Global engineering and infrastructure advisory company Aurecon has announced that Sonja de Klerk, the head of its Quality, Environment & Sustainability unit, was chosen as the Country Winner – SADC South 2018/9, in the Business & Professional Service sector of CEO Global’s Most Influential Women in Business & Government Awards.

The award identifies and recognises Africa’s most influential leaders to honour excellence in the public and private sectors, said a statement from the company.

At Aurecon, De Klerk is responsible for fostering and driving a quality and environmental culture throughout the company’s operations worldwide, while monitoring that customer, regulatory and relevant certification/accreditation requirements of the ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 Standards are met.

Also accountable for implementing GRI Standards-compliant Sustainability Reporting, she collaborates across multiple teams, senior executive management and the board of directors.

Lauding De Clerk's achievement, Ferdi Nell, the managing director at Aurecon (Africa), said: "It is a testament to the type of leadership Aurecon attracts and the importance of striving for greatness."

The latest award follows a long list of impressive accolades for De Clerk. Last year, she co-authored the International Federation of Consulting Engineers Guide to the Interpretation and Application of the ISO 9001:2015 Standard in the Consulting Engineering Industry.

In 2015, De Klerk won the PDCA Women in Quality Individual Achievement Award, which recognises a woman in the quality profession for outstanding achievement and demonstrated leadership, together with a lasting commitment to promoting quality and making a change in her organisation.

On her big win, De Clerk said: "I am honoured to be recognised as the Country Winner, especially in light of the impressive list of nominees this year. I can attribute this award to my passion for sustainability, innovation and mentoring."

She was also the chairperson of ISO TC176 South Africa from 2014 to 2016 and represented South Africa at international plenaries during the development of ISO 9001:2015.-TradeArabia News Service