Altron Founder steps down from board

JSE-listed Allied Electronics Corporation Limited (Altron) today announced that Dr WP (Bill) Venter, founder of the Altron Group, had decided to retire as non-executive director from the Altron Board with effect from 31 July 2018.

Commenting on his retirement Dr Venter said, I have the utmost confidence in the Board and the executive leadership team, who have successfully repositioned Altron on a new path of growth as an ICT company.

Mike Leeming, Altron Board Chairman, thanked Dr Venter for his contribution to Altron. Dr Venter has played an important and central role in the development of the South African electronics industry and the country's economy as a whole. The Board furthermore expresses its utmost gratitude to Dr Venter for his entrepreneurial skills, leadership and significant contribution brought to Altron over the years.

Altron opened for business fifty three years ago when Dr Bill Venter, a then 33-year old telecoms engineer, and several colleagues founded United Electric (Pty) Ltd, which was renamed Allied Electric (Pty) Ltd later in the same year. Since that time the company has grown from a designer and manufacturer of semi-conductor rectifier equipment, battery chargers, inverters, variable speed drives, DC motor controls, DC power supplies, electronic signal equipment and transformers into one of the leading ICT solutions providers on the continent.

Dr Venter has achieved a great deal in his long and successful career in the engineering and technology industry in South Africa and has received many accolades from both the private and public sectors, including the much coveted Sunday Times Life Time Business Achiever Award in 2006 and the prestigious Life Time Achiever Award from the Minister of Science and Technology for his contribution to the industry in 2009. In addition, nine honorary doctorates and several diplomas have been bestowed on him from universities and colleges throughout South Africa for his contribution to science and technology over the past five decades.