Category Archives: Main

Connecting in a time of Covid: Redefining the human experience

Three YPO leaders share their learnings from a time of no-contact – and what other organisations need to know about retaining human connection  It can be argued that the success of any organisation is based on the strength of its connection to its stakeholders, and the extent to which it can sustain that connection. Yet […]

The economic cost of sexual harassment

By Johan Botes, Partner and Head of the Employment & Compensation Practice at Baker McKenzie in Johannesburg   Conservatively estimated, one in four women will experience sexual harassment in the workplace at some stage during their working lifespan. The personal toll on these women – and those around them who deal with the secondary effects – […]

Massive increase in M&A deal value in Sub-Saharan Africa in the first half of 2021

There were 333 M&A deals announced in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) in the first six months of 2021 (H1 2021), valued at USD 57.7 billion, according to Baker McKenzie’s analysis of Refinitiv data. When compared to the same period last year (H1 2020) this amounted to a 14% increase in deal volume and an astounding 576% […]

Will the office make a comeback post-Covid-19?

JLL Survey results from Tétris glimpse into the future of the workplace The Covid-19 pandemic and resulting lockdowns worldwide have challenged conventional ideas on how we work and what a workplace should look like. Will the traditional 9-5 workday and five-day work week at the office come to an end as new, more flexible work […]

Decentralised finance may be the panacea for filling Africa’s Investment Gap

by Pomy Ketema, Counsel, Baker McKenzie, New York African countries continue to face substantial financing gaps as they take on projects of all sizes in pursuit of development. To tackle the slowdown in foreign direct investment since the onset of the pandemic, some African countries are actively courting their diaspora and looking for pockets of […]

Towards a circular economy for plastics, where it does not become waste

Plastic, plastic, plastic everywhere! Not a place you can turn to without being greeted by the sight of plastic. Plastic is a doubled edged sword. It is very much a part of our lives, being a packaging material for many of the products we consume and also being a primary or secondary raw material for […]

Digital transformation should be about the customer, not the technology

Digital transformation alongside automation enablers like artificial intelligence (AI) and Robotic Process Automation (RPA), coupled with the responsible utilisation of data assets will be determining business success factors over the next five years, according to Grant Phillips, Group CEO at e4. While the landscape will be enormously different in the coming years, Phillips says that […]

Unlocking Sustainable Investment in AFRICA through AIM-AFRICA

AIM AFRICA will be a powerful impetus in strengthening AFRICA’s economic stability, sustainability, and growth. The African continent has immense untapped economic potential that presents innumerable opportunities for investors. The continent is also emerging as one of the preferred destinations for investments. According to data released in 2020 by the United Nations Population Division, 56.2% […]

No IPOs in Africa in the first half of 2021, but global IPO Activity on Pace to Hit Historic Highs in 2021

There were no cross-border Initial Public Offerings (IPOs) on African exchanges in the first half of 2021 (H1 2021) according to new Baker McKenzie analysis, H1 IPO Snapshot: Unfolding Trends for 2021. However, the continued global demand for special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) IPOs reached African shores in the first half of 2021 – with a cross-border […]

Growth in changing times, not really the utopia for thousands of youth

The new world order is in existence. A lot of young people are held back from greatness by limitations and ceilings that they have set for themselves. Thus, they are constrained from reaching their full potential. They believe that there is no space for being value-driven leaders and entrepreneurs in the modern world. Accordingly, they […]