Bigger, better Leaderex 2016A bigger and better Leaderex opens its doors to the public on August 24 2016 – a day for executives, professionals and entrepreneurs to network, challenge conventional thinking, and learn from the country’s top CEOs and thought leaders, writes Cara BouwerBUILDING ON A SUCCESSFUL de-but in 2015, this year the organisers, Leader.co.za, in association with the JSE and leading think tanks, have stitched together 50 events that fo-cus on key priority areas for South Africa, including entrepreneurship, innovation, economic growth, invest-ing and, of course, leadership.

Over 100 respected thought lead-ers and entrepreneurs will share prac-tical insights and advice on the day, representing one of the largest col-laborations of its kind in the country – and the top networking platform for professionals.

The current uncertainty pervad-ing South African society, politics and economics will be tackled head-on, with experts debating what is required to get the country moving in the right direction. South Africa’s lack of a savings culture will be a key talking point, and investment vehi-cles, from tax-free savings to ETFs, will be thoroughly unpacked.

Last year the free, one-on-one coaching sessions were a huge hit with delegates, offering individuals a unique opportunity to enjoy per-sonal career guidance from leading coaches and consultants, on subjects ranging from leadership and strate-gy to innovation and entrepreneur-ship. Leaderex 2016 has built on this hunger for knowledge transfer and is again offering this hugely successful initiative.

For the entrepreneur, funding, mentorship and enterprise develop-ment are core themes, tying in with topics such as self-leadership, the role of civil society, socially oriented businesses and an overarching drive to get South Africans to take collec-tive ownership of their future.

Dave Duarte, founder of Tree-shake and a World Economic Forum Young Global Leader, participated in the 2015 event and is back again in 2016. He was quick to give Leader-ex the thumbs-up, saying: “It was a phenomenal opportunity to meet so many people at one time who were

interested in organisational and per-sonal development. It also stretched the idea of personal and organisa-tional development. It was wonderful and there were people there at all levels, from graduates to top leaders and entrepreneurs.”

Duarte singled out the vibrancy of the event and the networking oppor-tunity, something that Piet Naudé, director of the University of Stellen-bosch Business School, also noted: “Leaderex 2015 was a really good networking experience, with expo-sure to people interested in studying with us or doing executive educa-tion.”

Naudé said that, for business schools, the value of an event such as Leaderex lay in its provision of “one-stop exposure to all the good busi-ness schools in South Africa”. This educational theme runs throughout the Leaderex platform, hardly surpris-ing when you consider the strength and vibrancy of South Africa’s world-class business education sector, and the focus on skills across all sectors.

Quality learning the SA wayAccording to Dr Millard Arnold, head of the South African Business School Association, the state of business education in South Africa looks rosy. “The Financial Times [in the UK] puts out an annual survey of business schools each year, and one of the categories is executive education, broken into customised education and general education. Last year in executive education they ranked the top 85 business schools around the world; of those, South Africa had four [out of 18 business schools]. That is huge. Only the United States, Britain and France had more than South Afri-ca,” says Arnold.

“That says volumes about the lead-ership we have at the business-school level and the confidence business has in business schools.”

Arnold, a lawyer, businessman, for-mer diplomat, professor and journal-ist, has a keenly strategic approach to

business and the world, and is mindful of the challenges facing today’s lead-ers across all spheres of society.

These challenges of globalisation, the speed at which the world moves and the impact of technology not only span the leadership theme at Leaderex 2016; they also talk to in-novation, the future of work, how we lead our businesses and our nation, how we manage our own lives and careers, and how we inspire business growth and entrepreneurship.

The complex global world in which we live requires a particular focus on how we strategically mould our society. A former United States Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Human Rights and Humanitarian Affairs, Arnold offers this anecdote to illustrate the complexities of deci-sion-making and leading in a digital world, in which information is plenti-ful and demanding: “I used to be in the United States government, and one of the first assignments I had, during the period of the Iranian cri-sis, was to review a number of asylum applications from Iran to the United States. From floor to ceiling were boxes of applications, and I was the last vote on whether people got asy-lum or not. I looked and read, then I called a colleague and said I didn’t think I could decide.

“He said: ‘You were not hired for what you know; you were hired for your judgment.’ That is where we are today. It is how well you have been able to develop a train of judgment, and be coherent and cogent when under pressure. That is where busi-ness is today, and especially at the tip of Africa.”

