Team Namibia reflects on change, flexibility and tenacity
Team Namibia held its annual general meeting this week under the theme ‘change, flexibility and tenacity’. Team Namibia, with its vision of making local products and services part of everyday life, had invited the deputy minister, Lucia Iipumbu, to address its members at the annual general meeting.
Welcoming the audience, account director of Team Namibia, Bärbel Kirchner, said that, “Members of Team Namibia are guided by the principle we live by – “together our future is brighter”. We believe that together we can achieve more and that by collaborating; we are stronger and can achieve our aims. Considering the current recessionary environment, we must recognise that it takes falling down, and dusting oneselves off, to step onto a new path. It takes hard work, persistence and focus to achieve our goals, which I believe are guided by Namibia’s intrinsic values and reflected in our national plans.”
The deputy minister of Industrialisation, Trade and SME Development, Lucia Iipumbu, applauded the efforts of Team Namibia and its members. She encouraged the private sector and government to build strong alliances and partnerships and to collaborate in the efforts of marketing Namibian products and services, not only to the domestic market, but also to join forces when entering the regional and international markets.
“It is important that despite economic challenges at a macro and micro level that we continue marketing, otherwise we cannot effectively compete and be known in our market and in markets within our regions and internationally,” she said.
Panashe Daringo, managing director of MPP Civils Engineering, shared his thoughts on change, flexibility and tenacity when he reflected on the challenges and changes his business endured through the current crises faced in the construction industry.
He highlighted key lessons he had learned while repositioning his company’s strategies accordingly, in order to anticipate, prepare and embrace change.
Helge Schütz, well-known sports writer and photographer, and author of the book, ‘Three Lions-Land of the Brave’’, also shared with the audience how three local boxers from humble beginnings pursued success on the international boxing stage.
The members approved the re-appointment of Pieter Greeff, managing director of Etosha Fishing; the appointment of Jaco Venter, managing director of Plastic Packaging; Patricia Hoeksema, group manager of corporate relations at Ohlthaver & List Group of Companies; Victoria Möller, marketing manager at Pick ‘n Pay; and Petrus Thomas, managing director of BIC Training, to the Team Namibia board of directors.
The event was held at the Namibia Institute of Public Administration and Management and also hosted an interactive networking session where Team Namibia members, service providers and beneficiaries of the Team Namibia and Finnish Katutura SME Development Programme were given the opportunity to exhibit their services to the attendants of the annual general meeting.
