THE Chemical Industries Education and Training Authority (CHIETA) is proud of its CEO, Yershen Pillay, who won the Governance and Government Agencies Award at the prestigious Forty Under Forty Africa Awards, held in Sandton on the weekend.

The purpose of the awards was to recognise and celebrate 40 emerging leaders under the age of 40 who demonstrate their impact personally and/or professionally through their exceptional leadership.

“It was a privilege to be nominated for the Forty Under Forty Africa Awards, and it was an even greater privilege to win the award in the Governance and Government Agencies in Africa category,” says Pillay.

“This award belongs to the team at CHIETA who, are the best in the business. Without them, this would not be possible. Recognising me is a recognition of CHIETA, its board and staff. Well done CHIETA!”

The annual international awards were officiated by the Minister in the Presidency for Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities, Dr Nkosasana Dlamini-Zuma.

This year saw more than 3 000 applications in total, with nominations from 24 countries, across the 40 different categories. The adjudication panel was chaired by Professor David Atta-Peters from the University of Ghana. An elite group of 126 nominees were shortlisted for the final awards.

At 39 years of age, Pillay was nominated for an award in the best young leader under the age of 40 in the category of Governance and Government Agencies. Pillay is the former Executive Chairman of the NYDA from 2013-2015, one of the few leaders under the age of 40 serving on government boards in entities such as Airports Company South Africa and South African Forestry Company SOC Limited, and currently serves as the CEO of CHIETA since 2020.

“It was a great honour to be among a group of nominees who were identified as leaders who are committed to business growth, professional excellence and community service and have risen up the ranks of their companies or industries at a relatively young age,” says Pillay.