in profile
Ilse du Plessis
Brigitte de Bruyn
Fundi Mazibuko
Senior Interior Designer
Financial Director
Director: Customer Relationship Management and
D12 Interiors
Dipula Income Fund Limited
Business Development, Excellerate Property Services
Born and raised in Pretoria, Ilse du Plessis has been in the industry for seven years. She finished her studies in interior design at Tshwane University of Technology, and went straight to work at Wilson Associates, focusing on hospitality design. “After working for different companies I found my home at D12,” she says, adding that D12 Interiors has made its mark in commercial, residential and leisure design, and has an exciting and bright future ahead, delivering world-class results. “The best is yet to come!” D12 was founded in 1999 and has, since then, grown tremendously in knowledge and creativity. “We have a young and vibrant team that is committed to creating incisive solutions,” she says. The team uses the latest 3D design technology to bring best-practice creative solutions to clients’ complex requirements. “We also coordinate all services using our 3D technology in order to achieve the most practical results.” With strong skills in commercial, hospitality and residential design, this team looks forward to a dynamic future in contemporary project design. She says she always has one quote in the back of her mind: “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then is not an act, but a habit.” D12 Interiors is passionate about each and every client, and strives to create cutting-edge designs. “Client satisfaction is our greatest reward,” says Du Plessis. D12 has had the privilege of being involved in many fantastic projects, and Du Plessis believes no project should be singled out as being the most exciting.“Every project and client is different and has its challenges,” she says. “I embrace these challenges; this is how excellent designs are born.”
Brigitte de Bruyn is a chartered accountant who completed her articles at Deloitte, one of the largest global accountancy firms. Thereafter, she joined Deloitte SSG, where she was seconded to various companies in roles ranging from Financial Manager to Acting CFO. This resulted in her working in Zurich, Switzerland, which allowed her to combine her passion for travel with a stimulating and fulfilling job. After returning to South Africa, she joined Grapnel Property Group as Financial Director. She never initially intended to join the property sector but became interested in it because her sister was Financial Director of ApexHi Properties Limited at the time, and the opportunity arose to join a young asset management and property company. In 2006, she was involved with the listing of Hospitality Property Fund, the first ever specialised property fund, which not only gave her a solid grounding in the property sector, but also in the regulatory framework and corporate governance surrounding listed companies. The valuable experience gained at Grapnel Property Group helped when De Bruyn joined the soon-to-be-listed Dipula Income Fund in 2011. Dipula listed on 17 August 2011; at that stage, it was the second BEE property fund to list on the JSE. She cites playing an integral role in the oversubscribed capital raising, which led to the successful listing, as one of highlights of her corporate career. Brigitte is a strong believer in work-life balance, and enjoys spending most of her downtime with her partner and their two-year-old son. She loves travelling, keeps fit and is an amateur oenophile. She maintains that she’s never been held back in business by being a woman, but believes that, as Roseanne Barr said, “The thing women have yet to learn is nobody gives you power. You just take it.”
Young, dynamic and part of the changing face of the property industry, Fundi Mazibuko brings a combination of operational and strategic experience to her role as Director of Customer Relationship Management and Business Development at Excellerate Property Services. “We pride ourselves on our ability to strengthen client relationships,” she says. “What sets us apart is the fact that we offer not only property management, but also a broad variety of cost-effective services for landlords.” Her work experience includes holding former positions as Executive Strategic Support of the Chief Operating Officer at the City of Joburg Property Company, Portfolio Manager for Mdantsane City in the Eastern Cape, Westgate Shopping Centre in Johannesburg and Ikeja Mall in Lagos, Nigeria, as well as a successful career as an HR practitioner with her own recruitment company, specialising in the property sector. A former Women’s Property Network Gauteng Chair, Mazibuko was recently appointed a trustee for the Seed Trust, which is a 25% shareholder of Excellerate Property Services. “I have been privileged to have run a business, and worked in both the public and private sector, gaining experience that has taught me invaluable lessons that cannot be learnt in any classroom,” she says. “The property industry has always been male-dominated, and as a result women have struggled to break through the ranks. It is our responsibility as women in senior positions to advocate for woman empowerment in our respective companies.” In her spare time, Mazibuko admits to being a “typical girlie girl”. “I like to pamper myself – nothing beats a day in the spa,” she says.
t: +27 (0)11 807 7505 / f: +27 (0)11 807 7509 ilse@amagroup.co.za www.amagroup.co.za
t: +27 (0)11 325 2112 / +27 (0)82 900 3936 brigitte@dipula.co.za www.dipula.co.za
t: +27 (0) 11 911 8000 f: +27 (0)86 683 3942 info@epsgroup.co.za www.epsgroup.co.za
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SAPOA women in property
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