By Megan O’Connor
Effective 1 March 2026, Patrick Gordon will be the new IOPSA Gauteng Chairman. In this article, we dive into Patrick’s history with IOPSA, and his hopes and goals for his time as chairman.
Patrick Gordon was a recipient of the President’s Award at IOPSA’s Awards Ceremony in 2025. © Plumbing Africa
Patrick’s involvement in the plumbing industry started in 1985, when he started working at Boumat, with 2025 marking his 40th year in the industry. His involvement with IOPSA started in 2000, and where he explains, “Being one of the major manufacturers at the time, if you were not part of IOPSA you were viewed as part of the opposition and you definitely did not want to be there. Being part of IOPSA also opened doors that we would otherwise find it difficult to open. It was like having the SABS mark – it was the thing to do.”
His career in the industry is:
- 1985 – Worked at the old Boumat Group, climbing the ranks from counter sales, to warehousing, to distribution
- 1994 – Left Gauteng to work at Federated Timbers in Polokwane as Operations manager, where he was responsible for plumbing buying
- 2000 – Returned to Gauteng and joined Cobra (now LIXIL), first in technical/product support, then national service and after-sales, and then developed the training sector until it became a separate department that he ran. It was also in 2000 that his involvement in IOPSA started, and he found the information shared in the monthly meetings to be invaluable.
- 2019 – Moved to CalAfrica as general manager
- 2024 – Joined Splashworks, where he has been able to carry the brand name and build brand awareness through his re-entry into IOPSA. Upon joining IOPSA again after a year separation, he applied to join the committee, and the application met with success. Shortly after joining, he was again elected into the position of Vice Chairperson.
Did you know?Before joining the Plumbing Industry, Patrick worked in as a game keeper. To this day, his happy place is a quiet weekend away at the game farm. |
How Patrick sees IOPSA
“IOPSA is almost like a big brother – there to help the plumbers, manufacturers and merchants of the industry, to make sure that we are all heading in the right direction. We are there to raise the standards and image of plumbers, as well as identify and upskill plumbers with potential.”
But IOPSA is also how Patrick gets to share his passion for the industry – “I’ve always had this passion about plumbing and teaching people about it. IOPSA is a great avenue to share this information and leave behind a legacy of information.”
The vision for IOPSA Gauteng
“To me, being voted as chairman is an opportunity to serve our Gauteng members better, to make sure that the committee takes cognisance of the needs of our members, and that we align with the vision of IOPSA.
“Our aim is to strengthen the committee by upskilling them so that we have a planned natural succession for the future. With the improved team we will be able to ensure more quality interaction with our members.”