While, on the whole, Arnold be-lieves he is “fairly generous” in terms of his assessment of leadership across the spectrum of South African society, he admits to being “genuine-ly impressed by business leadership in South Africa”, and “I continue to think our leadership is better than most”. Leaderex aims to lift the bar even higher.

WHAT’S IN IT FOR ME?Leaderex is back in 2016 with a range of insightful masterclasses, forums, debates and workshops that will run simultaneously over the period of one day, together with an overarching networking pavilion and exhibition.• Attend free masterclasses – Attend inspirational

masterclasses with South Africa’s top CEOs, thought leaders and entrepreneurs.

• Explore career opportunities – Engage with top employers and recruiters. Discover career opportunities for high-calibre candidates, and network with other professionals.

• Start or grow a business – Connect with incubators, accelerators and startup platforms. Access funding, venture capital and mentorship opportunities.

• Investigate MBAs and business schools – Meet with academic directors, programme managers and faculty to obtain an extensive understanding of the various programmes on offer, and their alignment with career and business objectives.

• Get one-on-one coaching – Participate in free, one-on-one sessions with leading coaches and consultants on aspects relating to leadership, strategy, innovation, entrepreneurship and career development.

• Secure your financial future – Find out about savings and investment options, and receive financial advice.

• Win prizes and giveaways – Over R500 000 in prizes and giveaways is up for grabs. And exclusive value offerings will be available to high-flyers.

Date: Wednesday, August 24 2016Times: 10h00 to 18h00Venue: Exhibition Hall 1, Sandton Convention CentreWebsite: http://www.leaderex.com

WHAT’S NEW AT LEADEREX 2016?This year Leaderex is adding a new MBA Match-making element to the already packed line-up of things to do on August 24. During these MBA Matchmaking events, prospective MBA students will be able to meet one-on-one with admis-sions staff. This is a positive move, believes Piet Naudé, director of the University of Stellenbosch Business School. He says: “Despite being written off a number of times over the last 100 years, the MBA has shown remarkable resilience as the benchmark generalist management degree in the world. South Africa offers fantastic study oppor-tunities in this regard, as our top schools com-pete with the best and provide value for money.”

THE BROAD LEADERSHIP topic up for discussion during Leaderex 2016 is: South Africa, where have the leaders gone? It’s a theme which promises to deliver topical insights into the state of leadership in South Africa and the world, and a ques-tion that lends itself to controversial views and plain speaking.

From 10h30 on August 24, high-calibre speakers will be on hand to debate what, in a local gov-ernment election year, is a vital issue for all South Africans. These include Prof Piet Naudé from the Universi-ty of Stellenbosch Business School (USB); dean of the Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS), Nicola Kleyn; Henley Business School Af-rica’s dean, Jon Foster-Pedley; Dr Zanele Ndaba from Wits Business School; Dr Tim London from the University of Cape Town Graduate School of Business; Owen Skae from Rhodes Business School; and Dave Duarte from Treeshake.

Catching up with some of the speakers before the event, it seemed, however, that the demise of leadership in South Africa had been somewhat exaggerated.

Henley’s Foster-Pedley was quick to point out that there was no leadership vacuum in South Af-rica. The biggest problem, he said, was that people were looking in the wrong place for leadership, particu-larly when it comes to political lead-ership. “Is our political leadership doing its job? No. Is this leadership trusted? No. But we can’t put all our problems in the lap of political leaders. There are plenty of brilliant leaders in South Africa, but it is the political situation stopping the great leaders from replacing the poor leaders.”

Why, you may ask? Foster- Pedley was upfront about the chal-lenge: “There is so much deep cor-ruption across all organs of state that people are scared to speak out. The situation in South Africa is des-perate.”

Our failure as a society currently lies in not taking personal responsi-bility, he said. “You can’t be a leader yourself and be complaining about the lack of leadership provided by others. As a leader you can con-demn corruption or poor leader-ship or people who are ineffective or dangerous and selfish, and you must do that.”

This view was echoed by GIBS’s Kleyn and USB’s Naudé. Like Fos-ter-Pedley, Kleyn feels “leadership starts with self”, and she was keen to point out that we all play multiple

leadership roles in our day-to-day lives. “It’s about recognising that we all have a leadership role to play, in-stead of looking to the pre-existing leaders in society,” she said.

