Ultimate Brand Ambassador of the Year Award nominees:
The following Monthly BAM winners are the automatic nominees for the Grand prize, the Ultimate Brand Ambassador of the Year Award . This UBAMA award will be handed over at the University’s end-of-year function scheduled to take place on 01 December 2016.
The UBAMA winner will be the deserving recipient of amazing prizes and a luxurious get away.
The NUST community will vote for their Brand Ambassador of the Month on Wednesday 16 November 2016. A voting booth will be stationed at the parking lot in front of E-House where staff can cast their vote for the Ultimate Brand Ambassador of the Year.
Helvi Ileka – BAM: September 2018
Centre Head: Centre for Renewable Energy & Energy Efficiency (CREEE)
Namibia Energy Institute (NEI)
Ms Helvi Ileka is a Centre Head at the Centre for Renewable Energy & Energy Efficiency (CREEE) at the Namibia Energy Institute (NEI), Namibia University of Science and Technology.
She is responsible for initiating and conducting research in Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency, developing fundraising strategies, advising government on clean energy policy, generating income from other sources than government, and creating local and international research networks and partnerships.
With no Director for almost a year now, with the support of the Vice-Chancellor, Helvi continues to provide the necessary guidance and leadership to the Institute. Despite her very heavy workload, Helvi developed a new structure for the Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (CREEE), which includes the development of accredited RE and EE training programmes e.g. Wind, solar, Biomass.
She was nominated as the focal person in 2013 to represent Namibia at all validation workshops that led to the Establishment of SACREEE. To this effect, a bid document was submitted to the SADC Secretariat by the Ministry of Mines and Energy which was approved by SADC Energy Ministers and Council, to be hosted in Namibia. SACREEE Secretariat has been hosted in Namibia since 2016 and will officially be launched in Namibia on 24 October 2018.
She is also the lead for the SOLTRAIN Project, serving as the focal person for the regional project funded by the Austrian Development Agency. The project includes:
Ms Ileka is a true brand ambassador of our University and is truly deserving of the Brand Ambassador Award for the month of September 2018.
Melanie Niemand – BAM: August 2018
Personal Assistant for the Registrar
Office of the Registrar
Melanie started as a Sectary to the Dean of Engineering 16 years ago, before moving to the office of the Registrar as the assistant to the Regsistrar. Melanie was also awarded as the Secretary of the Year for the year 2018.
Melanie is described as extremely hard working, always helpful, meticulous and even in the absence of the Registrar, she did not slow down her pace of work and is always willing to assist her peers. She takes her job very seriously and her peers who have worked with her on the annual yearbooks have strongly attested to this. She has always been the right hand to the University’s former Registrar, Mr Corneels Jafta, where she is fondly known for assisting him with presentations, which were always impressive.
Ms Niemand gives concrete expression to the fact that being a Secretary is more than just answering phones and typing documents. Exceptional customer service and a great attitude go hand in hand when Melanie’s name pops up. Ms Niemand is a true brand ambassador of our University and is truly deserving of the Brand Ambassador Award for the month of August 2018 .
Clarence Ntesa– BAM: July 2018
Lecturer
Faculty of Natural Resources and Spatial Sciences
Ms Clarence Ntesa has an amazing way of working with students, colleagues and communities. She coordinates a solid waste management research project that has attracted the attention of many stakeholders and institutions both at a local and international level. Ms Ntesa is currently the Principal Researcher/Coordinator for a project: Recycling by bicycle: A Green Alternative to Expand Recycling and Create Jobs in Namibia.
Through coordination and implementation of project activities in Oshakati and Katima Mulilo, she has immensely contributed to: 1) the improvement of solid waste management (SWM) in local authorities, namely Oshakati and Katima Mulilo, 2) community outreach and awareness raising on integrated solid waste management (ISWM), with emphasis on recycling for environmental and socio-economic benefits, and 3) capacity building of students in Namibia and abroad, including supervision of awarding winning projects (Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) President’s Interactive Qualifying Project (IQP) Award).
This project has been very instrumental in contributing to capacity building of students from various institutions in Namibia and abroad, promoting diversity and multidisciplinary research. As part of project implementation, she supervised student projects from 1) NUST, 2) Windhoek Vocational Training Centre (WVTC), 3) Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI), United States of America, 4) Georg-August-University of Goettingen and 5) Justus-Liebig-University in Giessen, Germany. The students were from various disciplines, namely; natural resources management, engineering, GIS amongst others. One of the notable achievements out of her efforts towards capacity building is the award (WPI President’s Interactive Qualifying Projects (IQPs) Award for 2017) that her students received back at WPI in the USA. The award was in recognition of the social-economic and environmental contribution that the project has as well as the dedication and hard-work involved in the project. The WPI President’s IQP Award is a prestigious award given to student teams whose conception, performance, and presentation of their IQPs (research projects) are considered outstanding in focusing on the relationships among science, technology, and the needs of society.
