· Feasibility analysis for lucern protein extraction plant.
· Design of peanut dryers and bulk storage (R46million project).
· Design and project management of new concept silo bin (20 000t Capacity).
· Design and construct of new hopper / weighbridge combination.
· Relocation and extension of cotton gin.
· Chicken abattoir.
· Warehouses at different locations.
· Shopping complexes and office buildings.
· Infrastructure for townships.
· Roads.
· Aeration of silo bins and fumigation layouts.
· Grain handling projects from farm to end users.
· Business analysis and presentation for international group.
· Structural design of structures in Mozambique.

Previous experience includes:

Appointments to turn around businesses from a loss to a profitable company. This entailed strategic realignment and restructuring. This has been achieved in the fields of edible oils, animal feeds and in the meat industry.

Memberships:

· Independent Non-Executive Director Companies.
· South African Engineering Council.
· Member SAICE (Institute for Civil Engineers).
· Member on technical advisory committee Grain Handling Organization of South Africa.

KARIN FOURIE

B.Sc (Botany & Chemistry), B.Sc. Hons,M.Sc,Ph.D

Karin spent 15 years in an academic and research environment conducting extensive research on plant metabolism and seed germination. This paved the way for a career in agricultural commodities, initially as Procurement Manager at Continental Oil Mills. The position required an in depth analysis of commodity and economic markets domestically and globally, which was combined with the previously gained knowledge base on seeds, to ensure the optimal procurement of high quality raw materials. Added to this, was the experience gained on senior manager level being involved in strategic decisions and due-diligence studies. This was followed by a stint as Safex Broker on the agricultural products trading desk at Standard Corporate and Merchant Bank, where grains and oilseeds were traded. This experience developed honed the market analysis experience gained at COM and added Safex brokering and trading skills, which were subsequently used to manage personal and private clients’ portfolios. A four-year period spent at the South African Sugar Association added knowledge on soft commodities. Duties included market analysis on sugar and trading futures and exotic options on the InterContinental Exchange (previously New York Board of Trade). The result was a thorough knowledge on trading and handling of agricultural commodities, which prompted another career diversion, i.e. towards the technical aspects of grain handling and she joined Eko Design. The position at Eko Design required a knowledge of structural design software, and thus Autodesk Revit Structure and AutoCAD had to be mastered to provide a complete service to the company and clients.