Getting to know the new Rotary club presidents

The Rotary Club of Johannesburg held a virtual induction of their incoming presidents on 4 July.

The club’s Grace van Zyl will serve a second consecutive term as president while James Lowman and Nadine Mitchley were elected St Stithians Boys College Interact Club and Rotaract Club of Johannesburg presidents respectively.

Van Zyl is a financial life strategist, entrepreneur, international speaker, budding author, certified mentor and philanthropist. She is also a Bequest Society member, a Paul Harris Fellow and serves on the board of various NPOs. The club described her as a ‘highly driven, motivated, and passionate person that wants to make a positive impact in communities and the lives of others.’ Van Zyl will rely on her many skills and tricks learnt during her years climbing the corporate ladder. She has held positions of admin manager, national credit manager, national financial manager and acting managing director for various blue-chip companies.

The new president of the St Stithians Interact Club, James Lowman is on track to fulfill his dreams of becoming a lawyer one day. James believes his love for public speaking will stand him in good stead going forward. His other interests range from literature and history to music and movies, and is strongly motivated by people in those fields. “James’ ability of bringing ideas to life and motivating others to share in the vision, make him a natural leader and assets to the school’s Interact Club,” said Rotary. With his passion for justice and fighting for what is right, James hopes his future will involve contributing to the greater good. His love of sport, particularly hockey, has afforded him the opportunity to be part of a team at school, creating a balance between sport and academics.

Mitchley, a recent University of Johannesburg strategic management (cum laude) graduate, takes over the role of Rotaract president. Mitchley is also a charter member and past secretary of the Rotaract Club of Johannesburg. Her passions are learning and teaching and she is also a seasoned traveller having visited England, the United States of America, Australia, Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand. When not studying, teaching or travelling, she loves spending time with friends and family, having braai’s and playing pool. Her favourite quote is from her favourite book series, Harry Potter: ‘If you want to know what a man’s like, take a good look at how he treats his inferiors, not his equals.’