Ms Ntesa contributed to community outreach in various ways. She coordinated NUST’s involvement and participation in the National Clean-Up Campaign on the 25th of May 2018 in Katima Mulilo. In support of the clean-up campaign, she solicited sponsorship from Plastic Packaging (in the form of face masks, refuse bags and latex gloves) for KMTC. The generous sponsorship that she solicited enabled NUST (including NUST students who are currently interns at KMTC) to contribute to the cleanliness and general hygiene of the communities in Katima Mulilo and Namibia at large. The National Clean-up Campaign presented NUST with a perfect opportunity to raise awareness and share knowledge and information on ISWM, specifically the role and value of recycling in realizing our dream of a clean Namibia.
Ms Ileka is a true brand ambassador of our University and is truly deserving of the Brand Ambassador Award for the month of July 2018.
Himeezembi Kahorongo– BAM: February 2018
Lecturer
Faculty of Computing and Informatics
Mr Himeezembi Kahorongo also known as Himee or Joe is a Lecturer in the department of Computer Science in the Faculty of Computing and Informatics.
He is described as being a great motivator, passionate about his projects and how his projects can have a positive impact in Namibia.
Himee was selected by Mercedes Benz Cars in Germany to pursue a PhD on a Mission to Mars. He was the only African selected by Mercedes Benz to research “mega-trends and their implications for future organisational development” with the Mercedes-Benz Cars (MBC) Organisation Development Department. He will be pursuing his PhD while working at Mercedes-Benz Cars (MBC). He is also involved in the development of the solar taxi at NUST. He also completed an internship at Mercedes Benz in Germany in 2007 and 2011 whilst a student at NUST. He completed his Master’s under a Fulbright scholarship in Nebraska, USA and was recognized as the best international student. Apart from his Mission to Mars, Himee is also working on a glass phone called Kora, which is currently in its design phase and is also working on a NUST app for students. This app will promote personal safety, for use both on- and off-campus with an integrated chatroom. The app will also assist with accessing documents for assignments and course materials.
Mr Kahorongo is a true brand ambassador of our University and is truly deserving of the Brand Ambassador Award for the month of February 2018.
Matchwell Lizazi – BAM: October 2017
Industry Liaison Officer
Cooperative Education Unit (CEU)
Matchwell was the October BAM winner. He is a family man, who started from humble beginnings and who has contributed significantly to the employees’ wellbeing at the Institution as a Union Representative. His leadership and employee relation skills know no bounds as he is also known as one of the key players in the Union and for that reason the Union nominated him to serve on the Job Evaluation Committee.
He is a jack of all trades with qualifications in Business Administration, IT, Management Development and he is currently pursuing an Honours in Leadership so it is no surprise when he was elected to sit on Council, our highest governing body at the Institution and to serve on the NCHE Council. He is the epitome of hard work pays off.
He was voted as Brand Ambassador of the Month for his exceptional customer service and his selfless contributions to the Institution for the past 14 years. Matchwell is consistently hard working and commits himself fully to his job, putting maximum effort into completing tasks to the best of his ability. With his experience in IT, Matchwell took the initiative to revamp CEU’s website to make it more attractive.
Sonja Samuels – BAM: September 2017
Executive Assistant to the Vice-Chancellor
Office of the Vice-Chancellor
Although Sonja successfully completed a Bachelor Degree in Natural Resource Management, she found herself in the Executive Support space having been appointed in 2007 as the Secretary to the Executive Dean: School of Natural Resources and Tourism and was later promoted to the capacity of Executive Assistant to the Vice-Chancellor of NUST. She is described by her peers as somewhat of an introvert, but one who would not hesitate to assert her views in a sincere manner.
She obtained her Bachelor Degree in Natural Resource Management: Nature Conservation in 2008 and envisages to pursuing an Honours and Master’s degree in the near future. Her career to date has taken many positive strides. Many of her life lessons, she attributes to having learnt on the job. Her appointment in the Office of the Vice-Chancellor was a huge opportunity to show off her many talents and skills.
Sonja values establishing lasting relationships with her peers and believes that this is the reason why she has emerged as a Brand Ambassador of the Month.
In her spare time, Sonja enjoys long walks in nature, reading and spending time with her family.
