The Economic Development Partnership’s (EDP) new CEO, Nishendra Moodley, has officially taken over the organisation’s leadership from outgoing CEO and founder, Andrew Boraine.

This follows an extensive handover, during which the EDP’s leadership met many of the organisation’s partners and stakeholders to discuss the EDP’s growing role as a collaborative intermediary promoting ‘partnering for action’ towards inclusive, sustainable social and economic development in South Africa.

Nishendra says: “The EDP is a unique organisation that, under Andrew’s trusted leadership, has played a very influential role over the last decade, quickly adapting to provide strategic support in times of need such as during Cape Town’s water crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic. I share its principles, values and ethos and am excited about the creative role the EDP can play in our country. My aim is to deepen our practices as a collaborative intermediary and to work with our partners to build increasing capacity to implement joint actions for systems change.”

Nishendra’s arrival coincides with an expanded vision, adopted by the EDP Board to build the EDP’s resilience and reach over the next three years. While the EDP’s core offering remains the same, the organisation’s key focus areas for the next three years include Energy and Climate, Water Resilience, Infrastructure and Mobility, Employment and Economic Opportunity, Food Systems, Spatial Transformation and Strategic Capacity Building. The organisation will also engage with partners nationally to increase its impact.

“South Africa faces a ‘crisis of implementation’ – as a county we have strong policies and plans but often low agreement on how to deliver on them,” says Nishendra. “We need new ways to engage with the complex, inter-connected challenges we face, and to ensure that we achieve impact through our collective action. The EDP’s role as an independent intermediary that promotes action-oriented partnering and the building of trust is thus more relevant than ever.”

While Andrew has stepped down as CEO, he will continue to play a support role to the EDP. With over 40 years of experience as a systems change-maker, he will now work as an independent partnering practitioner, while teaching and promoting relational governance approaches.

“I’m stepping down fully believing in the continued purpose, role and value-add of the EDP, and confident of Nishendra’s vision and capacity to drive it to the next stage. Leadership transitions in organisations, if handled poorly can result in uncertainty and loss of momentum, but under the full oversight of the EDP Board, we’ve undertaken a very thorough overlapping transition period, while ensuring continued programme delivery. I am confident that we have been able to apply sound transition management principles to ourselves.”

“I am looking forward to stepping out of a management role, which I have held variously for the past 28 years, to have time to focus on two areas: finding ways to better connect the world of practice to the realm of ideas, and to build change-maker and adaptive leadership capabilities in the next generation of development practitioners.”

The EDP Board thanks Andrew, the management and staff of the EDP as well its partners and stakeholders for a seamless leadership transition that has strengthened its offering and positions the EDP for growth in the coming years.