The Cape Town Cycle Tour Trust is pleased to announce the appointment of Ram Barkai to the position of Group CEO.
The role of Group CEO is a new one, which has become necessary since the Racetec operations within the CTCTT were hived off into a separate entity. This was done to allow them to take up opportunities to grow their event technology company. It is this growth and the increasing complexity of managing the Cape Town Cycle Tour that brought about the need for this post, and the Trust is extremely pleased to have such a notable personality as Barkai in this position.
A Guinness World Record holder (GWR), Ram Barkai is best known for his incredible achievements in extreme ice water swimming. He holds several records, including the title of most southerly open water swim ever performed for his 1km stretch in freezing temperatures near Antarctica. He is also the founder of the International Ice Swimming Association, which now covers 27 countries around the world, and was among the first individuals to successfully swim around Cape Horn, at the tip of South America. Barkai also founded the Cape Town-based Freedom Swim Series, which hosts all cold water swimming events in the Western Cape, including the famous annual Freedom Swim from Robben Island to the main land.
Barkai spent the last 30 years in financial services industry in Tokyo, Hong Kong and South Africa and held Cadiz Holdings group CEO position from 2005 to 2012.
Says Pete Smith, Chairman of the Cape Town Cycle Tour Trust, “With the growth of the Cape Town Cycle Tour and Racetec we have seen an increasing need for this position, in order to effectively expand and develop our organisations. It’s a big step and we are looking forward to seeing how Ram’s experience and expertise can take us onwards.”
Ram Barkai brings to the CTCTT a wealth of experience and expertise, not just as a professional athlete, but also from his background in business and leadership.
Ram is also the father of four children and although cycling is not his preferred method of self-propelled transport, the CTCTT is confident this will change imminently!
is this a joke?!