Born and raised in Johannesburg, Zunaid Khan is thrilled to finally be working in the city where he grew up. It gives him the opportunity to be a part of change and make a difference. Zunaid is the new executive his director of development planning.
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Development planning is one of the city’s major departments. Zunaid is particularly keen on finding turnaround strategies to get some of the efficiencies right at both the operational and strategic levels.
“A great starting point for our team is completely changing the overall perception of how the department engages with the public and how we operate and serve the residents of the city. to be involved,” he says.
Zunaid says that to be successful in any department, managers and team leaders must create spaces for employees to find their purpose. This inevitably increases self-development as well as opportunities for teams to use their in-house skills and explore new skill sets.
“I see myself as a change leader who encourages employees to understand their own capabilities. Push yourself and your team out of their comfort zone. Because we know exactly what we can do,” says Znaid.
Prior to joining the city, Zunaid served as Chief Director of National Spatial Planning, serving as President of the Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation Division. He says it has been subject to larger-scale changes.
The local government gives him the opportunity to do foundation work. Although the move is local, he expects the department to have similarities in what it needs to function.
“I’m Joburger and I think it’s really cool to be this close to the action. I’m also excited to be part of the team that will unlock the development potential of this city,” he says. .
In his spare time, he is a husband of a wife who works in the NGO sector, a father of a boy who loves cars, and a father of a girl who loves unicorns and colorful things.
“My wife is my conscience and my family is my priority. They keep me going, but they’re also the ones I turn off and call my home,” he says.
Zunaid holds an honors degree in urban and regional planning from Wits College and a postgraduate qualification in housing policy and management. He is currently studying for his MBA and holds several certificates in project and contract management. He believes that his knowledge is power and that one can never know enough and should never stop learning.
“Having said that, I am looking forward to leveraging the systems we are considering for our department and the technology and vast amount of knowledge that exists within our team. , which will ultimately benefit employees, the city and its residents,” he concludes.
Written by Sasha Lee Joseph
April 11, 2022
