Academic Leader in Marketing and Supply Chain Management at the School of Management, Information Technology and Governance, Professor Micheline Naude has won an Academic of the Year award at the 2023 African Women in Supply Chain Association (AWISCA) Supply Chain Game Changer Awards held at Capital on the Park in Sandton.
The annual awards, now in their second year, recognise and celebrate the incredible achievements and ground-breaking contributions of companies and individuals who have revolutionised the supply chain industry landscape through exceptional leadership.
They attracted numerous submissions from across Africa. A panel of industry experts thoroughly assessed each entry, based on criteria such as their impact on the supply chain industry, advocacy, influence, mentorship, coaching, and overall contribution to building skills and capacity in the industry.
Naude received the award because of her dedication to developing capabilities in the supply chain profession and her contribution to the body of knowledge within the profession.
‘A call for various nominations was put out and I was nominated for the academic of the year award. I guess the persons who nominated me were of the opinion that I deserved recognition as a game changer within the industry. It did come as a surprise as each entry was thoroughly assessed and competition to win such awards are tough,’ said Naude.
‘I was promoted to full professor level in August 2022 and I am very humbled to receive this award as it makes me feel valued for the work I have done over the past 20 years as an academic. Going forward, I am excited to work closely with the Unit of Maritime Law and Maritime Studies at UKZN and our valued industry stakeholders, the eThekwini Maritime Cluster and Access World (Africa), to expose our students to all areas of maritime logistics.’
Congratulating Naude on the award, Acting Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Head of the College of Law and Management Studies, Professor Managay Reddi said, ‘Congratulations on your excellent achievement in winning the Academic of the Year award, we are hugely proud of you and wish you even more success in the future.’
Among those recognised at the awards was Ms Linda Reddy who won the Supply Chain Executive of the Year award and Mr Lindokuhle Ngubane who took home the Youth to Watch award. Both are UKZN alumni.
Words: Lungile Ngubelanga
Photograph: Supplied