I am dedicated to providing great service to my clients. I have really found that I can do this best by getting a holistic view of the business I am assisting < Back Laura Kelly Partner Cox Yeats Attorneys Laura Kelly (nee Maitre) is a partner at Cox Yeats Attorneys, a leading boutique commercial law firm. Cox Yeats, which is head-officed in Durban and has recently opened offices in Johannesburg, has been voted the top medium sized law firm in South Africa for the past two years. Laura’s practice is focused primarily on insurance, commercial and international trade law – with a specific focus on petroleum law. She represents various local and global organisations, including the world’s leading independent petroleum storage provider in respect of its southern African operations. Laura grew up in Durban and studied at the University of Cape Town where she majored in both law and creative writing. Following the completion of her studies, she joined Cox Yeats in 2014, where she did her articles, became an associate in 2016 and was appointed a partner in 2019 at the age of 27. In commenting on her journey, Laura says, “In terms of inspiration and how I got to where I am today, it obviously comes down to a lot of hard work, but my family, who are incredibly supportive, and the team that I work with at Cox Yeats have also played a fundamental role. My parents brought me up to believe that I could do anything in life but also to be resilient. As law can be a demanding career, and a tough environment to work in, the self-belief which they instilled in me has certainly helped me progress professionally. Regarding my team, our model at Cox Yeats is that we work closely and in very small teams. This is aimed at fostering collaboration and ensuring the best outcome for our clients and the model has proven to be incredibly successful. However, this, coupled with the long working hours, means that you spend a large amount of time with your team members. Whilst we have since grown, there were three professionals in our team when I started at Cox Yeats and I continue to work with them today – with one team member being Cox Yeats’s newly appointed Managing Partner, Andrew Clark. Not only are they both exceptionally talented lawyers who practice with complete integrity, they are also fantastic people who I thoroughly enjoy working with. They really have played a fundamental role in where I am today.” When speaking about practising as a female in law, Laura expressed that it does come with its challenges. “You can be underestimated and not taken seriously based purely on your gender. It’s frustrating and it shouldn’t still be something which happens. However, you just have to stand up for yourself and treat it as an opportunity to prove them wrong,” she explained. With regards to personal hurdles, Laura remarked that she has had a lot of support in her professional journey and that her main hurdle has been managing stress. “This isn’t a topic that people generally feel comfortable talking about, but I think it is something most people in life have to deal with at one stage or another and I don’t think people should be shy to speak about stress. You just have to ensure that you put yourself in the best possible position to manage it, especially if you work in a challenging job, through exercise, eating healthily and taking time away from work when you can.” Continue learning Reflecting on her goals, Laura says that from a short-term perspective, law is an evolving, dynamic sector that is always changing. As such she intends to continue learning in order to both explore new areas of law and to develop her expertise within the practice areas that she enjoys. From a long-term perspective, Laura enjoys not only dealing with an organisation’s legal requirements, but she has a strong business acumen and provides strategic and operational support for her clients wherever she can. Consequently, she would like to find further ways of using these skills, whilst continuing her legal career. Laura also attributes these skills to her ability to provide effective legal services. “I am dedicated to providing great service to my clients and I have really found that I can do this best by getting a holistic view of the business I am assisting, especially where I am helping an organisation with its commercial work or engaging with its stakeholders. I really strive to ensure that the services I’m providing to them are given in such a way that they can operate as effectively as possible.” Maintain balance When speaking further about her personal attributes and the way in which she assists her clients, Laura commented on her strong interpersonal skills and her commitment to her job. “Our work doesn’t just take place in our office behind our desks, you are required to step in and act as your client’s representative during negotiations or general engagements. I am very comfortable with public speaking and like to believe that I am good at fostering relationships with people. However, what really is key for your client is the ability to be readily available and responsive. We live in an extremely fast-paced world and clients expect no less when it comes to service delivery. It’s also important to identify those times when your client needs you to be available 24/7. While maintaining balance is extremely important, this doesn’t mean that there won’t be times when this level of effort is required of you.” Laura absolutely loves dogs, and her dream would be to start a dog sanctuary one day. “I was actually going to become a vet, but unfortunately my allergies towards certain animals meant that this wasn’t practical and so I chose law,” she commented. In conclusion, the advice that Laura would give to a young woman following in her path, is to not take herself too seriously, to remember what is important in life and to strive to maintain balance. “Work hard but take the time to do the things that you love.”

