Young marketing learners can jump on the right path with free education and work experience by applying for Clockwork’s annual Marketing Learnership Programme, which is now open to applicants. In partnership with Red & Yellow Creative School of Business, Clockwork has five slots available each year, offering students and aspiring marketers the chance to learn from the best with a comprehensive 12-month programme.

The learnership programme consists of six months of classroom training and six months of integrated work learning at the Clockwork offices in Johannesburg. Students receive a holistic look at the world of marketing by studying Communications, Strategy, Content, Digital and Design in the course.

This is the perfect way to get a foot in the door of marketing or advertising, and the Clockwork Marketing Learnership Programme is open to anyone with a matric, regardless of previous marketing experience or education.

Applicants are encouraged to submit their CV with a cover letter and a 30-second video explaining why they should be the next learner at Clockwork. Apply here: https://www.clockworkmedia.co.za/careers/marketing-learnership-program/

The world will change more in the next three years than in the past thirty. How do you survive? How do you thrive? Learn how to approach the future with confidence at Own The Future, the disruption strategy seminar taking place in Johannesburg on May 13th.

If you assume your world in 2022 will be like it is now, but with some cooler tech, you are wrong. Chaotic shifts in society, politics, climate, population movement, technology and consumer behavior are making yesterday’s strategies dangerously irrelevant. Whether you are a corporate business leader, a politician, a startup entrepreneur, an academic, a parent or an individual employee, you have to develop the skills needed for making good decisions in conditions of massive uncertainty.

Led by author, futurist, and strategy guru Godfrey Parkin, Own The Future helps you take control of the accelerating digital disruption in your world and your markets. It guides you through powerful approaches to rethinking your strategies and business models for the immediate future.

According to Parkin, “Mastering disruption is not about digital transformation, or even about technology. It is about seeing the big picture by integrating global and local trends, and assessing their impact on people’s priorities and behavior. You have to look for ways to improve your business model and customer experience, and be ready and willing to own them. You have to be where the ball is going to drop, instead of having to chase after it when it is already too late.”

Change requires that you let go of the past, and challenge wishful thinking about the future. The structured approaches used in the workshop make it easier to question established assumptions, become inspired, and to move forward with confidence.

“People today are more easily manipulated, and more ready to try something new, than ever before,” says Parkin. “Privacy no longer exists. Technologies change exponentially, and customer behavior follows; most businesses and professions change much slower, so their hold on customer loyalty erodes quickly. The gaps between what people want and what is delivered become expanding worlds of risk. But in chaos is opportunity!”

Participants in Own the Future learn how to cut through the chaos to build focused strategies for success. They learn how to stay strategically competitive, and how to stay ahead of the game.Own The Future takes place in Johannesburg on 13th May, and places are limited. Contact Britefire at britefire.com or 021 794 7838 for details.

Gauteng businesses wanting to take control of the growing digital disruption in their markets will be headed for “Own The Future” on Aril 8th. Led by digital strategy veteran Godfrey Parkin, Own The Future is a strategy workshop where participants will rethink their business models in the light of emerging scenarios for the immediate future.

According to Parkin, “In the past few years we have seen unprecedented numbers of established businesses suddenly going under. Most of them have no idea what happened. At the same time, new businesses or industries have come from nowhere to total domination almost overnight. Mastering disruption is not about digital transformation, or even about technology. It is about reading the trends in customer behaviour, seeing the emergent opportunities for improving customer experience, and being ready and willing to own them. Your business has to be where the ball is going to drop, instead of chasing after it when it is already too late.”

The workshop apparently can be a little uncomfortable, as change does not come without letting go of the past, or challenging wishful thinking about the future. The structured approaches used in the workshop make it easier to question established assumptions, become inspired and to move forward with confidence.

“People today are more easily manipulated, and more ready to try something new, than ever before,” says Parkin. “Privacy no longer exists. Technologies change exponentially, and customer behavior follows; most businesses change much slower, so their hold on customer loyalty erodes quickly. The gaps between what people want and what is delivered become expanding worlds of opportunity, or risk.”

Participants in the Own the Future workshop learn how to cut through the chaos of unpredictable change to build clearly focused strategies for success. They will gain a profound understanding of the most important digital and social trends, and will learn how to stay strategically competitive. They will also discover the tools and resources that can help them stay ahead of accelerating disruption.

