Page 81 - KZN Leaders Portfolio E-BOOK 2107

CEO of the eLan Property Group negotiation to come to fruition and is now, says Taylor,
going from strength to strength and will be a great
ARK Taylor believes that his career has success story.”
been characterised by ‘thinking big’ and Blythedale Coastal Estate is the most forward thinking
having the perseverance to ensure that development in South Africa. The emphasis is on fibre
M his plans, which are often innovative, connectivity, frictionless access, green technology
reach fruition.
solutions, and most importantly, it is a community-
Taylor completed his schooling at Kearsney based development.
College and attended the then University of Natal,
Pietermaritzburg, from where he graduated with a Blythedale Coastal Estate is the blueprint for inclusive
BCom degree majoring in marketing, as well as with an housing in South Africa, to the extent that it has been
additional major course in business finance. presented to Parliament. The Estate will include an
impressive 1 200 sleeper anchor resort hotel; a 3 600
As part of his studies were financed by Gold Fields sleeper low-rise hotel villa complex; a retirement
of South Africa (GFSA), in order to fulfil the terms of village; 250 luxury sectional title apartments; 2400
the bursary he had obtained for his studies, his first freehold homes; and 709 affordable homes linked to
job was with the company in Johannesburg. Taylor some 600 homes for gap housing.
started in their marketing department as an assistant Taylor commented, “Success is dependent on the
marketing officer.
team that you build around you. Each individual
He left GFSA in March 1984 to join his father in a is often better than you at what they do and it is
business venture in Durban. The company, Capital important to give them the responsibility and freedom
Enterprises, imported and exported research and as well as the authority to do what they do best.”
industrial chemicals. Following his departure from His current mission is to grow the eLan Property
this venture, he join Nedbank’s Corporate Banking Group brand. He says, “Exciting things are happening.
Division at their head office in Johannesburg. From I intend to work smarter not harder and use the
there, his career direction changed again as he moved experiences that I have had to be more productive and
into property development, where hotel and resort proactive.” He added that the commencement of deals
developments became a passion.
and putting everything together is something that he
The eLan Property Group was founded in 1997 and has continually enjoyed.
has become a leader in real estate marketing and
sales, sales of hospitality investment projects and Through the efforts of the eLan Group in exploring
more recently has diversified into other investment the potential overseas property investment market, and
opportunities. in particular the UK, South African Properties Overseas
Marketing Association (SAPOMA) has become a reality.
Zululand Tree Lodge in Hluhluwe was the first venture SAPOMA is administered and coordinated by eLan
undertaken, which was a R12 million development. Marketing, and through its overseas division, eLan
International, the Association will represent those
Taylor’s desire to innovate was apparent in the
Riverside Hotel, which became a sectional title hotel. developers and allied professional organisations who
This was a first for South Africa and has been the have the vision and urge to become part of the world
country’s most profitable sectional title hotel and a true global trading scene.
eLan success story. One of the new ventures is providing investment
opportunities in Mauritius. Taylor says, “Mauritius offers
Taylor commented, “The pioneering and innovative
approach does not always pay off, staying ahead of the a new formula, which is attracting a lot of interest”.
curve is not always clever, as one is constantly meeting Taylor says that his family have been crucial to him
new obstacles, which have not been dealt with before.” throughout his career and provide him a lot of support.
This support has allowed him to continue in his various
His determination to ‘make a difference by doing
things differently’ is very apparent in the Blythedale endeavours, while often facing stress and dealing with
Coastal Estate. An important part of this project has the challenges that accompany business development.
been in obtaining community buy-in, which has well Although works takes a lot of his time, he does try to
illustrated Taylor’s perseverance. “This development include time for travel with his family and opportunities
has taken 19 years of planning and community where he can relax by spending time skiing or fishing.

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