Errol Mbako – BAM: August 2017
ITS Support Officer
Department of Communication, Information and Technology (DICT)
Errol Mbako is considered by many of his peers and supervisors as an impressionable young man. He is an ITS Support Officer in the Department of Communication, Information and Technology (DICT) and holds a Postgraduate Diploma in Project Management and is pursuing another tertiary qualification in Professional Management. His work ethic and dedication to improving the ITS systems at the NUST is evident in the work he produces. Errol is the brains behind the department’s new scan system to verify students’ credentials for examination. He is also the brains behind the online Access Forms which is currently in the testing phase.
Errol is also currently working on an information database. This database will show the number of publications NUST has produced, awards the Institution has won and local projects NUST is involved in as well as the Institution’s affiliation with local industry and international partners.
Errol is quite the ladies’ man and very popular at the Institution, due to his friendly and optimistic nature and his willingness to go the extra mile for others.
Leonard Imene – BAM: July 2017
Research and Development Officer
Namibia Business Innovation Institute
Leonard is responsible for the coordination of the Mobile Lab at NBII, having brought the concept of the Mobile Lab to life when it was established in 2013. The Mobile Lab to serve as a hub for research, knowledge and innovation within mobile technology and applications in Namibia. The Lab supports tech aspiring individuals to develop and commercialize their mobile application solutions. The Lab started off with 5 users and has approximately 600 registered community users.
The stakeholders include students and professionals from industry, governments and academia. The Lab offers a creative space that serves as a growth platform and catalyst for mobile entrepreneurs to bring localised services and applications to the unique markets of Namibia and beyond.
The Mobile Lab has 3 Key Activities
- Hackathons – Hackathons provide a platform for the youth to develop mobile and web prototypes that are aimed at solving societal challenges.
- The bi-weekly developer circle (including students from NUST, IUM and UNAM) brings together ICT entrepreneurs and other stakeholders in the mobile applications business to share new ideas and assist one another on projects.
- Developer’s training, aimed at improving the mobile application developers skills at beginners, intermediate and advanced levels.
The Lab under the leadership of Leonard has managed to secure the following sponsorships that have contributed to the Lab’s financial independence:
- Telecom Namibia – free Wi-Fi in the NBII Mobile Lab since 2013;
- UNESCO – Sponsor of the annual mobile developer training of trainers since 2016;
- Google – Sponsor of the bi-annual Google Developer Group (GDG) Windhoek events since 2016; and
- Southern Africa Innovation Support Programme (SAIS) – Co-sponsor of programming competitions (hackathons) and capacity building since 2013.
Leonard is described by his peers as humble and always willing to assist his peers at NBII. He remains calm even in the midst of difficult situations. Leonard is always present at the hackathons that mostly happen over weekends and throughout the night. He is the longest serving staff member at NBII, having started off as an intern.
Cynthia Harris – BAM: June 2017
Head: Governance and Committee Works
Office of the Registrar
Cynthia is described by her peers as exemplary. She has served NUST for over 15 years, having started off as a Secretary to the then Head: Governance and Committee Work.
Cynthia is described as extremely methodical and her organisational skills are to be admired and leave nothing to atone for. In her role as custodian of critical pieces of Institutional information, dating back over 21 years, she is able to recall that information at a blink of an eye. Cynthia is also privy to highly confidential information and takes this role very seriously, and as such, she has won the implicit trust of the Senate, Council and Executive Committees.
Cynthia is always ready to embrace change within the institution and as such she is not only nominated for her excellent customer service, but she was also nominated for her sustainability endeavours. With the current austerity measures in place, Cynthia has set up an Agenda e-system for Senate, Council and other committees. What this means is that agendas are no longer printed and sent to all the members. She creates an online link and the members need to bring along their tablets/ laptops to meetings and retrieve the agenda online.
This may seem like a small cost but when you consider that for Senate alone, the printing budget was N$106 000.00 in 2016 and for this year, the cost of printing has been reduced to N$6 000.00, resulting in a savings of N$100 000.00. This is only for printing costs and excludes Council or the other committee’s printing costs.
With this small innovation, not only has she saved the institution money but she has also saved on her time, working more efficiently.
Martha Namutuwa – BAM: March 2017
Industry Liaison Officer
Cooperative Education Unit (CEU)
Martha was awarded the BAM award for spearheading the e-Wil project, which saw the placement of handbooks onto the Moodle platform, thereby, making it more accessible to over one thousand (1000) distance and part time students. This project leveraged on technology to provide better quality of service to our clients, namely our students. It also significantly reduced printing and shipping costs, saving the university not only in costs but also a green initiative, saving the environment with the reduction in paper use.