Her USB counterpart agreed: “We have reached a stage where leaders in all sectors of society need to stand up and be counted. We have passed the point where we can simply look on and shake our heads.”

But how do we get this right? How do we turn around the cur-rent confusion around leadership?

According to Treeshake’s Duarte, while we don’t currently have a void in leadership, “we also don’t have a sense of direction; many leaders are worried about holding an office and not about creating direction”.

That direction, that mapping out of the future, is essential, said Foster-Pedley. “The point of leader-ship is to provide people with pur-pose and meaning, and a sense of integrity and value. A good leader will make you and me give every last thing we have in the service of something we would die for.”

Yes, we do have leaders ca-pable of this, stressed Naudé. But, as the events unfolding in a pre-election United States and a post-Brexit United Kingdom highlight, the world is currently battling with the wrong kind of leadership. “Leaders use populist language and draw people back into their nationalistic and ethnic self-enclosed lives, whilst [what we need is] more openness and coop-eration in a global world,” he said.

A global outlookInternational trends in leadership can and should be incorporated into the way we manage leadership education and analysis in South Af-rica, said Kleyn. “We are part of a broader system that is deeply turbu-lent. The systems that have served us so well need to shift, and the assumptions about the role of busi-ness should be deeply questioned. But we cannot forget that business is part of society and, therefore, we need to reflect on what makes strong societies.”

Leaders, said Kleyn, can and should be providing the moral com-pass needed during times such as these. “Yes, some of the changes that we are experiencing are no doubt the consequences of our political leadership, but it makes me wonder how much this is also globally symptomatic. The world is evolving and there are fundamental shifts in assumptions taking place around what makes strong econo-mies, what makes strong societies and what makes strong political systems. We need to look at which politicians, which leaders, will serve the world best in the future, in light of the shifts currently taking place.”

Teaching leadershipGiven the role business schools play in moulding leaders for the future, it is hardly surprising that many of the speakers at Leaderex 2016 have made the development of lead-ership their core business. Kleyn is chief among them, having writ-ten and spoken extensively on the subject. She believes South Africa has examples of “green shoots” in leadership, individuals and organi-sations that are visible, realistic, of-fer a sense of purpose, and are con-sistent in their message and actions.

Certainly, said Duarte, we have shining examples of leadership in South Africa, role models who can and should show us the way. Pub-lic Protector Thuli Madonsela was the first name to roll off his tongue, and he singled out Marlon Parker, founder of R-Labs, for “achieving in-credible results with a values-based leadership approach”; ocean ad-vocate Lewis Pugh, for his inspiring

and purpose-oriented leadership, which gets results; and Alan Knott-Craig Jr, for his “vision, bold think-ing, optimism and transparency in bringing free Wi-Fi to people”.

For Duarte, these individuals show an alignment of social impact and profit in action, while harness-ing the power of soft skills. They also exemplify ethical leadership, a trait which Kleyn notes is central to the debates currently taking place within business schools around the responsibility and effectiveness of teaching ethics.

Indeed, can such traits be taught? And, for that matter, can leadership?

Yes, said Foster-Pedley, but “I don’t think we have deep enough, radical enough leadership. The real leadership we want is activism on a much larger scale, and I don’t think we are teaching that in business schools. We are letting leaders get away with just creating businesses. That’s not going to create a better world.”

Business schools are just part of that process of trying to mould lead-ers who are not afraid to lead. “You

don’t have to be a mini-god to be a leader,” said Foster-Pedley. “You just need sufficient self-knowledge to know you aren’t perfect and have a really strong sense of purpose. Real leaders are continuously con-fronted by their own inadequacy, not a Trump-like arrogance.”

At the moment, in a world beset by change, the role played by busi-ness schools in advancing the edu-cation around leadership has never been more important. It is hardly surprising, therefore, that dealing with uncertainly is a big issue at the moment, said Naudé. “The days of linear strategic leadership are gone. We now have the interesting inter-section of chaos theory, imagination and the arts to assist us in this diffi-cult, but exciting time.”

In practice, this means leaders must be able to formulate their val-ues clearly and then demonstrate those values in their behaviours in a consistent manner.

In short, concluded Foster-Ped-ley, “stepping into leadership is like stepping into a fire”. And Leaderex 2016 hopes to provide the neces-sary spark.

Will the real leaders please stand up...

