Prof. Johan Willemse, Departmental Chairperson of the University of the Free State's (UFS) Department of Agricultural Economics, has been appointed as an independent non-executive director on the boards of Absa Group and Absa Bank with effect from 1 January 2008. He belongs to the South African Agricultural Writers Association, is a regular columnist for various agricultural periodicals, and has been a presenter and programme advisor on national television in respect of agricultural matters. Prof. Willemse also studied at the University of Illinois with a Cochrane Fellowship bursary in 2003. He has his own agriculture consulting business and has won numerous national agricultural awards and achievements. He was a member of the Ministerial Task Group to evaluate the 1992 drought aid to farmers and was appointed by the Minister of Agriculture and Land Affairs in 1997 to advise on the implementation of the Marketing of Agricultural Products Act. Prof. Willemse is a specialist on agricultural marketing, strategy and policy formulation.