Martha has led other projects in conjunction with other various units, centres and departments within NUST, thereby fostering a culture of collaboration, which speaks to one of the core values of our Institution. Her work with the HR students, having secured an international internship with the B360 program, offered students an opportunity to develop their competencies.
She is described by her peers as helpful, friendly and an individual who drives the team to accomplish over and above the expectations. This initiative was not only a great technological innovation but is also in line with our sustainability goals, as it meant that WIL handbooks no longer had to be printed and mailed, saving not only on costs but our environment as well.
Martha is friendly, honest, approachable, helpful and innovative, having stepped up to implement a new procedure and concept that brought about a positive change to the Unit and more specifically, she enhanced the core function of the university, which is to provide resources to our students that enable them to become a better crop of quality graduates.
Ms Celeste Espach
Brand Ambassador – October 2016
Lecturer
Faculty of Spatial and Natural Resources
Celeste has worked tirelessly to ensure that the University’s representation at the Windhoek Show was a success. She was there each and every day to ensure that everything was going according to plan and was available to deal with any problems as they unfolded.
She worked tirelessly on the project; from the design phase of the stand, visiting the venue each and every day as the stand was being assembled, ensuring that the NUST Brand is well aligned in accordance with each and every Departments / Units / Centres /Institutes particular needs.
Thanks to her and her team, a very creative and innovative stand was designed, which saw NUST being awarded the Platinum Award as well as the Bronze Award for the outside stand!!
Despite the many challenges, including a torn ligament on her right thumb, she remained steadfast and committed to ensuring that the outcome of the project was achieved.
She is described by her peers as reliable, dedicated, professional and indeed a joy to work with. For Celeste, nothing is too much of an effort and everything she does is of a superior quality. As a run up to the Windhoek Show, Celeste also spearheaded the EU-ACP Intra Cap display for her department.
Celeste is a true brand ambassador of our University and is truly deserving of the Brand Ambassador Award for the month of October 2016.
Ms Antoinette Wentworth
Brand Ambassador – September 2016
Coordinator: Printbase Instructional Material
Centre for Open and Lifelong Learning (COLL)
Antoinette personifies excellence in all that she does. She is described by her peers as an incredibly hard worker and one who inspires those around her to strive towards greater heights. Her highly proactive approach to her work has been fundamental in the institutional rebranding exercise, having served as one of the frontrunners of the rebranding exercise within the COLL division, where they were successful in merging print and e-learning curriculums which contributed immensely towards job satisfaction for all those that were involved as well as the end users.
One of the department’s most memorable memories of Antoinette was when she served the role of “Santa Clause” at the 2015 departmental end year party, where she was rolled into the venue on a wheel-barrow, handing out presents to her team mates.
Antoinette is a true brand ambassador of our University and is truly deserving of the Brand Ambassador Award for the month of September 2016.
Ms Muriel Mouton
Brand Ambassador – August 2016
Secretary to the Dean
Faculty of Health and Applied Sciences
Aside from being selected as Brand Ambassador of the Month, Muriel has also been awarded the Personal Assistant/ Secretary of the Year award. Muriel is regarded by her peers as exceptional in her professionalism, dealing with people and is regarded as the revolving wheel and go-to-person in her department.
Muriel carries with her a wealth of experience and working for an institution in the business of knowledge creation, Muriel has taken on the role of mentor for most of the junior secretaries.
Her energy and incredible zest for helping others has permeated across her department and she continues to serve as an ambassador for change, always on the look-out to innovate and introduce new ways of doing things or improve the status quo.
Muriel is a true brand ambassador of our University and is truly deserving of the Brand Ambassador Award for the month of August 2016.
Dr Adam Flowers
Brand Ambassador – July 2016
Faculty of Health and Applied Sciences
Barely six months after having joined the University, Dr Flowers presence within the academic fraternity is already being felt. Dr Flowers was fundamental in introducing a programme designed to provide students with a systematic and coherent introduction to the broad knowledge, principles, concepts and problem-solving techniques of pre-hospital emergency medical care.
He has introduced his learners to a unique set-up of community service driven learning, an initiative that seeks to integrate what is taught in the classroom into community engagement activities the learners engage in, particularly in low income communities. This unique learning experience creates a condition where students are exposed to the actual situation on the ground, and in the same breath learners are afforded an opportunity to contribute meaningfully to their communities, creating communities of shared learning.
His peers describe him as friendly, conscientious, helpful, one who always volunteers himself to assist where he can and will extend beyond the call of duty to ensure that set targets achieved.
Dr Flowers is a true brand ambassador of our University and is truly deserving of the Brand Ambassador Award for the month of July 2016.
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