Britefire, the producers of the workshop, assert that every industry and sector will change more in the next three years than in the past thirty. The conjunction of coming social, political, educational and technological changes creates an immediate future which has to be confronted realistically, with strategy and conviction. “You cannot succeed over the coming three years with the business models and customer experiences that sustained you till now. Own The Future will put you back in control of disruption, so it works for you rather than against you.”

Intriguing workshop topics include:

• World on the brink: societal and digital revolutions
• Innovation, disruption, hype and reality 
• Methodologies for business model disruption 
• Identifying your opportunities to differentiate 
• Optimising the radical: from fragile to agile 
• Creating and implementing your disruption strategy

The workshop is being held in the Sandton area on 8th April, and places are limited. Contact Britefire for details.

• Every commercial sector will change more in the next three years than in the past thirty. Digital disruption is undermining the viability of the business models of established companies at an accelerating pace, leading to worldwide closure of brands, companies, and even entire industries.
• With the help of the Own the Future workshop, South African leadership teams are now identifying disruptive opportunities for their business models and brands, and crafting strategies to thrive in the expanding chaos.

Cape Town – South African companies are urgently rethinking how they do business in the digital era.  Digital marketing has produced a growing wave of startup companies who are challenging the overhead-heavy dominance of major established businesses. But, more radical than this, some of these startups are actually disrupting the established way in which whole industries do business. The best known are Uber, Airbnb and Netflix. These have fundamentally changed the very nature of global transportation, hotel accommodation and television as well as a range of related industries.

According to digital transformation expert Godfrey Parkin “Today, every industry has its radical innovators. Their impact is fundamental and unforgiving. To survive disruption and remain relevant, companies often have to rethink their business model and restructure their organisation – not once, but continuously. Company culture usually gets in the way, so getting all your team members and on the same page is absolutely vital to success.”

The CEO of Britefire has launched an initiative to help South African boards and management teams understand disruption, and learn how to actively exploit it. Named “Own the Future”, the one-day workshop demystifies digital, and clarifies scenarios for the immediate future of business. It provides methodologies for identifying disruptive opportunities in your business model, and for creating strategies to exploit them.

Built on work Britefire has done over recent years in a number of South African companies, Own the Future is a high-impact actionable experience which engages top team members across all the disciplines in a company. 

Parkin believes that many South African companies are currently at a point known as the edge of chaos, where the pace of innovation in the competitive environment accelerates upwards just as the company's ability to change plateaus. He says "To survive in this world, you have to be supremely agile. To thrive, you have to be the one creating the chaos.” 

The opportunities for success are tremendous, but without an explicit management commitment to continuous change, businesses are endangered. Own the Future provides business leadership teams with the frameworks, tools and inspiration to identify opportunities, and to manage change with confidence.

Britefire is a future-focused business strategy and digital marketing company based in Cape Town and operating worldwide.

For more information visit britefire.com or phone 021 794 7838.

Contact details
Godfrey Parkin, CEO, and workshop facilitator: 021 794 7838   This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 

Introduction  

The year is off to an explosive start for Business Management (BMS) and Business Intelligence (BI) Solutions veteran, Lorge Consulting Services. In fact 2017 marks two significant milestones for the Midrand-based Premier Certified Sage Partner: 31 years in business as well as 22 consecutive years of award-winning success.  

At this year’s prestigious Sage Summit Tour, held from 7th to 9th March 2017 in Johannesburg, the market and technology giant paid tribute to the top performing Business Partners in Africa by presenting awards in various categories. Lorge maintained its acclaimed reputation by scooping 3 awards; among them the coveted Pacific Top Business Partner Award (South Africa).    

Sage Recognises Business Partner Lorge – March 2017, Sandton Convention Centre  

For many who recently attended the above-mentioned Sage Summit Tour (2017), it was no surprise to find Lorge named among the top Business Partners in Africa. The company with a fast-growing footprint in Southern Africa was honoured with the following accolades within respective categories, for outstanding performance during 2016:  

1. Business Partner Awards category – CRM Partner of the Year
2. Pacific Top Business Partner (South Africa) - 2016 {It’s also worth noting that Lorge’s sales were the highest in Africa, within this category over this period}
3. Sage 300 Partner of the Year (SADC) – Second Place     Sage & Business Partners – Building Africa through Innovative Solutions  

As a specialist and undisputed market leader in accounting and business management software development, the globally-backed brand “Sage” works with an elite group of certified Business Partners to effectively service the African market. Accredited Business Partners such as Lorge, with a physical presence and integrated network in Africa, represent a pivotal conduit of product and service delivery in terms of meeting the specific and evolving demands of the market.  

