CAPE TOWN – International manufacturer, distributor and retailer of energy storage solutions and automotive components, Metair, on Tuesday announced the appointment of Riaz Haffejee as the new chief executive of the Group with effect from February 1, 2021, succeeding outgoing CEO Theo Loock.
Metair said in a statement that the board began the search for a new CEO in mid-2020 following Loock’s decision to take early retirement.
Loock will remain a consultant to the Group and its subsidiaries for a period of two years, to ensure a seamless hand over to the new CEO, continuity with the implementation of the Covid-19 recovery plan and to facilitate the smooth transition of relationships with key customers, technical partners and other stakeholders.
Metair Chairman, Brand Pretorius said the process to identify the right calibre candidate with the required specialised industry expertise was thorough with both internal and external applicants considered for the role.
“We are pleased to have secured Haffejee as the new Metair CEO, whose knowledge and experience of the automotive sector will serve the Group well. On behalf of the Metair Board, I welcome Haffejee and look forward to his contribution to drive the Group forward,” he said.
Haffejee serves as the CEO of Sumitomo Rubber South Africa, a division of the Japanese listed company, Sumitomo Rubber Industries, where he holds an executive officer position as well as being the chairperson of its Middle Eastern subsidiary SRME.
Sumitomo Dunlop is responsible for the manufacturing and distribution of Dunlop, Falken and Sumitomo tyres in sub-Saharan Africa, including supply to Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs).
Prior to this, he was an executive at Vodacom Business from 2008 to 2012 and held a number of senior managerial positions at BMW South Africa between 1996 and 2008. His responsibilities there included process and planning at Plant Rosslyn, national service quality, corporate and government sales and customer relationship management.
Haffejee is currently an executive member of both the component industry body, Naacam and the Durban Auto Cluster as well as a director in the tyre industry body, SATMC. He holds an MBA in Customer Loyalty, a postgraduate Diploma in Business Management, and a BSc in Mechanical Engineering.
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