SA Transport Coop Bank
Ashley is leading the formation of the first-ever National Transport Co-operative Bank and 50 provincially based Co-operative Financial Institutions in South Africa. The transport bank is a financial services provider whose aim is to provide a fit-for-purpose banking solution for the taxi industry, foster financial inclusion, and promote the use of innovative fin-tech products in line with the imperatives of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Ultimately, benefits will accrue to the taxi operators – a group of historically disadvantaged individuals which is often side-lined by the mainstream banking sector as informal, risky, and, therefore, un-bankable in spite of the more than R90 billion circulating in the taxi economy annually. This effort is a key cog of the formalization of the taxi industry and the modernization of the public transport sector in South Africa.
K & K RENEWABLE ENERGY
Ashley is highly active at K & K Renewable Energy a company specializing in renewable energy solutions. His focus is on the development, implementation, and maintenance of sustainable energy projects. The Company’s aim is to promote the use of clean, environmentally friendly energy sources as an alternative to traditional fossil fuels.
At K & K Renewable Energy a wide range of renewable energy services, including solar power, wind power, and hydropower are key. His contribution as a senior leader is to strive to deliver cost-effective and efficient solutions that reduce carbon emissions and contribute to a more sustainable future.
Ashley also took active role in conducting research and development activities to innovate and improve renewable energy technologies within K & K Renewable Energy. The company is well abreast of the latest advancements in the field and collaborate with industry partners to drive the adoption of renewable energy solutions.
In Southern Africa, Ashley has combined his business acumen with his Ubuntu Pan African values. Ashley has put to use his financial and investment mobilisation skills to enter into strategic partnerships in countries like Lesotho, Swaziland, Malawi, Mozambique and Zambia. His diversified portfolio cut across industrial, minerals, energy, transport and logistics.
Ashley recently hosted his European partners who are interested in banking and other financial services opportunities. The projects earmarked for project finance support involve financial technologies in the banking, public transport ticketing, fleet management, renuwable anergy, agriculture and manufacturing. The initial focus is in South Africa, Mozambique, Zambia, Malawi and Tanzania. As a trusted voice among foreign investors, Ashley is strategically placed to influence Foreign Direct Investment into Southern Africa.
As he facilitates investments into Southern Africa, Ashley’s concern for vulnerable members of society remains. True to the modest work he started in the poor neighbourhoods of Cape Town’s Somerset West, Ashley is in the process of setting up a Foundation to drive his social investments and philanthropic work. This will provide a professional touch to targeting relief and development support to the most needy within available resources. He intends to retire to ministry and Foundation work on a full-time basis.
Skills and Human Capital Development
Ashley is a member of SATCOE’s Human Capital Services (HCS) Primary Co-operative, a training and skills development primary co-operative. The work of HCS involves the offering of accredited programmes for the transport industry across South Africa. Learners have been selected from persons who are working, or intend working, in the commercial road transport industry as drivers, including those from the taxi industry. The learning outcomes have covered issues such as road safety and customer care.
In the current reporting period, in spite of the constrictions of COVID-19 environment, Ashley has worked with HCS to successfully take 200 learners through a training programme of the “National Certificate: Professional Driving” accredited by the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA). The training programme is sponsored by the Transport Education and Training Authority (TETA).
A total of 10 mentors have been engaged to support the HCS training and development programs. Given the high unemployment levels in South Africa, skills development is an important social development and outreach initiative. For the transport industry, especially taxi operations, HCS is assisting in setting minimum standards for the improvement of professional driving education and training. Provision of formal and professional qualifications to commercial drivers, gives them prospects for better incomes and labour market employability. By improving professional driving competence, road safety is improved and social and economic costs associated with road accidents are decreased. The HCS has applied to TETA to undertake an expanded program during the financial year 2021/22.
Through HCS, Ashley contributes to the national policy objective to accelerate the redress of past unfair discrimination in education, training and employment opportunities.
Currently HCS has secured a contract of 50 drivers in a National Certificate-Professional driving Leadership in George area in Western Cape.
Commitment to Professional Services Excellence
At SATCOE, Ashley has managed to build-up a team of multi-disciplinary and dedicated professionals and associates. This has provided SATCOE with cutting-edge competencies to deliver superior and globally competitive advisory services to clients. The team’s collective experience cuts across private, public and non-governmental sectors, spanning decades of senior level professional and leadership exposure in local and international institutions. These internal competencies and capabilities span the following professional and academic fields: finance and banking, ICT, legal, accounting, research and development, human resources and general business management and administration.
As of January 2021, 5 of SATCOE’s key professional members are pursuing various academic and professional development studies. This keeps them ahead of the cut-throat demands of the competitive and dynamic professional services competence curve. Their studies are at various levels of academic qualification: two are pursuing PhD Programs in Economics and Development Studies and three are enrolled for Masters’ programs, i.e. Executive Masters in Business Administration, General Masters in Business Administration and Masters in Environmental Law and Energy. As a centre of excellence, SATCOE is always seeking ways to fundamentally improve the quality of its service offering and effectiveness, often pushing the boundaries to the next level. This is a strategic commitment that Ashley believes in, and is walking the part, with the ultimate vision to make SATCOE’s professional services worldclass, yet locally flavoured for the delivery of excellent value to clients and social development. In this context, SATCOE has been able to enhance its functional ability and continues to set high standards and stay relevant within a rapidly changing local and global professional and management services environment.