Neal Stanley Bruton - Born 19 March 1956
Resume;
Neal Stanley Bruton, B.Com; B.Com. (Honours) (Economics); M.Com. CumLaude (Economics) (UPE); D.Com (Economics) (UPE)
Born in Bloemfontein,
South Africa, and after spending his junior years at
St. Andrew’s
School,
moved
to Port Elizabeth with his parents and matriculated at Alexander Road High
School in 1973. After
completion of
his military training he attended the University of Port Elizabeth where he
received a B.Comm
degree in 1981, a B.Comm Honours degree in 1982, and a M.Comm degree, Cum Laude, majoring in
economics, in 1986. This
was the first time that the University of Port Elizabeth had awarded a Masters
Degree in
Economics with a Cum
Laude distinction. His dissertation, 'A Theoretical Introduction to Forecasting
Demand for
Motor Vehicles in South
Africa', received the 1986 medal from the South African Association for the
Advancement
of Science, and 'runner
up' status for the Founder's Medal of the Economic Society of South Africa in
1987. In
1989, Dr. Bruton was
selected by the Human Sciences Research Council as the South African
representative for
economics to attend
the 1989 Tri-annual Meeting of Nobel Prize Winners in
Lindau, West Germany. In 1992,
he
received a D.Comm
degree in economics from the University of Port Elizabeth on the basis of a
thesis that
investigated, 'The
Structure, Conduct and Performance of the Passenger Car Manufacturing Industry
in South
Africa '.
Dr. Bruton's career in the motor industry spanned seventeen years with
Volkswagen of South Africa. In 1981, he joined the company as a sales
planning analyst and after holding several management positions that included
Long Range Planning, Strategic Planning, Sales Planning and
Marketing Planning, in 1995, he was appointed as General Manager: Marketing
Planning, and later that year to the position, General Manager:
Franchise Operations. In 1995 he was also appointed as an alternate director of
Volkswagen Finance (Pty) Ltd.
Dr Bruton also gained international motor industry experience with the
Volkswagen Group having lived and worked in Wolfsburg, the home of the
company’s head office in
Germany,
in Detroit in the USA and in Milton Keynes in England. He also successfully
completed the Volkswagen Group’s
“Group Junior Executive Programme” at
Ashridge
Business
School
in England in 1994/1995.
In January 1998, Dr. Bruton, left Volkswagen of South Africa to pursue a long
standing ambition and formed his own company, Trendline Data
Dynamics, with a primary focus of adding analytical and strategic value to the
motor industry at large in South Africa.
On 1 May 2001, Trendline Data Dynamics merged with Response Group, who for
already twenty years at that time had been the custodians of the
NAAMSA, (National Association of Automobile Manufacturer’s of
South Africa), database
and have a tried, tested and trusted long standing relationship
as data providers to the South African motor industry.
Today, Response Group Trendline (RGT), supplies new vehicle sales data and
analytical software to all of the motor manufacturers and vehicle
importers in South Africa as well as other organizations with a strategic
interest in the industry. The company has also developed and maintains
sophisticated Internet enabled database query systems for the motor industry
providing extensive analytical and research functionality to industry
planners and analysts. Microsoft has twice recognized RGT’s analytical software,
with case studies highlighting the value that the software has added
to the South African motor industry.
Between 2000 and 2003
Dr Bruton was a shareholder and director of Mead and McGrouther (Pty)
Ltd., the company that for the past forty plus years
has captured, maintained and
reported used vehicle values to the used vehicle industry in South Africa.
Dr Bruton is a board member of Nelson Mandela Bay Tourism and a regular speaker
on motor industry and economic issues, including the impact of
HIV/Aids on the South African economy.
In October 2003 Dr. Bruton both in an individual capacity as well as together
with his partner Mr Martin Kruger were recognised by the South African
Automotive Yearbook for services to the South African motor industry;
"The South African
Automotive Yearbook has issued annual awards for outstanding achievements in the
motor industry.
There are plans to expand this into a South African motor
business hall of fame, along the lines of similar schemes overseas.
In the meantime, the Yearbook awards continue - with each
person so honoured automatically going forward to the Hall of
Fame.
The 2003 awardees and the citations are, ( following excerpt extracted from the
list of those recognised);
Martin Kruger and Neal Bruton, Response Group
Trendline.
For services to the South African motor industry.
South Africa’s ability to attract foreign investment and the sophistication of
its automotive sector have for many years been
underpinned by high quality statistical and analytical services provided by
Martin Kruger and Neal Bruton. This award recognises
both their individual contributions, and the formation of a partnership which is
ensuring the continuation of data processing best
practices in South Africa’s motor sector."
October 2003