Lynette Finlay, MD of property management company Finlay & Associates and current vice-president of Sapoa, has been tipped to replace outgoing president Gerhard van Zyl for 2004-05.

With Sapoa having embraced the proposed property charter to fasttrack empowerment in the white male-dominated property industry, it is highly likely it will also be boosting the role of women in the organisation.

At last year's convention at Sun City, three women were elected to serve on the organisation's national council for 2003-04. Sapoa has already had its first black president with Papi Mphahlele heading it in 2002-03.

Just before last year's convention Mphahlele said in an interview that the groundwork had been done for property-sector transformation.

During his tenure Sapoa's national council approved a transformation strategy. Sapoa has 800 corporate members who represent the full spectrum of commercially driven property organisations.

CEO Brian Kirchmann says that in accordance with its transformation policy Sapoa has taken "cognisance of gender and colour in promoting its office bearers".

Kirchmann says this year's Sapoa convention at the Cape Town Convention Centre from May 12 to 14 will be its largest so far.

"We are looking forward to a dynamic and exciting convention this year. We have many more international participants than we've had in the past," Kirchmann says.