Deloitte Africa appoints Ruwayda Redfearn as chair
JOHANNESBURG, 31 August 2020 — Deloitte Africa has appointed Ruwayda Redfearn as chair of its board effective from 1 September 2020. Redfearn succeeds Trevor Brown, who has held the position for the past nine years.
Says Brown, “The appointment of Ruwayda followed a rigorous process that
started in March this year with the board being unanimous in approving her
nomination and subsequently being voted in by an overwhelming majority of the partners. I am delighted to hand over the reins to Ruwayda for this important role.”
Redfearn started her career as a trainee at the Deloitte Durban office in 1997. After experiencing a New York secondment, she returned to Durban as a manager and was appointed to the partnership in 2004. She was appointed to lead the audit practice of the KZN region in 2010, serving some of the region’s most prestigious clients. During this time, Redfearn also chaired the Global Young Partners’ Advisory Council reporting to the global CEO. In 2011, she was appointed to the Deloitte Southern Africa Board and Remuneration Committee.
In 2012, Redfearn decided to take up a Chief Financial Officer role at a global commodity trading business for a three-year period, and gained valuable experience, serving as a board member on a number of the group’s companies.
She returned to Deloitte in 2015 as the Office Managing Partner for the KZN region and managed the risk advisory business for the Eastern Cape and KZN regions. She was reappointed to the Deloitte Africa Board in 2016 and chairs the firm’s Remuneration Committee as well as serving as a member of the Performance, Reward, Succession & Nominations Committee. Redfearn is also a senior client leader, responsible for some of the firm’s largest and more complex clients.
Brown adds that her time both in the profession and in commerce and industry has enabled Redfearn to bring an outsider’s perspective to the role. “She is known for her ability to form and nurture strong relationships and networks, demonstrating strength in a crisis as well as being able to make tough, bold decisions,” says Brown.
In accepting the position, Redfearn outlined her first priority as leading the new board to be agile, bold and well-informed while guarding the firm’s long-term sustainability. “This is only possible by ensuring that our business is underpinned by our Shared Values and strong governance practices. A world-class organisation like ours needs a board that sets the standard for good governance. The board needs to be able to deal with complexity in our world of constant change and challenge,” says Redfearn.
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