British sociologist Herbert Spencer argued that leaders are the product of the societies in which they live. If that is true, what does that tell us about South Africa? Cara Bouwer investigates

WHAT’S IN IT FOR ME?Digital business expert and World Economic Forum Young Global Leader Dave Duarte, the founder of Treeshake, will share the podium with Hero Telecoms’ Alan Knott-Craig during Leaderex 2016. The duo will be unpacking the agility needed by leaders in the digital age.

As a country we have been investing in management and not sufficiently in leadership, believes Duarte. “We’re mistaking leadership for a position. Leadership development should be invested in throughout an organisation and across all levels. We need capable leaders in all areas – from finance, to culture, to healthcare, to operational excellence.”

Duarte is a believer in the soft and the intangible skills of leadership, “soft skills” such as integrity and trust which, he says, have a profound impact on any organisation.

Leaderex 2016 offers the opportunity to debate and engage with thinkers such as Duarte, to delve into new methods of education and strategic thinking which will help to deepen the well of leadership in your own organisation, as well as within yourself.

MASTERCLASS SCHEDULEThroughout the day on August 24, a series of inspirational leadership masterclasses will give you the opportunity to engage with and learn from top South African CEOs, thought leaders and entrepreneurs.Be sure to diarise the following times: 10h30-11h15 – Prof Piet Naudé: Where have the leaders gone?11h30-12h15 – Prof Nicola Kleyn: How to see around corners12h30-13h15 – Jon Foster-Pedley, John Vlismas and Pepe Marais: The new competitive advantage13h30-14h15 – Dr Zanele Ndaba, Judy Dlamini and Phuti Mahanyele: Women in leadership14h30-15h15 – Dave Duarte and Alan Knott-Craig: Leadership in a digital age15h30-16h15 – Values-based leadership16h30-17h30 – Prof Owen Skae, Koosum Kalyan, Cynthia Schoeman, Dr Sharron McPherson: Whatever happened to integrity? Business leadership in question

NICOLA KLEYN... It’s about recognising that we all have a

leadership role to play

WE MIGHT UNDERSTAND inno-vation better “if we could define it a little more clearly”, believes Adam Oxford, editor of technol-ogy news site htxt.africa. That’s easier said than done, but one simple definition comes from We Think Code’s Camille Agon, who believes “innovation is finding solutions to problems”.

We Think Code is a new peer-to-peer tech institution that opened in South Africa in 2016. It aims to identify and train people between the ages of 17 and 35 for free, to become world-class programmers. It is also one of the exciting and innovative companies participating at Leaderex 2016.

We Think Code smacks of a new approach to learning and the workplace. Explains Agon: “The course is tuition-free, and sponsored by corporates that are going digital themselves and are looking to source the right skills.” Ultimately, it’s about teaching skills or, as she puts it, “learning the lan-guage of innovation, which is cod-ing”.

Business hasn’t always “con-nected” with the language of innovation, or fully appreciated how to put it into action effective-ly, but a groundbreaking initiative at Leaderex 2016 aims to change that. Electronics giant Samsung and htxt.africa are putting togeth-er a White Paper on how virtual reality (VR) can be used in busi-ness.

“This is quite revolutionary,” says Oxford. “In terms of where VR fits into the business sector, there is a huge lack of clarity and we are hoping, with this research paper, to help business understand how to use it as a tool.”

Oxford elaborates that only by finding a way to unleash the power of VR in business can the real impact be felt. “Consumers have shown that they love virtual and augmented reality,” he says. “Just look at the runaway success of Pokemon Go over the last few weeks. But the product has to be right, and that’s where no one is quite sure where to go next.”

During Leaderex 2016, del-egates will hear from Samsung about how virtual reality needs to be viewed (and used) as a plat-form on which to build exciting new applications, “instead of sim-ply focusing on cool hardware”.

For anyone who harbours doubts that South Africa is on the cutting edge of technology and innovation, this masterclass should quell the debate.

Flicking the switch to ‘on’Warren Hero, chief technology officer at Microsoft, certainly be-lieves innovation is alive and well in South Africa. He cites an exam-ple, from 2014, of a 22-year-old app factory intern, Griffiths Sibe-ko, who developed an unofficial Rea Vaya app, “because informa-tion on Rea Vaya routes and time-tables were not easily accessible for the majority of commuters”.

