Picture this. You’ve spent 17 years in senior positions at the National Treasury, reporting to people whose integrity the world respects – Trevor Manuel, Pravin Gordhan and Nhlanhla Nene. Then one day your boss is fired, replaced by a person whose profile is so low nobody knows his real name. Next, your new boss arrives with two “advisors” whose qualifications wouldn’t have gotten them an interview at Treasury, much leapfrogged into a post above you.
That’s what respected Treasury Director General Lungisa Fuzile experienced in early December. No wonder he threatened to resign over what his team call “9/12” in reference to the US crisis of 9/11. Courtesy of Africa Confidential, we published the names of the two advisors yesterday. One of them is Ian Whitley.
A matriculant from Reiger Park Secondary School, Whitley spent 14 years at Standard Bank and five years at Absa as a mid-level banker. His last two years in the sector was at African Bank which he left last May by mutual agreement. In his Linkedin profile, job-seeking Whitley tells prospective employers he “is willing to pursue a postgraduate business diploma…provided this adds more value to the organisation’s needs.”
A former colleague at African Bank burst out laughing when told Whitley is now a well paid advisor to “weekend special” Minister of Finance David van Rooyen. Africa Confidential says Whitley qualifies because he is a “Gupta ally”. That’s one of the few things that makes sense in the whole sorry Nenegate saga. Because, surely, his sudden elevation wouldn’t have anything to do with his being married to a daughter of ANC “Top Six” member Jesse Duarte.
How Ian Whitley’s describes himself in his LinkedIn profile:
Ian has been privileged through great leaders to acquired skills in the financial industry which he would like to further develop and benefit the industries where these skills are requires.
Ian built his career around the financial services industry and completed his Bachelor of Commerce Degree in Marketing and Economics through UNISA. He is willing to pursue a postgraduate business Diploma such as the MBA or MBL provided this adds more value to the organisation’s needs. To date Ian valued and gained his experience whilst in the business and have the know-how associated with the MBA. Ian was employed for 14 years with Standard Bank and 5 years with ABSA where he accomplished various awards as a top performer and worked in various Functional and Strategic roles enjoying excellent growth and success.
At Absa Ian was part of the executive management team, able to manage specialists and ensure strategy was developed and implemented for sustainable profitability. His latest roles at African Bank was to pilot and implement large emerging growth opportunities which the bank could later include in its core business. These included Savings and Investments, inputs into the insurance thinking and building a SME banking capability which would open up new markets and enhance the vision of improving the lives of ordinary South Africans through credit led propositions.
By nature, Ian is a community builder that enjoys diversity and a challenging position where he can use the skills he acquired over the years adding the necessary value to the business and all stakeholders associated with this organisation. Ian is a dynamic big picture thinker preferring a range of challenges, driven by implementation of sustainable strategies, ambitious, a fast learner with good business etiquette and keen to empower others wanting to achieve greatness.
PowerFM DJ Tim Modise spoke to Biznews.com founder Alec Hogg about the two ‘advisors’ that nearly took over SA Treasury.
