THE new president of the Durban Chapter of the Entrepreneurs’ Organisation (EO) says he wants to encourage and support entrepreneurs as they navigate the economic turbulence caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Clinton Holcroft was appointed as president of EO’s Durban Chapter on June 10 at a function in uMhlanga.
He assumes the role of president of the non-profit peer organisation at a demanding time as the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic is still being felt by commerce and industry sectors grappling to get back on track following lockdowns countrywide and the rest of the world.
Holcroft replaces the chapter’s first female president and owner of electronics manufacturing service provider, Production Logix, Shilpa Mehta.
Holcroft is the chief executive officer of Serco, which is a truck body and trailer building company.
He has been a member of EO’s Durban Chapter for four years and the organisation was a non-profit that focused on personal growth and supporting entrepreneurs on their journeys.
“Personally, I have found great value as a member in being able to seek guidance and learn from the experiences of EO colleagues. To hear how fellow entrepreneurs have dealt with challenges similar to ones I faced and to be much wiser because of the interactions has been enormously valuable,” he said.
He said a key priority is to share useful experiences and insight rather than telling people what to do or pass judgement on their actions.
Holcroft said one of the biggest challenges he experienced was devising a succession plan to transfer control of Serco – a family-owned business – from his retiring father to himself.
The experiences his fellow EO members shared with him proved invaluable in helping with the difficult process, he said.
Regarding his new role, Holcroft said he is excited about the year ahead and looked forward to working with the new eight-member board he had appointed.
“Entrepreneurs play a critical role in creating growth and employment which are among our greatest challenges in South Africa. So organisations such as EO which supports entrepreneurs on their journeys, helping them to be successful, are highly valuable,” he said.
He said one of the core values of the organisation is “Together we grow.”
“It could be just a conversation with another entrepreneur that sparks an idea or sharing the demands of a challenge that produces the right outcome or answer.”
Holcroft said by working together entrepreneurs could learn and grow personally to be better leaders and therefore run more successful businesses.
EO is a global, peer-to-peer network of more than 14 000 influential business owners with 193 chapters in 60 countries.