“Rating will influence and shape the future of the business as we continue to evolve”

Spintelligent Pty, the leading Cape Town-based publisher, trade exhibition and conference organiser, has been awarded a Level 2 BBBEE Contributor rating. “We are absolutely thrilled with reaching this important milestone”, says David Ashdown, Spintelligent Managing Director, adding: “it has been a strategic goal of the business and we achieved it following 6 months of diligent work”.

Ashdown says the BBBEE rating allows the company to “secure and strengthen current institutional business with influential government organisations, parastatals and NGOs, whilst also positively influencing spending by South African corporates who need to engage with BBBEE rated businesses to improve their own contributors score. This in turn will open the door for many new companies to do business with us, therefore increasing our reach to relevant markets within which our sponsors, exhibitors and delegates operate, which will also provide them with more opportunities to conduct business.”

He continues: “a BBBEE rating allows us to open new revenue streams and drive greater revenues from existing relationships. More importantly it ensures that we have a cultural and moral commitment to our employees and the operational nature of our business. A BBBEE rating will influence and shape the future of the business as we continue to evolve.” Spintelligent is the African office of Clarion Events Ltd which is based in the UK. It has become recognised as a highly successful African event organiser and publisher, with flagship projects in the power, mining, agriculture, defence and education sectors such as African Utility Week, African EduWeek, Agritech-Expo, Land Forces Africa and the iPAD franchise.

Upcoming Spintelligent events:
- iPAD DRC Mining & Infrastructure Indaba, Kinshasa, DRC: 22-23 October 2014
- Katanga Mining Week, Lubumbashi, Katanga, DRC: 28-29 October 2014
- iPAD Rwanda Power & Infrastructure Investment Forum, Kigali, Rwanda: 3-4 November 2014
- West African Power Industry Convention (WAPIC), Lagos, Nigeria: 18-19 November 2014
- AgriBusiness East Africa, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania: 28-29 January 2015

Contact:
Communications manager:  Annemarie Roodbol
Telephone:  +27 21 700 3558
Mobile:  +27 82 562 7844
Email:  This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Web:  www.spintelligent.com

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About Spintelligent
With over 15 years of working with Sub-Saharan African government ministers and the region’s leading businesses, producing hundreds of events and publications and helping thousands of companies secure multi-million dollar contracts, we’ve learned what it takes to be a competent and confident builder of a successful and prosperous company in Africa.

Spintelligent is your principal, local based, knowledge partner and events coordinator for Sub-Saharan Africa. We provide you the best in class Sub Saharan African multi-media resources to help you expand your operations and achieve your business ambitions across the Power, Mining, Education, Agriculture and Defence industry sectors.

Spintelligent is part of Clarion Events, a global business-to-business event organiser with offices in South Africa, UK, Netherlands, Germany, United States, Brazil, UAE and Singapore.

We are thrilled to announce that both the public and private sectors appear to recognize the value of board diversity as BPW SA has been approached in the last month alone, to assist with eleven board vacancies for women on our Register.  Women and men have different interests and perspectives in important areas, and boards are starting to see the importance of utilising these varying experiences to tackle the tremendous challenges. 

BPW SA and the Department of Trade & Industry (the dti) want boards of directors to widen the search for talent by looking beyond the traditional pool of executives and bring new potential to light.  It is for this reason that we have joined forces to provide a Women on Boards programme to create a Register of female leaders in South Africa who are excellently trained and, as a result, are highly sought after by Boards.  After all, why on earth would you voluntarily exclude half the smart people?

Our first group of 19 senior women, all thoroughly trained through our 9-month Women on Boards director development programme and certified by the dti, are now available on our register of Board Potential Women Directors and we urge companies to contact us for potential female directors.

Seven of our graduates are in line for board interviews , many have been interviewed by the media – both radio and magazines – and all will be profiled in the KZN Chamber of Commerce Power Book (2015). As an ongoing service to the graduates, BPW SA continues to raise their profile in an effort to access suitable board placements.  We have proven that board diversity is not a supply problem, but rather a demand problem.

