Nina Freysen-Pretorius, Founder and CEO of The Conference Company, South Africa, has been elected as the new International Congress and Convention Association President at the General Assembly of the 53rd ICCA Congress, which took place November 1 to 5 in Antalya, Turkey
Freysen-Pretorius joined the ICCA Board of Directors in 2008 and has been second Vice President of ICCA since 2010. She is the first ICCA president from Africa, and the third female president in ICCA history. 
“My objective is to ensure that ICCA continues to provide benefits which enable its members to generate and maintain significant competitive advantage. These benefits may mean different things in different parts of the world and we have to be in a position to respond accordingly,” she said. “Future focus should be to increase the quality and professionalism of our members by educational tools and unique networking events.”
After two terms of two years, ICCA’s current president Arnaldo Nardone has stepped down. For the first time ever, three presidential candidates stepped up for ICCA’s presidential elections: Handan Boyce (Halic Congress Center, Turkey), Freysen-Pretorius and Martin Winter (Gold Coast Tourism Corporation, Australia).
Maropeng has bid farewell to Tony Rubin, the outgoing Managing Director of the visitor centre of the Cradle of Humankind.
Rubin stepped down at the end of October after being at the helm of the business for over seven years, to take up a position with SAB World of Beer.
The centre held a farewell lunch at the Maropeng Boutique Hotel to allow business partners who have worked with Rubin to wish him the best for the future.
“You are an inspiration to this industry,” said Leon Bosch of the General Managers forum for the Cradle area. “We know we’re not really saying goodbye, and we will be hearing more of your valuable insights.”
Rubin has urged the board to consider promoting from within to fill his position. “Someone who knows this site, and the work that we are doing here, will ensure the continued success of Maropeng,” he said.
Namibian hospitality company O&L Leisure Hotels & Lodges, with the appointment of LimoNetworking, has opened a sales and service office in South Africa to directly support the South African DMC and tour operators, retail travel agents, professional conference and MICE organisers and their corporate travellers, amongst other business partners.
O&L Leisure Hotels & Lodges Namibia is the owner and manager of the Midgard Country Estate and the Mokuti Etosha Lodge. They are currently building the single biggest private investment in the Namibian tourism industry, the Strand Hotel Swakopmund, as well as the Chobe Water Villas right on the banks of the Chobe River.
After 13 years as Public Officer at the Southern African Association for the Conference Industry, Godfrey King will step down from the position at the end of the year. 
Godfrey, one of the founding members of SAACI back in 1987, also served as National Chairman for five consecutive years and continues to publish the association’s official journal, Business Events Africa. 
He has been a driving force behind SAACI’s growth and achievements for many years and a solid custodian of good governance. 
“It has been a pleasure to observe the growth of the Business Events market over nearly three decades. I feel privileged to have been part of this vibrant industry during this period,” said King.

Mbuvi Ngunze has officially taken up his position as Chief Executive Officer and Group Managing Director of Kenya Airways, following the retirement of Titus Naikuni.
Ngunze joined the airline in September 2011 as Chief Operating Officer. His appointment as CEO is seen as an endorsement of his work at Kenya Airways and the desire of the Board of Directors for an in-house succession by someone very closely involved in the day-to-day running of the company’s affairs. Also as someone able to continue implementing the airline’s ambitious plans as outlined under their strategic ‘Plan Mawingu’, which plans to more than double the fleet and destinations by 2021.