Page 53 - KZN Leaders Portfolio E-BOOK 2107

Vikash Narsai, founder and Chief Executive Officer at VNA level. I have created a credible brand and I add value to the
industry. I want to make a difference. I am not prepared to
he strong-minded entrepreneurial career of Vikash sell my soul to please others.”
started in 1991, as a trainee Quantity Surveyor on VNA’s involvement in projects for the KwaZulu-Natal
an internship without pay, and created a 24-year
Tpath forged on his focused dedication to bring a Department of the Transport and the Department of
Public Works enabled him to obtain recognition for the
unique vision to transformation of the Built Environment ability to complete projects on time and within budget, as
Industry. Being an entrepreneur often means setting out on a
career filled with soaring highs and depressing lows – but at well as with adherence to the highest standards. This was
the stepping stone to building credibility within the Civil
the end of the day, “Attitude is everything”.
Engineering fraternity which was dominated only by Civil
On completion of his studies in Building Surveying at ML Engineers and not Built Environment Specialists with the
Sultan Technikon, now known as The Durban University requisite skills of the Industry. With this visionary move into
of Technology, at the end of 1993, the lack of available infrastructure, the VNA brand has grown from strength to
quantity surveying positions as well as to make ends meet, strength and led to the expansion well beyond the realm of
forced Vikash to sell children’s books from door to door. His traditional service offerings, such as project and construction
continuous drive to embrace the built environment industry management, design and construction services alone, to
finally paid off when in 1995 he was given an opportunity include a more direct focus on relationship-building.
in Richards Bay as a Junior Quantity Surveyor for Coalfields “As an individual or as a part of the VNA brand, there
Construction, who were one of the largest Contracting
firms located in Northern Natal. Apart from staying in a is an obligation to effectively address the increasingly
essential ‘triple bottom line’, targeting economic, social and
caravan for nearly 8 months which he, in his typical lively environmental matters in our delivery of sustainable built
spirit, to this day refers to as his “camping days”, he also
had the unfortunate incident to crash his boss’s 3-month environment solutions.”
old 4x4. What he thought as being a cumulative disastrous Infrastructure development in rural communities provided
year, turned into a blessing leading to his promotion to the the brand and myself, since 2007 much opportunity to grow.
company’s portfolio of Chief Buyer in Vryheid as a result of One of VNA’s flagship projects is in uMzimkhulu. “We have
his strong work ethos and commitment. built the town, which has now put us on the map.”
“This was an opportunity I embraced as all I was yearning A pinnacle moment in his career was the decision to
for, was experience”. make a considerable investment in sophisticated, state-of-
the-art pavement strength-testing equipment, designed to
This led to his deployment to towns such as Ulundi,
Nongoma, Empangeni, Newcastle, Volksrust, and significantly improve road maintenance solutions in this
Standerton with many challenging projects both within country today and the future. This became the cornerstone
to the future of VNA.
the Building & Civils fields, allowing his experience to be
developed. “KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) is a difficult province to work in.
If you want to prove yourself in business then KZN is the
In 1998, he married his soulmate Anju, and simultaneously
took up a new opportunity with the Durban-based market. It is politically volatile, competition is rife and in order
Construction Company Profour Projects and was deployed to survive you have to be resourceful when working with rural
communities, as you cannot afford to be complacent.”
to their Johannesburg office for a year. On moving back
to KwaZulu-Natal, Vikash was deployed to the Kokstad We are not in business for today only and I believe that
Supermax Prison Housing Project as the Chief Project we can make a difference by always looking ahead and
Quantity Surveyor. His extensive knowledge of building sites understanding rural concerns. We are proudly South African
earned him respect he so rightly deserved. This contract was and can compete with the big names in the industry.”
to become a turning point in his professional life.
VNA is now a multidisciplinary practice, employing 296
Transparency, fairness and due diligence have always people, nationally. The company’s geographic footprint
been the ethics by which he has undertaken work. He encompasses a head office located in Durban, an additional
was held in high regard by the stakeholders involved by five branches and two satellite operations, three of which
continually ‘going beyond the call of duty”. His approach, are in KwaZulu-Natal, whilst its other local offices are
which culminated in him wanting greater control of the located in Gauteng, the Free State and the Western Cape.
decision-making process, consequently led to the opening In addition to its local business network, VNA’s Mauritius
of a construction project management consultancy practice office provides the enterprise with a presence within the
in 2000 - with Anju being his partner - in this endeavour. international market with strong affiliations in Denmark,
Armed with passion and determination, they worked Australia & India.
tirelessly to prove naysayers wrong. At first negativity “We have become built environment specialists, with
seemed to be a reality in the early years, however, Vikash much in-house expertise and understanding of the market.
was determined to maintain his industry reputation by On reflection, although at times my career has been tough,
sticking to his principles. He says he felt strongly about his it has been meaningful. Whenever, I have been at my
company’s role in the industry and the vision he had.
lowest, there has been a turnaround. I believe that by adding
“Taking calculated risks, as opposed to inattentive ones, value through hard work, diligence and above all, integrity,
are an important part of taking your business to the next we would be unstoppable.”

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