HOT SEAT | CAPTAINS OF INDUSTRY
Leading from
THE FRONT
David-Fredrick Leukes, Managing Director of BVi
Life shapes us all in profound ways, and the path to excellence is never an easy one. With passion and determination, though, the possibilities are endless. IMIESA talks to David-Fredrick Leukes, Managing Director of BVi, about his experiences, and how this has influenced a series of successful milestones at BVi.
In our competitive world, what’s your personal recipe for success in the South African and broader international consulting engineering field? DL It’s important as a dynamic built environment practitioner to always broaden your skills, push to widen the boundaries of your knowledge, stay passionate, and wake up every morning with a positive attitude. In the engineering environment, we are well equipped to identify engineering challenges, simulate various possible solutions, and optimise to create economically sustainable infrastructure. We do this to improve lives within our communities.
Where did your passion for engineering begin? For me it was a calling from an early age – a fascination with the infrastructure environment surrounding me. I wanted to know more and to understand how roads are built, where electricity comes from, and how water can flow from a tap on demand.
How did it evolve from there? Each progression in life is a stepping stone; it’s important to read the signs and to seize the opportunities. Born and bred in Upington in the Northern Cape, I attended Simbrüner Primary School in Upington’s Morning Glory Township. Later, I attended Carlton-Van Heerden Secondary School in Progress Township, also in Upington. There, I matriculated in 1992 with exemption. My widowed mother could not afford to send me to study further, but I was fortunate to receive a bursary from BVi at the end of
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IMIESA February 2022
1992. Clearly, that was an important step on my path. In 1993, I started my studies
at the then Cape Technikon (now Cape Peninsula University of Technology). With BVi’s study assistance, I completed my National Diploma in Civil Engineering. During this time, I also completed my in-service training with BVi. Subsequently, I was awarded a study bursary by BVi to complete my BTech degree on a part-time basis in Bloemfontein at the then Free State Technikon (now Central University of Technology). Further down the track, a BVi bursary also assisted me to complete an MBA degree at the University of Stellenbosch Business School (Bellville Campus). A highlight of my career was when I registered as a Professional Technologist through the BVi Mentorship Programme in 2002.
What are some of your major development milestones? At BVi, I was exposed to various projects as a Design Technologist and was responsible for managing them. These projects included (but are not limited to)
Upington Magistrate’s Court, Irvinsdale Housing Project in Nieuwoudtville, Calvinia-West Eradication of Buckets, New Bulk Sewerage and Oxidation Ponds in Loeriesfontein, and the Upgrading of Jooste Eiland District Road under the Expanded Public Works Programme. Concurrently, I served as the Upington Branch Chairperson of SAICE from 2004 to 2011 and was also a member of the SAICE National Council.
What were the steps leading up to your current leadership role? I bought shares in BVi in 2003 and became a Director in BVi’s Northern Cape Branch in Upington. In 2013, I relocated to Bloemfontein to take over from Ben Grobler as the Regional Manager for the Free State Region. I am currently a member of the BVi Operational Committee and serve on the BVi Board of Directors in the capacity of Managing Director of BVi. In 2018, I became a Board Member at Consulting Engineers South Africa (CESA) and was elected on 24 November 2021 as the incoming Deputy President for 2022 and 2023.
How has BVi made a difference in transforming South Africa’s built environment? From my earliest experiences, I know first-hand that talent and opportunity do not logically follow each other. In my view, that’s why it’s especially important that business leaders ensure that previously disadvantaged individuals (PDIs) and communities get the social infrastructure they deserve to better their lives. For BVi, that process starts internally – through our recruitment, mentorship and management development programmes