ABERDARE CABLES < Back Next VISION To be the leading supplier of intelligent inter- connection products and services in Africa. MISSION Through our highly trained and dedicated employees we foster excellent customer relationships, delivering quality cabling solutions, innovative products and value-added services. VALUES Teamwork, Integrity, Excellence, Responsibility, 1nnovation (TIER1). POWERING PROGRESS Aberdare Cables is southern Africa’s largest and leading supplier of intelligent energy inter connection products and services in Africa. Established in 1946, the company offers cable designs, product development, installation support, commissioning and diagnostic testing through their engineering service division. In 2021, Aberdare celebrated its 75th Anniversary and since its humble beginnings, the organisation has grown significantly through mergers and acquisitions. Aberdare Cables has three manufacturing sites in South Africa located respectively in Pietermaritzburg, Gqeberha, and Gauteng. These are assigned to manufacture a wide variety of cables with customer service centres in each province as well as in Maputo, Mozambique. In 2016, Aberdare Cables was acquired by Hengtong, as a majority shareholder. The Hengtong group operates in 147 countries with 11 overseas manufacturing bases and owns seven brands, including Aberdare Research and Development Aberdare is a technology leader driven by cutting edge research and development to provide worldclass innovative solutions. Aberdare positions itself, and has indeed been recognised throughout the world, as a pioneer in technological advancement. This philosophy has been amply illustrated by its success in developing unique solutions to everyday problems faced by an incredibly wide range of industries. In co-operation with the South African Bureau of Standards (SABS - the national standards organisation), Aberdare serves on a number of International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) cable working groups, one of which deals with the development of test methods for cables in fire situations. Aberdare works closely with the South African Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and various major Universities and Technikons in the quest to continuously upgrade its product range and manufacturing capabilities. Aberdare is determined to retain its leadership in the cable industry through the development of cost-effective solutions to common problems faced by many of the world’s developing nations, and by working closely with customers to meet their every possible need. We are determined to remain abreast of international developments, and indeed set our own goals to maximise our company’s growth. It is this philosophy that Aberdare is determined to follow, now and into the future. Employees The company has highly trained and motivated employees who make it an employer of choice. We actively promote and follow a number of educational initiatives, including apprenticeship training, learnership programmes as well as formal educational assistance, to all our employees. In the year 2022, Aberdare awarded and created more than 200 job opportunities across the country. These positions vary across all the branches, manufacturing sites as well as head quarters. To further develop young professionals who require an opportunity and introduction to the corporate sphere, Aberdare continues to create learnership and trainee positions located in the factory as well as at headquarters. The business continues to be passionate and driven in curbing the unemployment rate in South-Africa, through job creation. This is to further ensure that Aberdare contributes to the healthy economic growth of the country and increasing social cohesion. Socio-Economic Development Socio-Economic Development is an integral part of Aberdare Cables, as the company aims to contribute to the communities in which they operate. They strive to strengthen their commitment to sustainable development by building mutually beneficial relations with their stakeholders and the communities. Aberdare Cables ensures that the identified initiatives and projects in previously disadvantaged communities are properly managed to ensure that the contributions made will continually sustain the community. They are investing in the education of their communities through a variety of projects enabling them to create a brighter future for themselves. Aberdare Cables believes in providing the leaders of tomorrow with every advantage possible. Access to high-quality education in rural areas can be one of the contributing factors to local economic development, while assisting the rural community to adapt to a fast-changing environment. This is the reason Aberdare Cables proudly sponsored a rural high school in KZN, Buhlebethu High School with a mobile science lab that can further assist Science learners in the school with practicals. Aberdare Cables are passionate about community development and the development of future leaders. KEY PERSONNEL Andy Wang CEO CONTACT DETAILS Read More CEO: Andy Wang CFO: Jenny Chen Executive: Technical, Manufacturing & SHEQ: Wayne Munilall Executive Director: Marketing, Sales & Distribution: Mishack Matla Manufacturing Executive: Jian Wang CONTACT DETAILS HEAD OFFICE Physical Address: 1 Corobrik Street, Meadowdale, Germiston, 1614 Tel: +27 (0)11 396 8000 Email: info@aberdare.co.za KWAZULU-NATAL Physical Addres: 67 Gladys Manzi Road, Mkondeni, Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal, 3201 Tel: +27 (0)33 845 3207 Website: www.aberdare.co.za Media Releases. Stay updated with the latest business news and articles on KZN Top Business News Blogs It just makes good business sense Previous Media Releases Read More Next

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