Port Elizabeth real estate broker and Re/Max Independent owner, Kobie Potgieter, has been named a national finalist in Africa’s Most Influential Women in Business and Government awards.
Port Elizabeth real estate broker and Re/Max Independent owner, Kobie Potgieter, has been named a national finalist in Africa’s Most Influential Women in Business and Government awards.
Potgieter is one of nine finalists in the small and medium enterprise sector, with the winner representing South Africa in the regional division of the pan-African awards in Johannesburg on 30 July.
According to the judging panel, she was selected for the meaningful contribution she has made to her industry, which has also had a positive socio-economic impact on the country.
Aspects such as talent development, sector leadership, business sustainability, best practice and individual social responsibility were all considered.
Potgieter says she was delighted to be in contention for the prestigious award.
“I’m overwhelmed and grateful to all the people of PE who believed in me and made it possible for me to get where I am.”
She says she could not have achieved this without the support of her employees, husband and family.
The real estate dynamo runs the biggest Re/Max operation in the Eastern Cape with three franchise offices in Lorraine, Walmer and Brymore.
As Re/Max’s number one agent worldwide in 2008, Potgieter personally trains her agents in the “100 days to greatness” programme, which has helped the franchise achieve market dominance in the metro.
She is also a founding member and vice-chairman of Real Estate Business Owners of South Africa, which provides a platform for smaller agencies to be equal role-players in the sector.
A former teacher, Potgieter says education and training was a key component of her social responsibility programmes, one of which is a tertiary education fund for residents of the MTR Smit Children’s Home, which was established as part of the Givers’ Gain initiative.
“I like to invest in children so they can develop into better adults who will become the future cornerstone of our society,” she says. “Making a positive contribution to people’s lives in everything I do is of utmost importance to me.”
Regional awards evenings, honouring the national winners in 25 sectors, will be held in SA, Mauritius, Kenya, Uganda, Ghana, Cameroon, Morocco and Zambia from July to October. The overall continental winners will be announced on October 30.
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