Adriaan de Lange has been appointed as Managing Director of Netafim South Africa, effective 24 November 2021. Adriaan takes over the reins from Etienne Erasmus as he enters retirement. Erasmus will stay on until the end of February 2022 to support a smooth and successful transition process.
Before joining Netafim, Adriaan served in different roles at the Omnia Group, including as the CEO of Omnia Holdings, and Managing Director of Omnia’s fertilizer business division. He brings more than 20 years of progressive leadership experience in agribusiness combined with vast experience in production and services business models. Adriaan has led business growth, transformation, turnaround, and innovation in multiple multinational listed companies.
Adriaan holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting sciences from the University of South Africa, and a chartered accountant qualification from the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants (SAICA). In his new role at Netafim South Africa, Adriaan will drive, supervise, and manage all strategic and business aspects of the company. Netafim South Africa is one of 33 business units in the Netafim Company.
The managing director is the first in command in the South African business unit and is responsible for building the strategic direction as well as promoting the success of its execution. Adriaan will focus on maintaining market leadership, building trusted relationships with key partners, customers, and stakeholders, overseeing all operations activities while developing new business models and accelerating success in the SADC region.
“I want to build on the strong foundation laid by my predecessors and want to enable all Netafim employees to continue doing their jobs with excellence,” said de Lange. “I believe in the value of strategic partnerships among agribusinesses to ensure sustainable agriculture and will place focus on working with other agribusinesses to help farmers grow more with less.
I am passionate about agribusiness, and I am excited to continue my career in agribusiness at Netafim South Africa. Netafim South Africa plays a crucial role in equipping farmers in Southern Africa with the latest irrigation technology to ensure their sustainability. It will be a privilege to be a part of this.”
Gal Yarden, SVP Head of the Netafim EMEA Division, thanked outgoing managing director, Etienne Erasmus, for his tremendous contribution to the company’s growth. “He built a strong team that will continue his legacy for years to come. I wish him much joy and fulfilment on his retirement journey.”
Etienne has led Netafim South Africa since 2006. During this time, the company has shown significant growth. “Netafim South Africa has a strong foundation and has reached great heights.
There is now an opportunity for the next generation to build on this foundation and take the company to even greater heights. I hand over the reins to Adriaan with great confidence. I am certain that his experience will benefit Netafim South Africa greatly and that he will lead the Netafim South Africa team to even greater heights.”
Netafim is the world’s largest irrigation company and the global leader in precision irrigation solutions. It is active in 110 countries with 33 subsidiaries and 17 manufacturing plants worldwide, one of which is Netafim South Africa, housed in Kraaifontein in the Western Cape.
Netafim South Africa has been serving South Africa and its neighbouring countries with irrigation solutions and services since 1992. Driven by its slogan, ‘Grow more with less™’, its offering includes a wide range of leading irrigation and complementary solutions across all crops, conditions, and terrains.
This includes drippers and driplines, micro and macro sprinklers, valves, filters, water meters, crop management technology (CMT), and ever-developing digital farming solutions.
The extensive product offer is supported by experienced agronomic and technical support based on years of accumulated knowledge as the leader in precision irrigation solutions. For more information, visit www.netafim.co.za
