SARETEC appoints a new Governance Board member

Toni Beukes is ‘privileged’ to serve at the South African Renewable Energy Technology Centre (SARETEC) following her recent appointment as a new member of their Governance Board. 

Beukes joins SARETEC with 12 years’ experience in the energy sector across oil, gas, and renewable energy (specifically wind). The Windhoek-born mainly held roles in legal, governance, compliance, and consulting. Since leaving private practice, Beukes spent a vast part of her professional career as in-house legal counsel for the national oil company of Namibia (NAMCOR). She later moved to South Africa and joined Mondi.

Her specific role on the Board is that of an industry representative.  “This role involves bringing to bear industry knowledge, trends, and current market developments to Board deliberations. This should aid strategy development that is reflective of the market movement ensuring SARETEC stays relevant,” she explains.

Her renewable energy experience also stems from her work under the South African Renewable Energy IPP Programme. From 2013 she worked then by wind turbine manufacturer Nordex Acciona as Legal Advisor/Contracts Manager. Beukes, a middle child of five daughters with very politically active parents, also worked as a Legal Consultant to German-owned wind farm developer, ENERTRAG.

She’s currently based in Cape Town and serves as GE's Renewable Energy Sales Leader for Southern Africa in onshore wind. Her experience includes legal consultancy, contracts management, B-BBEE strategy development and implementation, company secretarial practice, conveyancing, compliance, trust, and board administration. She is an admitted attorney in the High Court of Namibia, holding B.Juris and LL.B degrees, and MBA and LL.M degrees (with distinction) from the University of Dundee in Scotland. The qualified Conveyancer also served as Chairperson of the South African Wind Energy Association (SAWEA) Economic Development Working Group from 2018 to 2019.

“In addition to my role as an industry representative, I also bring strong governance experience as a Certified Director of the Institute of Directors South Africa, and accordingly [I] hope to contribute to the Board achieving its governance outcomes,” Beukes adds.  She also serves as Non-Executive Director on the SAWEA and the SARETEC boards. She is also an Independent Trustee on the Cookhouse Wind Farm Community Trust, as well as the Kathu Solar Community Trust.

Beukes has recently been selected as one of 15 female Mentors of the Women in Wind Global Leadership Program 2020 under the Global Wind Energy Council.  “Reacting to her appointment as a new board member at SARETEC, she says: “I feel privileged to serve. My CV sets out other boards/trusts I’ve been involved with in the past”

Giving advice to young women, she says: “I think the trajectory of our lives is largely determined by how quickly we figure out what we stand for.”

Her parents gave her and her siblings a great education and instilled clear solid values.  “They taught us responsibility for the collective which meant that sometimes we have to act in the interest of the collective good, and not our limited individual self-interest. My parents taught us to have the courage of our convictions. Her dad also used to say, “A Beukes takes the bullet between the eyes”. “That simply meant speaking up against wrongdoing even when it’s not comfortable or convenient to do so,” she explains. 

Written by Aphiwe Boyce
Email: boyceap@cput.ac.za