Lorge has earned the status of Premier Certified Sage Partner, which is a top-tier partnership level based on specific criteria. Having serviced in excess of 10000 users in Southern Africa over the past three decades, including listed enterprises spanning diversified industries, the company’s product proficiency is unrivalled.  

Today, Lorge is a preferred supplier and implementer of Sage 300, Sage CRM, Sage X3 People, Sage Intelligence and Sage Evolution among other primary Business Management, Business Intelligence and ancillary solutions. The company boasts a dedicated Sage Accredited In-House Training Centre. Furthermore, the cumulative in-house knowledge, expertise, infrastructure and robust systems ideally place Lorge to deliver strategic business and industry-specific solutions within the African context. This includes conducting industry related needs-analyses, software implementation, affording technical / customer support and maintenance services - including application modifications and related training.               

Anton van Heerden, Managing Director and Executive Vice-President, Africa & Middle East at Sage, so aptly highlighted the crucial role of regional Business Partners in saying:  

“Across Africa, our green army of Business Partners do an excellent job of supporting our customers by enabling them to unleash the full benefit of our solutions. They work hard to develop and maintain relationships with customers, understand their unique needs, and creatively address their problems. We thank them for their role in our success story and congratulate the winners for their excellence.”  

Lorge – Leading the way for Generations  

In today’s exciting day and age of globalisation, expansive business-integration, innovative mobile and online technology, there emerge various significant market opportunities that well-managed businesses can capitalise on. Despite the sea of growth potential, however, conditions have expectedly also given rise to intensive competition. Hence, it is equally paramount to not only harness business strengths, but develop competitive advantages that foster sustainable growth. This thinking undergirds the ethos of Lorge as encapsulated in the company’s commitment to superior fit-for-purpose products, customised solutions and world-class service.  

Lorge attributes its success to a consistent client-centric approach, ongoing learning and development, a dedicated and skilful workforce as well as visionary leadership. This is reflected in the number of awards received each and every year for over two decades. It is a worthy commendation when an organisation is recognised for its industry achievements in the form of an award or two, but Lorge’s incredible track record of consistently winning awards speaks to the organisations ongoing excellence, passion and determination to excel.  

In Closing...  

Having considered the above, it is noteworthy that so many leading enterprises in an array of industries - from digital communications, to manufacturing, service sectors and many more - have loyally adopted Lorge as their preferred supplier and implementer of Sage Solutions.  

For further information on our BMS / BI Solutions or to channel a related enquiry, simply contact our Marketing and Sales Coordinator, Bronwyn Delport on 010 594 9800.

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Dr Leon Grové believes it is the people in your business that will determine whether you survive and prosper through to 2020.

Leon is one of the four featured speakers – along with Bryce Biggs, Clive Coetzee, and Rob Smorfitt - at the Business 2020 workshops being presented by the Pietermaritzburg Chamber of Business workshops on the 24th and 25th of March. Leon is a registered clinical psychologist, as well as a consultant, trainer, facilitator, author, executive coach and mentor.

He writes, publishes (author of the book ABC of Stress), and consults to a wide range of corporate and government clients. He has a particular interest in the fields of leadership and personal development. This work ranges from working with senior level executives on emotional intelligence to schoolchildren making career choices.

He assists with the assessment of leadership effectiveness and emotional intelligence for the staff  in senior leadership positions. He also takes a keen interest in the development of younger people and assists with assessing and coaching young people in the selection of a career direction. Amongst his younger clients, he is known as “Doc Groovy”.

At the workshop, Leon will address essential people aspects of your business –

-      how to successfully choose partners or staff

-      how to maximise benefits from your networks

-      how to keep your people engaged and committed

On the 24th, the four speakers will be focusing their input on start-ups and new businesses (concept, or start-up businesses, or those under three years since their establishment).

The workshop on the 25th will be focused around the needs of established SME businesses.

Bryce Biggs of Bryce Biggs Consulting is coordinating the Business 2020 workshops on behalf of the PCB. For more details on the workshops, which will take place at the Chamber offices in Pietermaritzburg, contact Lorna Jones on 033 345 2747 or at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

South African businesses must tailor their mobility strategies to meet wider business needs  

If an organization truly wishes to succeed in today's ultra-competitive environment, it must invest in an integrated mobility architecture that directly addresses its business needs. That's the view of George Kalebaila, senior research manager for telecommunications and media at IDC South Africa. To date, many South African businesses have employed a minimalistic approach to enterprise mobility, focusing more on the provision of corporate-owned smart devices and VPN connectivity to corporate resources.  