BPW SA is proud to announce that we have incorporated an international module into the Women on Boards programme.  Business acumen - incorporating business finance and strategy - a must in today’s complex landscape. Business acumen is a keen understanding of what it takes for an organization to make money.  It combines financial literacy – the ability to interpret numbers on financial statements – with business literacy – recognizing how strategies and decisions impact these numbers.  Call it a sophisticated business simulation. Call it an exercise in experiential learning. Or call it a board game. Whatever you label it, the simple fact is that the training is fun and will gives participants a true competitive edge.

A recent Women on Board graduate, Tebogo Maziya, who holds a Masters degree in Science, a postgraduate diploma in finance and a B Comm degree says the nine-month journey has been fulfilling. “I learnt there’s a risk and that that risk is manageable. So it’s important for the board to be transparent and accountable and for a board member to be aware of decisions made because they will be held accountable.”  Another graduate, Amantha Maharaj, a BSc electrical engineering graduate with an MBA, who works a top management level at an engineering consultancy says of the programme: “It teaches one to know how a board is structured, what to do, and questions one needs to ask when sitting on a board. It also teaches business risk and how one should view business from a higher level. It was certainly value for money.”

For more information about our Women on Boards Programme, please visit our website at www.bpw-jhbsa.co.za or contact us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or (011) 794-4991.

On the 7th August, 2014, BPW South Africa and the Department of Trade & Industry launched South Africa’s first database of “Board Potential Women” at a Business Breakfast held with over 200 CEO’s and high level government officials.  Acting Director General, Mrs Pumla Ncapayi of the Department of Small Business Development (The Department of Trade & Industry) handed over certificates to 19 senior businesswomen who have completed the intensive BPW SA “Women on Boards” director development programme and have now been profiled on the “Board Potential Women” database.  

The first 19 women on this database all fulfil stringent criteria for corporate governance and legislation and are well trained through our “Women on Boards” director development programme.  This list of "Board Potential Women" makes it clear that there are more than enough eminently qualified women to help lead South Africa’s corporations into the 21st century and that it is now time to shatter the glass ceiling that keeps these women from ascending to board positions.  Furthermore, it’s time we provide opportunities to more women than just the “high flyers” who currently occupy most board seats.  

We need to use all of our society’s talents to ensure that South Africa’s economy thrives. We often hear the argument that there are insufficient qualified women to occupy positions in the boardroom. Today BPW SA and the Department of Trade & Industry are shattering those myths as well as glass ceilings! The database shows that the qualified women are there – it’s just a matter of finding them and we’ve made it easy through our database.  There is no longer any excuse for recruiting unqualified non-executive female directors onto a board.  

The programme and database is administered by BPW SA in consultation with the Department of Trade & Industry. All women listed in the database are suitable to be considered for company board-level positions and meet a clear set of criteria.  Every application to be part of our “Women on Boards” programme and database is formally assessed and reviewed and only those women who meet the criteria are accepted. Notably, all women on the database have extensive formal qualifications and at least five years senior management experience.  

Companies should now make use of this untapped pool of talent, and businesswomen interested in potential board posts, should be joining the “Women on Boards” programme and ultimately our national database, in order to promote their profile amongst a larger audience.

For more information, give us a call on (011) 794-4991 or 083 212 9134 or visit our website at www.bpw-jhbsa.co.za.

They are in South African companies and industries right now, although they may not be part of traditional networks and are unlikely to be present at the higher levels of management in the same numbers as men.  It is for this reason that BPW SA and the Department of Trade & Industry (the dti) have partnered in an unrivalled “Women on Boards” director development programme to create a pool of female leaders in SA who are excellently trained and are therefore highly sought after by Boards.  

Most people today have no knowledge about the makeup of corporate boards, even in the companies they work for. These people would be surprised to learn how little diversity of thought and experience exists in the corporate boardrooms and executive suites of South African businesses. Why should you care about board composition? Boards of directors make decisions that can impact you, your community, and the country.  That’s why it’s important that membership on corporate boards be representative of a company's constituents.

