Nando’s joins the Loeries to celebrate design Design from Africa and the Middle East finally gets the recognition it deserves with the expanded Nando’s Design category at the Loeries in 2019. This year’s category has been extended to recognise design from a much broader range of creative professionals. “We’ve expanded the design category beyond only brand communication to include areas of design such as retail furniture and product design, fabric, wallpaper, lighting, architecture and interior design, and even the design of signage programmes,” says Loeries CEO Andrew Human. He adds that the Loeries has long been recognised as the highest accolade in advertising and brand communication.

“A strong design award has been lacking for our region and this is a great opportunity for all designers to showcase their work and achieve recognition.” Design is woven into the Nando’s DNA, making Nando’s a natural partner for the Design category. “Design and creativity have been an intrinsic part of the Nando’s way of doing business.

Nando’s is the first local brand to collaborate with local designers at the scale it does,” says Deirdre King, Nando’s Brand Experience GM. She adds: “Putting our support behind the design community is important to doing business well. Our PERi-PERi power has charted new paths and careers for many local artists and their art. Putting that same fire behind the extended Design category for the 2019 Loeries gives us a chance to spice things up for the wonderful designers who will imprint their names onto this exciting category. According to Gaby de Abreu, Loeries board member and creative head of Switch Design, the awards are invaluable because they offer a chance for designers to showcase their work to a far greater audience.

“The Nando’s Design category at the Loeries is an opportunity to showcase excellence across disciplines in countries throughout Africa and the Middle East. For independent designers, it’s a unique chance to achieve recognition across the industry, reaching creatives internationally,” says de Abreu. “For a furniture designer working in an independent workshop or a graphic designer outside of the agency network, this year’s Loeries offers a chance to show the world what you’ve achieved,” he adds. The Nando’s Design category at the Loeries is open to designers across all the main disciplines. The entry deadline is 15 May and more information can be found on loeries.com.

About Nando's: While proudly South African, Nando’s is an international flame-grilling, PERi-PERi chicken restaurant group. We offer a twist of Afro-Portuguese with an upmarket and comfortable dining experience. Two friends, Robert Brozin and Fernando Duarte, opened the first Nando’s in 1987 in Johannesburg, South Africa. All Nando's PERi-PERi chicken is marinated for 24 hours, locally sourced and never frozen, ensuring our customers only get the finest flavours.

Our unique PERi-PERi recipe includes herbs, spices, garlic, lemon juice and bird’s eye chilli. Nando's authentic PERi -PERi has captivated its customers all over the world, making it the largest South African restaurant group to expand internationally. DEADLINE FOR 2019 LOERIES ENTRIES EXTENDED TO MAY 31 About Loeries Africa Middle East: The Loeries, a non-profit company, is Africa and the Middle East’s premiere initiative that recognises, rewards, inspires and fosters creative excellence in the brand communication industry.

As the highest accolade for creativity and innovation across our region, the Loeries promotes and supports creativity by helping marketers, agencies and consumers appreciate the value of ideas and fresh thinking.

Culminating in the biggest creative gathering in Africa and the Middle East, Loeries Creative Week Durban brings together the best innovative minds from our industry for a festival of networking, inspiring minds and recognising great work. Our region's creative economy is world-class and has great potential to grow and to offer employment both to our talented youth. The growth occurring throughout Africa and the Middle East is very exciting, and a major focus of the Loeries is to increase the standard of brand communication in the region.

Major Partners of the Loeries: DStv Media Sales, Gearhouse Category Partners: AB InBev, Barron, Brand South Africa, Facebook, Gagasi FM, Google, JCDecaux, Nando’s, Tsogo Sun, Woolworths Additional Partners and Official Suppliers: AAA School of Advertising, Antalis South Africa, Aon South Africa, Backsberg, BEE Online, First Source, Fresh RSVP Guest Logistics, Funk Productions, Gallo Images, Grid Worldwide, Hetzner, Mama Creative, Newsclip, Paygate, Rocketseed, Shared Value Initiative, Shift Social Development, Vega School, VQI Communications Nigeria Endorsed by: Association of Communication and Design, Brand Council South Africa, Commercial Producers Association, Creative Circle, EXCA, IAB, South African Institute of Architects, IID Official Media Partners Between 10and5, Bizcommunity.com, Book of Swag, Brand Communicator Nigeria, Business Insider by Pulse, Campaign Middle East, Film & Event Media, Modern Marketing The Redzone. Twitter: @loeries Instagram: Loerieawards Facebook: The Loeries