This tactic has ultimately hampered the benefits and added value that organizations should be reaping, but a shift in attitude may be on the horizon. "Over the medium to long term, I expect many businesses in the country to overcome this reticence as they formalize their mobility strategies and employ a more holistic approach," says Kalebaila. "However, this move could still be inhibited by key areas of concern around the need to protect corporate data, manage multiple device types and operating systems, integrate with existing applications, uphold corporate network security, and work within the scope of limited IT budgets."  

Such considerations will feature prominently at IDC's upcoming South Africa CIO Summit 2015, with the issue of security coming into particularly sharp focus given the perceived threat posed by the explosion of consumer apps that IT departments have no control over. "Data-security concerns and the difficulty of separating personal and enterprise data on smart devices are among the top priorities for South African enterprises today," explains Kalebaila. "Furthermore, the introduction of bring-your-own-device (BYOD) policies inevitably means that IT departments will be tasked with managing a range of different platforms that all require different configurations, thereby adding even more complexity to IT environments that are already far from straightforward."  

"Given these inherent challenges, it is clear that organizations need to take a holistic approach to enabling enterprise mobility, and formulate strategies that not only meet business needs but also closely align with the overarching goals of the organization," continues Kalebaila. "They also need to formulate security policies that address the challenges posed by enterprise mobility and adopt a phased approach towards its implementation, focusing first on mobilizing the processes that are most critical to the organization and likely to deliver the greatest value. Equally as critical is the need to secure help from a trusted partner capable of successfully navigating the complex mobility ecosystem."  

There are numerous issues that organizations must bear in mind when developing a coherent enterprise mobility strategy. They must begin by assessing their true mobility needs and weighing these up against the preferences of their employees. Security and device management requirements must also be taken into account, as should the need for any new mobile solutions to integrate seamlessly with existing applications and systems. Vendor selection is key in this regard, and special attention should be given to those providers that can offer end-to-end support across the entire mobility ecosystem.  

"The benefits of rolling out a robust, secure enterprise mobility strategy are clear to see," concludes Kalebaila. "Mobility can be a critical source of differentiation, and it most certainly facilitates the agility required to respond quickly to a rapidly changing business environment. It also increases productivity, drives the efficient use of corporate resources, and enhances employee flexibility and quality of life. And on top of all this, it allows for more informed management decisions, drives a reduction in procedural delays, and improves the effectiveness of the sales force by providing real-time access to customer information." 

Global leader and innovator in mobile device security and Enterprise Mobile Management (EMM) technology, AirWatch® by VMware is returning to the 6th IT Leaders Africa Summit as a Silver Sponsor.  

A diversified senior executive with global CRM technology applications and services experience, MD Ian Evans, has been successful in helping companies achieve their forecast goals by structuring sales and operation processes. 

  “Enterprises including Merck KGaA, a leading pharmaceutical, chemical and life science company, have launched private app stores for two reasons, to maintain control of compliance and security risks by providing only corporate sanctioned apps for employee use and to increase productivity by allowing employees to choose the apps they need, thereby reducing IT costs.”  

Ian will explore Merck’s mobility story during their workshop at the IT Leaders Africa Summit and share best practices on implementing an engaging internal enterprise app program, which will soon be a necessity to enabling a productive mobile workforce.  

AirWatch® executives, including Ian, will be available throughout the two day summit to interact with, and offer help to attending CIOs.   Q&A sessions during this workshop will give attendees the opportunity to discuss their challenges and opportunities in the workplace.

Airwatch will also showcase their solutions at the innovation display area with experts on hand to discuss and exchange ideas with attendees.  

Join us to hear the experts at the 6th edition of IT Leaders Africa Summit on the 18-19 March 2015 at the Maslow hotel in Sandton, Johannesburg.  

Contact Marcia van Jaarsveld on 021 180 4700 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for more information.  

During the early 90’s when I managed various open-pit contract mines on behalf of one of the biggest contract mining companies, I recall that on more than a dozen of open-pit contracts carried out during my tenure, the mine plans issued by the Mining Company were impractical and unsuitable for implementation. Following discussions with several of our competitors at the time, I realized that the aforesaid was not an exception but rather the norm.

Notwithstanding, during 1996 I embarked upon an aggressive approach to address this skill shortage and established Tacmin, with the specific intention to grow a business which focused on closing the gap between technical and practical mining. Based upon observations made following 18 years of servicing mining clients on more than 50 multi-commodity open-pit mines across Africa, I can with regret report that the problem I came across in the early 90’s, very much appears to be still relevant today.