Boards of directors choose CEOs. They make decisions about executive compensation, whether to buy, sell, or merge with other companies, where corporate offices close and relocate, and how much priority a company gives to issues other than profits, such as social responsibility.  

Our Women on Boards programme will give you the expertise and exposure needed to be part of the right networks.  It is an eight-part program — strategically placed over the course of 8 months, due to the complexity of the material — equips women with the knowledge and tools needed to elevate themselves to the C-suite and beyond.  In a supportive and highly interactive atmosphere, an impressive roster of top government and corporate experts will guide skilled female executives through a rigorous program of intensive classroom instruction, case studies and simulations. Every element of the program is focused on strengthening and broadening the leadership talents of the participants and delivering positive results for their companies and organizations.  They will improve their understanding of the responsibilities of board membership and develop the skills and strategic insight needed to become a more effective director.     They will improve their understanding of board governance while heightening their financial literacy and increasing their understanding of relevant legislation.  Amongst others, specialist training is also provided by the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) with regard to corporate governance and understanding of JSE terminology and the Commonwealth Business Council (CBC) (London) who will impart their expertise on personal and reputational risk.  The dti will convey their expectations of board members and corporate experts will present, and execute simulations, on media and presentation skills to enhance leadership effectiveness. The programme is certified by the dti.  

For more information, please visit our website at www.bpw-jhbsa.co.za  .or contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 011 794-4991.

Business & Professional Women (BPW SA), and the Department of Trade & Industry (the dti) are hosting a business breakfast on 7th August 2014 to launch a unique 3-day Women’s Empowerment Programme in South Africa to provide registered SME’s with the legislative knowledge required to effectively run their business within the parameters of South African law.  

The breakfast is hosted by DDG Mr Mojalefa Mohoto and DDG Mrs Pumla Ncapayi from the DTI and BPW South Africa as well as senior representatives from the JSE and UN-Women and the Commonwealth Business Council.  Various international Ambassadors and High Commissioners will host tables at the event.  A sponsorship fund will be launched at the breakfast for qualifying enterprises.  

Organisations of all sizes in South Africa need to develop and apply sound governance, risk and compliance principles and institute high ethical values. Failure to do so will have devastating consequences for the organisation, including penalties.   For SMEs, the biggest challenge is a lack of understanding around the difficulties associated with becoming compliant.   Understanding the ever-changing regulations makes the difference between a small business thriving – growing the economy and creating jobs – or closing its doors, and thus closing the door on job creation.  

Simply put, you need to know your laws. Know your rights and obligations. In this way you mitigate risk to yourself, your business, your employees and your customers. If done well, it helps to improve business performance and ensure financial success.   If you would like to be part of this Women’s Empowerment Programme, we invite you to join us at this Business Breakfast – tickets are R500 per person or R5000 per table of 10.   

For more information, or to attend the Business Breakfast,
please visit our website at http://www.bpw-jhbsa.co.za/index.php/events/30-future-events/98-business-training-courses.
Website: www.bpw-jhbsa.co.za

{pp}The 3rd Annual BEE Conference on Tuesday the 6th October saw the realisation of two major initiatives that promise to have far reaching positive effects on the entire BEE landscape in both the immediate and long-term. These were the launch of both the Annual BEE Awards and the BEE Institute.

Keyed up by the greater sense of optimism and urgency infusing the economy, BEE Transformation Managers attending the Conference expressed their approval for groundwork being laid to professionalise BEE practitioners and recognise BEE achievements at every level in business and the public sector.

{pp}Since the publication of Government Notice #354 on 9 April 2009, there have been many online and email statements which have pronounced that BEE certificates produced after 1st August 2009 will only be valid if produced by an Accredited Verification Agency or one that has received a pre-assessment letter from SANAS.

The NABC believes that this interpretation has misled thousands of businesses as it is only partly correct. In addition it has caused many businesses to incur large expenses through agreeing to obtain expensive BEE verification rating certificates which are actually not required by law.