While it is easy to focus on in-ternational startups such as AirBnB and Uber, which have disrupted traditional industries by using dig-ital innovation to orchestrate as-sets rather than owning them, it is important to celebrate South Afri-can successes. Hero adds: “South African tech startup VIGO started catering to the online solution needs of small to medium-sized business (SMEs) following Google SA’s closure of the Woza online initiative.” VIGO created an online web creation platform company that enables SMEs to create in-teractive, responsive and search- engine optimised websites.

This example highlights an essential driver for digital innova-tion: finding ways to provide solu-tions that people need. It could be a public-sector solution such as the Johannesburg Road Agency’s “Find and Fix” app, which makes it easier to report potholes, faulty traffic lights and other infrastruc-ture issues in the city, or a busi-ness solution such as the award- winning FNB Banking app.

The challenge businesses face, however, is understanding what customers actually need, as op-posed to what the business thinks they want. “Utilising technology to serve customers better is no longer a competitive advantage,” says Hero. “It is part and parcel of the current operating environment for all companies.”

Coming full circle, these big-time innovations often start small, and ever-present in big business’s rear-view mirror are the up-and-coming digital natives who are learning to code and able to use their skills to create solutions.

But can digital innovation be taught? “Innovation is linked to disruption; it’s about seeing the world differ-ently,” believes We Think Code’s Agon. She feels that you can’t teach innovation; rather, it is about providing tools and an environ-ment where this can be encour-aged. “It’s about turning challeng-es into opportunity.”

While the likes of We Think Code and TechInBraam in Johan-nesburg (a tech cluster in the Tshi-malogong Precinct backed by the University of the Witwatersrand, government, industry and aca-demia) are making strides to im-prove skills in South Africa’s econ-omy, the educational sector as a whole is not immune to the need to adapt to the digital times and harness the power of innovation.

“Education is one area where big strides are being made in terms of innovative solutions to boost the performance of edu-cators, and make learning more entertaining, captivating and ful-filling for students,” says Hero. He cites the example of a Grade 6 teacher, Keshma Patel, at Mickle-field Primary School in Cape Town, who is using innovative teaching practices, such as the creative vid-eo game Minecraft, in her class to promote creativity, collaboration and problem-solving. “This ini-tiative has boosted the levels of attention and interactivity in the class.”

Yes, harnessing the power of innovation can help to save floun-dering education systems such as South Africa’s, says htxt.africa’s Oxford. Referring to a Leaderex 2016 masterclass on the subject, featuring Hero, Derek Moore from Web Learning and Sunward Park High’s Enoch Thango, Ox-

ford notes: “South Africa spends almost five times the amount per pupil in the state system as Kenya, and achieves far worse outcomes in core skills such as reading and mathematics.

“Innovation in education today is almost a synonym for putting more tablets and tech into class-rooms – but is innovation really that easy? Which have been the most successful IT interventions in our public schools, and how can we repeat – and improve upon – their success?”

One area that is certainly mak-ing great strides in education is VR, as it attempts to shed its image of being just a gaming gimmick. Rick Treweek, founder of African Ro-bot, believes the technology has advanced to the point where it can now be used to support skills development and training. “You can learn to drive an industrial ma-chine, how to perform a surgery. It’s real world-changing stuff.”

Treweek believes business is looking to VR as a way of doing away with expensive, boring work-shops that, for many, have become an organisational nightmare. Now-adays a headset can deliver a more effective educational experience.

Innovations such as VR can, and will, change the world in years to come. And come 24 August, Leaderex will shine a light on this brave new world.

What innovation really means for businessInnovation, like any good words appropriated too many times for too many purposes, has become something of a cliché, says Adam Oxford of htxt.africa, a company looking to claim back the word by inspiring action. By Cara Bouwer & Jane Steinacker

WHAT’S IN IT FOR ME?For those with a passion for innovation who are looking to unlock value in their own businesses through new technologies and ways of thinking, Leaderex 2016 offers an array of masterclasses, designed by htxt.africa, to ignite your pioneering spirit.

Adam Oxford of htxt.africa explains: “When Leaderex approached us to curate a masterclass stream about innovation, we knew straight away what we didn’t want to do. We didn’t want a day of self-congratulatory back-patting which left audiences feeling momentarily positive about the future, but fundamentally unchanged. We wanted to look at the reality of where innovations meet people in South Africa and the continent beyond, and what effects, good and bad, it has had.”

