People First

COVID-19 brought significant disruption, but also taught vital lessons.

It showed the value of planning for unforeseen circumstances, operating with a resilient and agile mentality, and having the technological infrastructure in-house that can allow for uninterrupted business continuity.

However, most importantly, the pandemic showcased the importance of being there for your people. Supporting employees, both financially and mentally, in the face of global uncertainty was crucial, and the reward for businesses was empowered people willing to go the extra mile.

And knowing this too well is Janine Van Rooyen, Managing Director at Unilever Food Solutions. In our cover feature, she stresses the significance of putting people first. “We decided that our people are the most important thing so we reduced costs in every other area to ensure we could still pay salaries,” she explains. “We had different task teams speaking to customers trying to get payment plans because they owed us money, and we shifted to a fully digital business model almost overnight.”

Also putting its staff at the heart is Arnot OpCo. With people-centric values at the core of operations, we speak to Bontle Aphane, CEO of Arnot OpCo, about the company and its historic establishment as the first community-owned coal mine in South Africa. “I am super proud of our team, the growth that I have seen in them since we started is amazing,” says Aphane. “There’s been a level of trust, transparency and endurance since we took on this journey to re-establish the mine.”

Elsewhere in the magazine, check out our feature with Macrocomm. With a reputation as the innovators of IoT, the company dominates the Southern African Smart Solutions space. In our exclusive interview, CEO Sivi Moodley discusses delivering a smarter tomorrow, today. “We focus on providing solutions to problems by using technology, deploying the right devices, gathering accurate data, and transporting that data using our agnostic telecommunication networks best suited to the customer’s needs,” comments Moodley. “We are able to integrate into existing legacy systems from our Big Data analytics platform, thus providing cost effective solutions to the customer.”

And before you go, be sure to read our in-depth company profiles with the likes of Nile Breweries, Beglin Woods, Adapt IT | Telecoms South Africa, GOGLA, Marcopolo S.A. and many more!

Enjoy the issue!

Sean Galea-Pace Senior Editor, Outlook Publishing