Excitement is building as the winners of the Exporters Eastern Cape’s 2023 Exporter of the Year Awards will be announced in just a few weeks’ time.

In its 28th year, the Exporter of the Year Awards is hosted annually by Exporters Eastern Cape to acknowledge the achievements of the province’s exporters and related industries in the value chain.

This year’s gala banquet, where the winners will be announced and celebrated, takes place on Friday, October 20 at The Sun Boardwalk Hotel and International Convention Centre.

Exporters Eastern Cape Chairman Quintin Levey said the theme for the evening will be futuristic, as exporters look ahead to the opportunities and growth on the horizon in the province.

“With a trending focus on e-mobility and AI affecting many of our industries, we look to a bright future of adapting to the latest technologies to continue putting the region on the map in terms of exporting and providing world-quality products and services. Exporters play a significant role in the Eastern Cape economy and these awards serve as a platform to acknowledge them for their innovations and progressive contributions to growing the economy,” said Levey.

Standard Bank will be the main Platinum Sponsor for the awards evening, with Gareth Burley acting as MC for the evening. The semi-final of the Rugby World Cup will also be included in the evening’s programme.

Last year the award for the Overall Winner: Exporter of the Year 2022 went to Ford Motor Company of Southern Africa, who also walked away with the category title win for Best OEM and a Merit Award for the IDC Job Creator Award.

Ford Motor Company of Southern Africa Struandale Engine Plant Manager Shawn Govender said his team was looking forward to another amazing banquet showcasing the skill depth and unwavering commitment from the local industry – focusing on excellence, collaboration and more so, on maintaining and growing jobs in the Eastern Cape.

“Winning our first overall Exporter of the Year title from Exporters EC in 2022 was a huge accolade for the Ford Struandale Engine Plant, and provided well-deserved recognition for our dedicated team. We were also exceptionally proud to win Best Exporter OEM for the fifth time. This was made possible through our ongoing investment, unwavering commitment to quality and excellence, continuous improvement and high level of innovation,” said Govender.

As part of Ford’s commitment to South Africa and Nelson Mandela Bay, Govender said the company had placed a lot of emphasis on job creation and supporting the surrounding communities with skills development and training. “Our extensive learnership, apprenticeship and experiential trainee programmes play a crucial role in creating employment opportunities for the youth, while our wide range of CSR projects are focused on upliftment and empowerment to help break the cycle of poverty. This was recognised through the IDC Job Creation Merit Award 2022, a category we had won on two previous occasions,” said Govender.

There are several categories in which companies can win in 2023, these include: SJM Flex Environmental Award; SJM Flex Environmental Practice Award; IDC Job Creation Award; Best Provider of Services to Exporters; Emerging Exporter Award; Best Exporter: Small Business; Best Exporter: Medium Enterprises; Best Exporter: Corporate Category; and Best Exporter: OEM. The Overall Exporter of the Year for 2023 will be chosen from these category winners.

The judging panel for the 2023 Awards consisted of Kingsley Dell-Robertson (IDC), Hoosain Mahomed (AIDC Eastern Cape), Justin Ries (FNB), Quintin Levey (Exporters EC), Renai Moothilal (NAACAM), Dr Randall Jonas (formerly from the Nelson Mandela University Business School), Jeremy Dobbin (Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality) and Phakamisa George (Eastern Cape Development Corporation).

The awards evening, which takes place on Friday, October 20, at 18:00 promises to be a memorable celebration of great food, superb entertainment, and dancing, along with some excellent lucky-draw prizes.

Costs of the tickets will be R850 per person or R8 500 per table. To book your tickets for Exporters EC Exporter of the Year Awards 2023, contact Exporters EC Branch Manager, Suzanne Loubser at info@exportersec.co.za.