One of the stand-out industries benefiting from innovation in South Africa currently is the renewable energy sector, in which creative thinking is essential to financial viability. With a masterclass dedicated to this sector, Oxford notes that while “from a technological point of view there are few innovations left to make… the question isn’t how can we innovate to make production better; it’s how can we make it affordable – and that requires complex innovation in financial models”.

In a similar vein, the applications of virtual reality will be unpacked, highlighting the importance of VR as one of the biggest disruptors of the past decade. The release, at Leaderex 2016, of a White Paper on the use of VR in business, by Samsung and htxt.africa, is sure to be one of the highlights of the programme.

Finally, Oxford believes the last session of the day is “perhaps our most important”, dealing with how to extend the conversation about innovation beyond the middle class and urban areas. “What does innovation mean to the majority of the population, and how can we find and support those who are building and creating solutions for everyday problems that could be a million miles away from the luxury of the Sandton Convention Centre?”

With a range of speakers, from high-growth tech startups to informal-sector entrepreneurs, sharing their experiences and the pioneering work being done in this area, the closing innovation session is sure to inspire entrepreneurs, big businesses and policy-makers alike.

We build the people who build the businesses that build Africa.

World’s top 20 business school* for executive education.

* As ranked by the Financial Times

henleysa.ac.za @HenleyAfrica/HenleyAfrica/Henley Business School Africa

SiMODiSA START-UP, curator of the entre-preneurship agenda at Leaderex 2016, has assembled a lineup of trailblazers, experts and innovators to deliver unique and in-depth perspectives on the state of business ownership in the country, and what needs to be done to turn entrepreneurship into a formidable accelerator in the economy.

Opportunities for the youth are plenty, but can be activated only if the up-and-coming generation is given the necessary skills, tools and investment with which to thrive. South Africa may be rich in culture, ambition and talent, but understanding how to capitalise on these characteristics will be key to future growth.

Technology is a huge driver of growth all over the world, and South Africa is no excep-tion. However, Tony Koutakis, executive head of Ignite, points out that technology basics, such as reliable connectivity and communi-cation services, are essential when starting a business that can compete in the modern, fast-paced, tech-led business environment. “Without these, it is impossible to keep in contact with clients via email, work remotely with teams in different locations, market the business, build industry contacts on social media platforms, and so on,” he says.

Understanding the role technology and other enablers play in succeeding in to-day’s business world is essential. Koutakis explains that integrating technology into a new business early actually helps to reduce setup costs; for example, with a stable Wi-Fi connection that allows a business owner to work anywhere and at any time, they can forgo leasing office premises.

“Importantly, young entrepreneurs should consider a technology partner that under-stands the needs and challenges of startups – they should offer services and value-adds that scale with the business, and terms that help keep operating expenses low,” he says.

Navigating the red tapeOne of the challenges local startups face is onerous rules and regulations, which can be costly and time-consuming. Keith Jones of Sw7, the largest mentor-led tech innovation accelerator in Africa, notes that the process-es to set up and begin trading slow down businesses and distract them from the real issues they should be focusing on.

“In a market where resources are limit-ed, like ours, these barriers can be the dif-ference between success and failure. If the scarce time and resources are used in set-ting up and getting compliant, the business has less time and energy to focus on get-ting their product to market,” says Jones, who will be offering tips during his Leader-ex 2016 masterclass on how to navigate the rules and regulations inherent in starting a business in South Africa.

Jones explains that while it’s easier to take a shortcut and trade informally, if busi-nesses are not set up correctly, they can’t scale, create formal jobs, raise finance or secure lucrative contracts.

He says government disbursement pro-grammes are similar, and that the report-ing burden and time to disburse negate most, if not all, of their contribution. “We have a complex and fragmented market, so

getting businesses to scale is a challenge. Gaining access to market and getting con-sistent deal flow is by far the biggest chal-lenge new businesses are likely to face.”

Finding the fundsFunding is by far the greatest challenge cited by entrepreneurs globally. Jeff Miller, non-executive chairman of Seed Academy, explains that a major barrier to accessing funding is that entrepreneurs lack knowl-edge of the various channels available for funding, and that the criteria to receive fund-ing and finance institutions’ processes are not streamlined. “There is a misconception among entrepreneurs that there isn’t access to funding, but this is far from reality,” says Miller, who will take part in a “Big F” master-class at Leaderex 2016.