Sadly enough, software companies have constantly attempted to address the problem and in my opinion have succeeded to develop more advanced mine engineering and planning software; to the extent that the industry is now reliant upon “software engineers” to solve problems, while the gap between practical and technical continues to widen. In general, the inefficiencies due to this skill shortage was up until now something that could have been absorbed, however in the current economic climate, mining companies continue to contend with price volatility, geopolitical turmoil, rising costs, declining grades and a general lack of access to financing.

In light of the many ongoing challenges, several industry leaders have urged mining executives to sharpen their focus in order to achieve sustainable productivity improvements and embrace new forms of innovation. While many have turned to uncovering hidden costs and restructuring their supply chain, one of the main areas of focus has been flagged as mine planning, with the aim to create effective mine plans and track daily adherence to production volumes. But how do we overcome this with the lack of skills among miners and lack of accepting responsibility by the mining contractor?

Sometime in the mid 2000’s, I recall sitting in a boardroom of one of the mining companies, owner of at least 5 open-pit mines across Africa at the time, attending presentations by mining experts backed by some of the most advanced software on the market, who presented the most lucrative budget forecasts for the medium term. Our involvement was to audit and test the proposed schedules and plans and regrettably we had to point out that the equipment employed at the time did not have the capability to achieve the production levels which were reported. Aforesaid was further enforced by the CEO then, who stated that he has for years seen everything working on paper, but not on the ground.

Since Tacmin has from inception focused on bridging the gap and making their mine plans, schedules and forecasts happen on the ground (and continue to do so), our customers have without fail always benefited while conformance to our mine plans have consistently remained above 90%. Regrettably, we experienced in most instances that mine plans and schedules compiled by others had to be re-engineered by ourselves prior to implementation. People often ask what is the main contributor to Tacmin’s success in this regard, and I always reply that we apply first principles, take responsibility for implementation and religiously track progress against the design, plan and schedule.

Whilst several mining companies may have already experienced that throwing money at the mine plan has not solved the problem, all is not lost for mine owners. Open-pit mining companies can start to regain control of their operations by ensuring that appropriate monitoring is in place. One does not have to sit and wonder, or experience unsatisfactorily results while not being able to establish what is the true cause to non-conformance. After all, as James Harrington put it “Measurement is the first step that leads to control and eventually to improvement. If you can’t measure something, you can’t understand it. If you can’t understand it, you can’t control it. If you can’t control it, you can’t improve it.” In fact, an increasing number of mining companies, similar to many other industries, are starting to recognize the benefits of aerial monitoring and its ability to provide quick and comprehensive data and visual observation of an entire mine inclusive of its operations.

In light of the increasing demand for Tacmin’s services, the company has since 2013 re-geared itself to rapidly respond to the needs for faster turnaround of open-pit mines and as a result is now better placed than before to assist customers through an unique blend of services that enable them to:

Monitor mining operations: By establishing and making results transparent to all by means of advanced turnkey aerial and mapping solutions, thereby providing clients with ongoing monthly updates of the as- built situation through aerial surveys for an objective comparison of the mining progress and mine plan conformance, bench-marked against reported schedules and costs.

Conduct audits of all technical and production related matters: Assess the practicality of mine plans and schedules as well as the effectiveness of manpower, equipment and resource capability to comply with the anticipated schedule, and plan and present with the aid of aerial collected data, deviations from the mine plan.

Work in close collaboration with mines personnel: Implementing and rolling-out the mine plan and budget while periodically tracking and monitoring progress against the mine plan becomes the ultimate key to success and sustainable improvement. Having a plan but not implementing it, is as good as not having a plan at all. Mine companies need to ensure that on-site personnel and contractors are properly aligned with the plan and able to carry it through. This can be particularly challenging in some instances given the hostility in mining contractor relationships. In such cases, most companies elect to appoint a Client’s representative or independent party who can take up the responsibility of ensuring a smooth implementation.

Tacmin Madini has a considerable track record of appointments as the Client’s Representative / Engineer in numerous mine optimisation and contractor management assignments. In the aforementioned role, Tacmin assumes the responsibility for various functions such as verification, compilation, approval and management of data, contract agreements, engineering designs, mine plan conformance, progress tracking, measurement, certification, budgets and cost.\

Website: www.tacmingroup.com

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.