Celebrating 15 years of certification excellence and innovation

Eighteen years ago, having reached the ceiling as group compliance manager with a German multinational, Oliver Naidoo took a leap of faith, leaving full-time employment to follow his passion for compliance management systems. Three years later, having established a loyal client base, JC Auditors (JCA) was born.

An exceptional work ethic – coupled with a team of seasoned professionals and key industry partnerships – has seen JCA establish itself as a leading certification firm, not only in South Africa, but across the continent.

“As we celebrate our 15th anniversary, it is important to reflect on those early years,” says founder and managing director Naidoo. “We didn’t grow quickly, but we grew steadily and, most importantly, we were developing relationships with clients based on trust. Our current motto of ‘Tried and Trusted’ reflects our exceptionally loyal clients, who drive us to continually innovate and expand our service offering. A major contribution to our success was our involvement with the incredible team that made up the Road Transport Management System (RTMS) National Committee.”

Naidoo was a key member of the committee, which developed and promoted the RTMS to become the huge success that it is today. Those early years were characterised by lots of excitement and enthusiastic engagements, as the visionary team saw the chance for RTMS to make a meaningful impact on safety, compliance, and efficiency in the country. “Those were special times indeed, and it was exceptionally fulfilling and motivating to be part of such a pioneering project,” reflects Naidoo.

Today, JCA is the only certification body in Africa accredited by the South African National Accreditation System (SANAS) to offer a range of accredited certifications under one umbrella. These include RTMS, ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 45001, ISO 22000, ISO 3834, and ISO 13485. The company’s integrated, cost-effective certification approach allows for the evaluation of multiple standards in a single audit, while also promoting safety, compliance, and efficiency in various sectors in South Africa. “We are very proud to be the only body in Africa to offer this full range of certifications so that our clients’ ever-increasing needs are fully met,” enthuses Naidoo.

Adrian van Tonder, vice chair of the RTMS Steering Committee, credits Naidoo with the success of RTMS in the country, saying JCA’s founder had a huge influence in shaping the standard. “In the early days, everyone relied on Oliver’s experience and knowledge, which he has always been willing to share,” reveals Van Tonder. “He has always gone above and beyond what was expected, and we celebrate this success with him.”

RTMS stalwart and current national chair, Dr Paul Nordengen, agrees. He recalls that it was a recommendation from the Institute for Commercial Forestry Research (ICFR) that led the RTMS core working group to Naidoo in the early 2000s: “At the time, our team knew almost nothing about standards. Bringing Oliver on board changed that. His passion, commitment, and drive to see RTMS succeed have played an important role in its success; his contribution to the initiative cannot be over-emphasised.”

According to Japie Burger, former Transport Manager at ZZ2, Naidoo is best described as kind and helpful. “Whilst extremely strict in terms of compliance, he walked the RTMS journey with ZZ2,” relates Burger. “Without Oliver, the introduction of RTMS in our business would have been far more complicated. We are extremely grateful to have had him assist us.”

Naidoo attributes the success of the past 15 years to the highly skilled and professional JCA team, saying much effort is taken not only to ensure extensive knowledge of the respective standards, but to deliver a customer-orientated certification that is efficient and ultimately enables the client to achieve their business goals. “Standards and the associated certification audits for these standards are intended to add value and improve business operations,” he explains.

“Over the past 15 years, our goal has been to do just that. Our goal is to identify key risks in a client’s business – whilst promoting continual performance improvements – so that clients have the assurance that they’re doing the right thing. Hence, this enables a business to grow in a sustainable manner.”