Vela Footwear — Management, Governance & Organisation
The management and organisation, corporate governance, the board and the human-capital plan supporting the manufacturing platform.
Section 8 · Business Plan
Management, Governance & Organisation
The management and organisation, corporate governance, the board and the human-capital plan supporting the manufacturing platform.
For a greenfield manufacturer whose principal risk is execution, the
quality of the management team and the rigour of governance are
decisive. Vela’s organisational design pairs an experienced operating
leadership with a board structured for lender and investor oversight,
and a workforce plan that scales headcount in step with production.
Leadership team
The Company will be led by a core executive team with the functional
depth required to build and run an integrated footwear plant. The roles
below define the capability the plan assumes; appointments and the
calibre of incumbents are a primary diligence item for investors.
| Role | Mandate |
|---|---|
| Chief Executive Officer | Overall strategy, fundraising, anchor-contract relationships and board accountability |
| Chief Financial Officer | Financial control, treasury, lender reporting, covenant compliance and incentive administration |
| Operations / Plant Director | Plant commissioning, production, yield, maintenance and health & safety |
| Technical & Quality Manager | SANS / ISO 20345 certification, laboratory, quality systems and product compliance |
| Commercial / Sales Director | Contract acquisition, key accounts, retail channels and pricing |
| Supply Chain Manager | Procurement, leather and polymer sourcing, inventory and logistics |
| Head of People & Transformation | Recruitment, skills development, B-BBEE and labour relations |
Governance framework
Governance is structured to meet the expectations of development
finance institutions and senior lenders, drawing on the principles of
the King IV Code on Corporate Governance:
- Board of directors comprising executive,
non-executive and independent directors, with investor and lender
representation rights as negotiated in the funding agreements. - Audit & risk committee overseeing financial
reporting, internal controls, covenant compliance and the risk register,
supported by an external audit. - Social & ethics / transformation committee
monitoring B-BBEE, employment equity, health & safety and
socio-economic commitments under the Master Plan. - Lender reporting on a monthly and quarterly
cadence — management accounts, covenant certificates, production and
safety metrics — as a condition of the debt facilities.
Organisation and workforce plan
Headcount scales from approximately 300 direct employees in Year 1 to
about 875 by Year 5, concentrated in production and assembly, the most
labour-intensive and employment-generative part of the business. This
growth directly supports the Master Plan’s job-creation objectives and
Vela’s socio-economic impact case.
| Department | Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 | Year 4 | Year 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Production & assembly | 215 | 320 | 440 | 560 | 660 |
| Quality & technical | 18 | 26 | 34 | 42 | 50 |
| Engineering & maintenance | 14 | 20 | 26 | 32 | 38 |
| Sales, marketing & distribution | 22 | 30 | 40 | 50 | 60 |
| Design & product development | 10 | 14 | 18 | 22 | 26 |
| Administration & management | 21 | 26 | 31 | 36 | 41 |
| Total direct employees | 300 | 436 | 589 | 742 | 875 |
Skills and training
The pre-operating budget (R7 million) funds recruitment, skills
training and certification ahead of commercial production. Stitching,
lasting and moulding skills are developed through structured on-the-job
training and partnerships with sector education and training
authorities, supported by the Competitiveness Improvement Programme.
Building this skills base early is essential to the yield ramp on which
Year-1 economics depend.
concentrated at launch
Until the team is appointed and proven, the plan carries meaningful
key-person risk: success depends on securing operators who have
commissioned and run integrated footwear plants, and a commercial lead
with existing industrial-buyer relationships. Investors should make the
calibre of these appointments — and appropriate retention and incentive
structures — a condition of funding.
Confidential — this business plan is provided to prospective investors and lenders for evaluation purposes only and may not be reproduced or distributed without the written consent of Vela Footwear Manufacturing (Pty) Ltd.