Brian Wilkinson steps down after 5 years at the helm

Brian Wilkinson has decided to step down as the CEO of Green Building Council South Africa (GBCSA).

The Green Building Council South Africa (GBCSA) today announced, its chief executive officer, Brian Wilkinson, will be stepping down as CEO for his early retirement.

Wilkinson has occupied the CEO’s position the past five years and will officially finish with the organisation until the end of August 2016.

He steered the organisation through an exponential growth phase corresponding with the remarkable upsurge in the green building movement in the country.

The World Green Building Trends 2016: Developing Markets Accelerate Global Green Growth - SmartMarket Report’ shows that South Africa is the country with the highest share of green building projects out of a global sample of 69 countries. More importantly, it also has the highest share of expected green building projects leading up to 2018.

Seana Nkhahle, Chairperson of the GBCSA, attributes this incredible recognition to Brian’s energetic leadership and to the team he has put in place.

Brian, while proud of the organisation’s role, prefers to credit the success to the manner in which the South African property sector has stepped up to assume the vital role the built environment plays in climate change mitigation. 

Commenting on the significant progress of green building in the country, Brian says the property industry has been swift to recognise the simultaneous opportunity to ‘do well by doing good’, referring to the well-established and proven business case for green buildings.
 
He adds: “Our purpose is to inspire property owners to design, build and operate better, greener buildings. Formal Green Star SA certifications are rapidly approaching 200 projects, up from only six certifications five years ago. I believe we are on the cusp of green buildings becoming standard, rather than limited to leading practice.”

GBCSA has also partnered with the South African Local Government Association (SALGA) to build capacity and green buildings skills at local government level and anticipates extending this into the public sector as a whole. 

The Chairperson of the GBCSA has asked Rudolf Pienaar, Deputy Chairperson and Growthpoint Properties Office Division Director to drive the process for recruitment of a new CEO for the GBCSA.