Twelve years of dedication to growing a highly successful craft and design support organisation have culminated in a major award for its executive director. Erica Elk of the Cape Craft Design Institute (CCDI) is the 2013 social entrepreneur winner in the Businesswomen’s Association of South Africa (BWASA) Regional Achiever Awards.
Under her dynamic leadership, the not-for-profit CCDI’s influence is reflected in a database that has grown from 60 to over 3800 enterprises. These support an estimated 15 000 jobs and income opportunities in the Western Cape. The CCDI’s own staff complement has grown from two to a specialist team of 31 permanent staff in 12 years.
Elk has, with her team, developed a comprehensive range of CCDI services in the categories of market, business and product support. Over R20 million of product sales have been facilitated since 2001, as well as providing support that ranges from mentoring to creative and business workshops.
Elk attributes the CCDI’s success to being extremely results-oriented and outcomes-driven, while being tuned in to what it takes to be a creative small business owner – coupled with a big vision for the potential of the sector.
“At the same time we are a learning organisation that is constantly evaluating, assessing and reviewing what we do, how we do it, and how we can do it better. We also try hard to maintain a professional but human approach to our engagement with our primary stakeholders – the craft producers and other players along the value chain.”
Another key success factor has been growing a team of mature professionals with sector expertise and specialist knowledge. This has helped build the internal resources and capacity of the CCDI, so that it provides constant, consistent support to producers. The CCDI is now acknowledged as one of the provincial government’s leading Special Purpose Vehicles.
Elk is also on the boards of prominent organisations such as the National Arts Council (chairing the Craft Panel) and Cape Town Design (the World Design Capital 2014 implementation company) and is a curator for the Design Indaba Expo.
With expertise spanning the craft, design, visual arts and small business development sectors, she has also researched and written papers and strategies for the creative industries. The most recent contribution is the Western Cape Design Strategy, which will be used to formulate a Design Policy Framework for the Province.
URL: http://ccdi.org.za
Twitter:
Facebook:
YouTube:
Author: Judy Bryant from Judy Bryant Communications. Originally distributed by MyPR.co.za.
No of Images Uploaded: One
To gain access to One image/s please Like, Tweet or +1 this article:
Images:
Erica Elk, Executive Director of the Cape Craft Design Institute, is the 2013 Western Cape social entrepreneur winner in the Businesswomen’s Association of South Africa (BWASA) Regional Achiever Awards. Photographer: CCDI
