South African Business Archives - Page 2 of 7

25Jan

By Africa BusinessNo Comments

South Africa News, Tech

Paramount Group Appoints Steve Griessel as Group Chief Executive Officer

Abu Dhabi. United Arab Emirates. 25 January 2022 - Paramount Group, the global aerospace and technology company, announced today that it has appointed Steve Griessel as its Group Chief Executive Officer. South African-born Griessel, a global business executive who served as CEO of several companies in South Africa and the United States, including two public companies, brings more than 30 years of business leadership and senior management experience to the group. Griessel, who is well known for driving innovative management practices across various industries, will assume the new role with immediate effect. He will be responsible for providing strategic, financial and operational leadership and will work closely with the Board of Directors, shareholders and senior leadership team. Ivo...

30Dec

By Africa BusinessNo Comments

South Africa News

SMEs of Tomorrow – Tips to Drive Growth in 2022

Employing over half the workforce, driving significant growth in the private sector, and representing some 98% of all businesses, SMEs are the lifeblood of the South African economy. Experts speculate that Digital Transformation, COVID-19 awareness, shifting supply-chain trends, and operational optimisations, are among the key areas where SMEs can drive improvements, and thrive in 2022. Tom Stuart, Chief Marketing Officer of SME services provider Lulalend, says that having already commenced some level of digitisation pre-COVID, many SMEs are now looking to complete their DT in earnest. “These businesses are implementing expanded digital marketing tools, decentralised remote work, e-commerce capabilities, cloud-based data centres, and improved cyber-security measures,” Stuart explains. H...

7Dec

By Africa BusinessNo Comments

South Africa News

South African Companies Offer Value Compared To Overseas Counterparts

Heineken’s proposed R40.1 billion offer for Distell is the latest in a series of notable bids for large South African businesses. This follows DP World’s recent proposed R12.7 billion offer for Imperial Logistics and PepsiCo’s R26 billion acquisition of Pioneer Foods in 2020. A key driver for all three deals is using the local companies as a platform for African expansion. Could this be indicative the country is the next hot spot for merger and acquisition (M&A) activity? Typically, our businesses are ‘bargains’ compared to their overseas counterparts. With M&A activity at an all-time high in Europe and the US, it is likely that there will be further spill-over to local shores; especially given the select value proposition that certain South African companies present. This has maj...

31Oct

By Africa BusinessNo Comments

South Africa News

SA’s Social Entrepreneurs Need Support to Succeed

South Africa’s 141,500 social entrepreneurs are both solving the country’s most pressing problems and contributing to the economy in the process, with the creation of nearly 600,000 jobs and an estimated 76,000 more by 2030[i]. Sadly, however, approximately 70% say they struggle to raise funding due to a lack of networks[ii] and40% don’t even know what type of funding to raise[iii]. What’s more, their choice of business model could be impacting the amount of funding they raise[iv]. “These entrepreneurs need support and guidance if they are to succeed,” says Ashleigh Sibanda, Programme Manager: Business Incubation at business growth specialists Fetola. Together with FNB, Fetola has recently opened entries for the 2021 Social Entrepreneurship Impact Lab™(SEIL) Programme. Running for the se...

31Oct

By Giorgi MikhelidzeNo Comments

Forex, South Africa News

South Africans Are Moving To Forex Trading As A New Source Of Income

Forex (foreign exchange) is undoubtedly something you've heard or read about, which shows how widespread its use has become. However, there are a large number of people who are curious but do not have a thorough grasp of how the South African financial market operates or just do not know where to begin. As commodities, currency pairs serve as a representation of the value of two different national currencies in the forex market. The base currency is the first one stated in the pair, while the quotation currency is the second. FX trading is getting more popular as a result of the ever stringent financial reality we are all now confronted with, right? Here you may start making money without having to leave your house. To securely trade forex, you must choose a reputable broker that places ...

21Oct

By Warren MyersNo Comments

South Africa News, Tech

AI will reduce SA’s crime stats as early as 2023

Applying artificial intelligence to big data can predict – and prevent - crime. By Warren Myers, CEO and co-founder of security and medical response marketplace AURA When a social media site throws out an ad for a product you were just discussing over the phone, it’s easy to jump to conclusions: They must be listening, surely. But the truth is that the site employed artificial intelligence (AI) to predict your behaviour. You searched for a yeast starter last week and commented on a friend’s photo of sourdough bread yesterday. The ad for a bread-making course that seemingly pops up out of the blue was shown to you because the data predicted you might be interested in it – based on your own and previous users’ behaviour. Those same principles can be applied to fight crime – and s...

18Oct

By Africa BusinessNo Comments

Business, South Africa News

Creating a disruption-proof supply chain in Africa

The impact of the pandemic on global supply chains has prompted governments around the world to look at ways to fix the broken links. In Africa, the launch of African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), has provided the continent with new opportunities to strengthen its regional supply chain. Virusha Subban, Head of Indirect Tax at Baker McKenzie in South Africa, explains that there were massive breakages in key links in global supply chains during and after the pandemic, with issues including, among many other things, route congestion and blockages, manufacturing shutdowns, a deficit of skilled labour, a global shortage of key logistics components including shipping containers, a lack of space in warehouses, a spike in transportation costs and substantially increased demand for goods a...

17Oct

By Africa BusinessNo Comments

Business, South Africa News, Startups

Creating inclusive workplaces to boost mental health

Zama Zaca, Head of New Business at Tetris South Africa, shares some design tips on how to make workspaces more inclusive and improve employee mental wellness of employees. Mental health has been in the spotlight recently, with people under strain from the ongoing COVID-19 crisis and top athletes opening up about their mental health struggles during prominent international sporting events. These athletes, including gymnast Simone Biles, tennis player Naomi Osaka and others, who are at the pinnacle of their careers, have helped accelerate a trend in mental wellness, shining a light on its importance to a person’s overall wellness and ability to perform. Companies, too, are starting to prioritise workers’ health and wellbeing, as reflected by flexible and accommodating work policies durin...

27Sep

By Africa BusinessNo Comments

South Africa News, Tech

Another data breach rocks South Africa as details of 1.4 million South Africans gets leaked

We are currently living in a world that is being driven by technology. It is very rare to find any aspect of our daily lives that is not impacted by technology. Since Government imposed the National Lockdown – which aims to mitigate the worst effects of the Covid-19 Pandemic – there has been a significant move towards social distancing and essential services within the financial services industry have moved online. “Criminals have also moved online,” reports Manie van Schalkwyk, CEO of the Southern African Fraud Prevention Service (SAFPS), “it is estimated that there are 17 billion cyber attacks that take place around the world every day. Another South African company reports a data breach Over the past two years, South African companies have been reporting that they have been victims ...

17Sep

By Africa BusinessNo Comments

South Africa News, Startups

SA’s Proposed Startup Act Soon to be Revealed

On Thursday, 16 September 2021, startup ecosystem stakeholders will be unveiling the latest findings and plans towards the development of a proposed South African Startup Act – a call to the President to unleash the growth and innovation inherent in the country’s entrepreneurs and youth. These findings, gathered over the past six months via desktop research, focus groups and research contributed by the World Bank (one of the main sponsors of the research), provide a holistic overview of the problems affecting the ability of startups to establish, grow and scale in South Africa. The findings, which have been collated into a position paper, suggest that innovation-driven start-ups with a turnover of less than R100 million be exempted from the limitations of existing policies and the red-tap...