Dow in India, Middle East and Africa - Sazi Lutseke

Sazi joined Sanachem (now Dow AgroSciences) at its Berlin, South Africa site in February 1997. She worked for the next year as Quality Assurance Manager. In February 1998, Sazi was appointed Quality Leader and Site Leader for Sanachem (now Dow AgroSciences) at its Berlin site.  Much of her time in this role was spent on introducing a quality management system and quality standards to the laboratory and managing in-process quality control in the production areas. In the site leadership role, the challenges were managing stakeholder relationships in a rapidly changing business environment  in the post-1994 South Africa and meeting business requirements to improve product quality and price of the Triazines that were produced at the Berlin site.

In July 2000, she moved to Canelands, Durban, South Africa to assume the role of Human Resources Leader for Dow AgroSciences, supporting both Operations (4 manufacturing sites and the Commercial unit (Head office and regional depots). In February 2003 Sazi moved abroad to take up the position as Production Leader, Insecticides Plant for Dow AgroSciences in King's Lynn, Norwich, U.K. She was responsible for the production of Chlorpyrifos (Dursban*) and Methyl Chlorpyrifos (Reldan*) Technicals as well the formulation and packaging of other insecticides.  Sazi returned to South Africa and in June 2004 she was appointed as Operations Leader for Dow AgroSciences Southern Africa.   From June 2008 Sazi was appointed as Country Leader for Dow Southern Africa based in Bryanston, Johannesburg.

Before joining the chemical industry, Sazi was a high school teacher. After teaching at Government High Schools in King Williams Town and East London, South Africa from 1975 to 1978, she moved to Johnson & Johnson based in East London, South Africa where she started as an Analyst in the Q.A Laboratory.  She was then promoted to Research Chemist and later to Product Development Manager in 1989 in the R&D division.   She moved to the Operations Division in 1995 to the position of Technical Services Manager.

Sazi graduated in 1975 with a B Sc. (Chemistry & Physics) from the University of Botswana, Lesotho & Swaziland followed by a B Sc. Degree Honours in Analytical Science from the University of Cape Town in 1982 and in 1989 Sazi graduated with an M Sc. (Chemistry) Degree from Rhodes University, Grahamstown, South Africa.