Green Building Council to reduce physical footprint

Green Building Council South Africa (GBCSA) will be reducing their physical office footprint from two regional offices into one, resulting in GBCSA operations being located in Cape Town. Operating from one location reduces building, transport and other related environmental impacts and served as a key motivator for this decision. 

“In the time that GBCSA has had a physical presence in Gauteng we have significantly grown relationships and created opportunities with public and private sector stakeholders.,” says Dorah Modise, GBCSA CEO. “We will ensure that these important gains are not lost and that our new operating model not only maintains but grows our nation-wide presence and strategic partnerships with all Public and Private Sector stakeholders. This will take the form of a physical GBCSA presence in Gauteng through our business development team members and a regional chapter model to be introduced in 2021.”

“We also have to consider that locating the majority of the GBCSA team in a single location improves cohesion and efficiency on our deliverables and reduces operational costs during a difficult economic cycle.”

Given the need for leadership presence in Cape Town and personal circumstances that do not allow a relocation, Modise has announced her exit from the GBCSA as of 30 April 2020 to allow for the appointment of a Cape Town based CEO to take the organisation to its next growth trajectory.

Board Chairperson, Ms Ilse Swanepoel accepted Modise’s decision and commended her for her sterling leadership and great work that she did firstly in ensuring that GBCSA’s financial performance is in the black, the launch of a GBCSA owned publication, +Impact, which was awarded the SAPOA best property publication within its first year of existence, a complete turnaround of the GBCSA convention to world class content focused standard and amazing relationship with the public sector and development finance agencies.

“When Dorah joined the GBCSA in 2017, 230 projects had received a combination of Green Star, EDGE and Net Zero certifications. Today, we boast 520 certified projects,” said Swanepoel.

“Dorah’s passion for transformation has seen GBCSA move from a BEE level 8 in 2016 to a level 4 with a target of a level 1 in the next two years and the GBCSA has become a council member of the property sector charter council. Through the assistance of JP Morgan, she ensured training and integration of more than 90SMMEs into the green building space and therefore did well in increasing a pool of green building providers the market.”

“Dorah leaves the GBCSA in a much better financial position and with a team of experienced and technically sound men and women who will carry the mission of transforming the built environment.”

Ms Modise says she is “heart warmed by the selfless commitment to a greater purpose of sustainability demonstrated by the GBCSA team and board” and “ever so grateful for the opportunity to have led such an amazing institution over the past three years”.

“The decisions to alter our organisational location and structure have not been taken lightly and have involved comprehensive consultations between the GBCSA board of directors, the executive team and staff.” Swanepoel continues. “As a member centred organisation, our members remain our most important asset. We believe that these changes will assist us in delivering on our mandate to inspire a built environment in which people and planet thrive together with our member and stakeholder community.”