Johannesburg - Former First National Bank chief executive Michael Jordaan has been appointed chairman of Wines of South Africa (WOSA), the organisation said on Friday.
He would succeed Johann Krige as chairman of the organisation, WOSA chief executive Siobhan Thompson said in a statement.
Krige, the chief executive and co-owner of Kanonkop Estate, would be retiring after five years as WOSA chairman.
“South African wine exporters can only be enriched by exposure to Michael,” said Krige.
“Here is someone who is arguably South Africa's leading banker and who could be working at the most senior level in business anywhere in the world but has chosen to remain in this country, contributing his strategic, marketing, and media skills with an unusual combination of imaginative flair and rigorous analysis,” he said.
Jordaan and his wife Rose own a 40 hectare farm called Bartinney on the Helshoogte Pass outside Stellenbosch.
The farm had since been accorded Biodiversity & Wine Initiative (BWI) champion status for the rehabilitation of the land to its indigenous habitat, said Thompson.
“Bartinney has also been recognised for its contribution to energy efficiency in the Nedbank Green Awards.”
The couple also own a wine and champagne bar in Stellenbosch.
Jordaan is also chairman of Mxit and is a non-executive director of the JSE Limited.
He holds a doctorate in banking supervision from the University of Stellenbosch and worked in banking in Germany before beginning his banking career in South Africa.
Thompson said Jordaan's creative thinking would allow the country to broaden its reach and establish itself in new markets. - Sapa