Distributed on behalf of the Loeries by: Riana Greenblo Communications: 011 3256006

For more information, interview requests or high-res images please contact: Gina McLoughlin: 0113256006 (mornings only)or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Riana Greenblo: +27 82 5675159 This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Corporate narcissism…SA’s secret curse - By Annelize van Rensburg* (www.signium.co.za)

It is the unspoken curse stalking corporate South Africa. Few people talk about it but many executives encounter it and may be vaguely – or acutely – aware of the danger to organisations and careers. The potentially toxic issue is corporate narcissism and its personification, the corporate narcissist. Psychologists, consultants and corporate head-hunters have been aware of the issue for many years, though it came into sharp focus internationally following the 2008 financial crisis as the egotism of some business leaders may have paved the way to the Great Recession. Specialists describe corporate narcissism as a corporate culture characterised by excessive pride, leading to destructive behaviour and strategies that boost personal egos rather than a company’s long-term prospects. It is often found in large firms, especially those with clear hierarchies as corporate narcissists favour structures that support their power and protect their position. One chartered psychologist notes negative correlation with honesty and humility, yet positive correlation with openness and extroversion. Translation? A corporate narcissist initially appears charming and open. He or she makes a great first impression and exploits it to win high ratings for performance. Sometimes performance can be impressive, but narcissists are likely to ride early successes for all they are worth to secure personal advantage. Narcissists steal credit for the work of others and minimise the contribution of subordinates. Narcissists are manipulative and enjoy the trappings of success … the best office, first-class travel and accommodation, luxury cars and celebrity lifestyle. A corporate narcissist may build a reputation as a stellar deal-maker and financial wizard. He (or she) is the corporate rain-maker with a knack for building a network of admirers and praise-singers. Peers and subordinates often do the real work while the manipulator hogs the limelight. Those with a different perspective are marginalised. Mistakes may be covered up and blame wrongly apportioned. Abuse and erosion of ethical values set in. Anyone challenging the narcissist is ostracised. An ace manipulator undermines the self-esteem of others.

Colleagues may find themselves working harder and harder as they are led to believe under-performance is their fault. Three consequences may manifest:                                                                                                 

victims (frequently talented individuals) refuse to be victims any longer and quit, hurting organisational performance as staff turnover rockets victims become depressed and demotivated (health and work suffer) victims become whistle-blowers as egotism may lead to mis-statements of fact, even fraud (though raising a red flag may initially do more harm to whistle-blowers than narcissists who supposedly do no wrong). The extent of the local challenge is not only apparent from anecdotal reports, but from feedback given by executives looking to leave seemingly successful organisations.                                      

Upon close questioning, they reveal the angst, anger and frustration of working alongside corporate narcissists in several sectors. There is some good news. International experience shows individuals can resist manipulation by setting clear boundaries and refusing to be sucked into the sycophantic culture that often surrounds a narcissist. You can’t change narcissists, but you can change your reaction to them by refusing to do their jobs or cover for them. Corporate scandals and persistent organisational under-performance are also beginning to alert boards to risks posed by corporate narcissism. Well-informed boards know self-confidence is good, self-absorption bad. With the help of skilled head-hunters, they are becoming better at spotting the difference. Taking a good hard look is a good start if we wish to combat the toxic effects of corporate narcissism. It then becomes possible to build cohesive teams that deliver good, consistent results without glory-hunting … or narcissism.

 *Annelize van Rensburg is a director of Signium Africa (previously Talent Africa), a leading recruitment company based in South Africa offering executive head-hunting and leadership consulting - servicing sub-Saharan Africa.  www.signium.co.za