By Alec Hogg
The very first edition of Biznews, on August 3, 2013, included a fascinating article on how the South American nation of Uruguay was busy breaking many moulds. My interest was sparked by pictures of its President’s car, an old VW Beetle, and its Parliament’s ground-breaking decision to fight the drug trade by legalising marijuana.
So I asked an old friend to help. Monica Singer, the Uruguayan-born CEO of Strate, duly obliged, earning herself a permanent place in Biznews’s history. Monica is special. Under her leadership, Strate efficiently dematerialised South African share ownership, making electronic settlement possible and affording Strate international recognition as one of the best in the world.
A vivacious chartered accountant, Monica attracted attention from many corporate suitors, both within and outside SA. But instead of following the bright lights or big bucks, for almost two decades she gave the most productive years of her life to building her pocket of excellence. She turns 57 in November.
Yesterday Strate announced with admirable honesty that its respected CEO would be leaving at the end of the month “to fulfil her dream of living in Cape Town”. That’s quite a tribute to the magnetic attraction of the Mother City. Hopefully she’ll soon return to her keyboard. It’s been too long since her last contribution.