In order to overcome these barriers and improve access to funding for entrepre-neurs, “we need to ensure entrepreneurs are funding-ready, by equipping them with sound record-keeping skills and tools, de-veloping financial discipline at an early stage of business development, and ensur-ing entrepreneurs develop financial models that are realistic and reflect planned busi-ness growth”.

Miller highlights the variety of formal funding vehicles available to entrepreneurs, which include Development Finance Insti-tutions (DFIs), banks, venture capital com-panies and angel investors. He states that a major concern in the South African land-scape is that the majority of entrepreneurs are self-funding, despite these institutions having large sums of money available to support them. It behoves these funding institutions to market their services so en-trepreneurs have greater clarity about their requirements, he says.

From an ecosystem viewpoint, he says there is a need to develop and enhance the angel network locally, by developing inno-

vative initiatives that encourage investment in early-stage entrepreneurs, connect en-trepreneurs and angels, and establish seed funds that address the funding needs of the early and growth-stage entrepreneurs (re-ferred to as the “missing middle”).

Facing challenges head-onSuccess, of course, isn’t achieved by financial and technical savvy alone, and part and par-cel of running a business is overcoming per-sonal challenges. Donna Rachelson, group CEO of Seed Engine including Seed Acad-emy, asserts that in South Africa people view failure as a negative thing and something to be ashamed of. “As a result, South African entrepreneurs are failing slowly – they are not learning fast enough, innovating enough or building resilience,” she says.

“At Seed Academy we believe there needs to be transparency around failures. Successful entrepreneurs and corporates need to show that it’s okay to fail – it’s how you recover and overcome that counts,” says Rachelson, who adds: “We need to give young people opportunities to fail by fast-tracking entrepreneurial opportunities at every level, ie school, technikons, univer-sities, where entrepreneurship and practical

ways of looking at businesses can be inte-grated into all syllabuses.”

“One way to increase your chances of startup success is by tapping into the minds and wisdom of those who have failed, picked themselves up and succeeded,” says Matsi Modise, MD of SiMODiSA Start-Up, an industry-led initiative that aims to build a strong entrepreneurship ecosystem by specifically addressing and determining what can be done to overcome the barriers that SMEs and startups face. “People do business with people, and having the right social capital to support your venture is crit-ical to your growth,” says Modise.

She points out that young entrepreneurs should identify people whom they look up to in business, and try to get their guidance through the tricky early stages of their start-up ventures. “The best mentors are not nec-essarily the famous ones you read about in business magazines, but perhaps your local business heroes who are successful, acces-sible and willing to make the necessary time for you,” she says.

Getting behind local startups

Entrepreneurship is no longer a buzzword, but an imperative, if we expect to turn the South African economy around and sustain growth in coming years, writes Puseletso Mompei

WHAT’S IN IT FOR ME?Visit the entrepreneurship pavilion to connect with incubators, accelerators and funding institutions. Meet with experts at the Ignite zone to get advice on using technology to grow your business. And attend a range of free masterclasses, from securing funding to learning from failure and navigating startup challenges. Featured speakers include Pieter de Villiers from Clickatell, Allon Raiz from Raizcorp, Rapelang Rabana from Rekindle Learning, AlphaCode’s Dominique Collett, Jason Goldberg of Edge Growth, and Keith Jones from Sw7. Topics up for discussion include:• Hacking red tape• Starting up in Africa• Mentorship dos and don’ts • The big “F” word• Young and gifted entrepreneurs• Fail fast, fail often

MATSI MODISE... Having the right social capital to support your venture is critical to your growth

COACHING IS RIDING the crest of a wave, believes Belinda Da-vies, company secretary and for-mer president of the Coaching and Mentoring Body of South Af-rica (COMENSA). “It is definitely an idea whose time has come,” she says. “There is a solid body of research that shows quite clearly that you can expect between 5.2 and eight times the return on your original investment in coaching.”

“It’s encouraging that coach-ing is now far more widely rec-ognised in South Africa as a key means for developing more ef-fective leaders, and as an industry it is growing locally very quickly,” adds Barbara Walsh, director at Metaco. “As human beings we are designed to self-actualise, and coaching helps people move past limitations to their being their best.”

According to Walsh, through coaching people learn to com-municate more effectively and are enabled to build better rela-tionships. “They learn different styles of leading, and become more collaborative. They learn how to give useful feedback and how to receive feedback them-selves, as well as how to influ-ence and motivate... It’s a safe place to explore how changes in their behaviours and attitudes can deliver better results for them, and how to make those changes. They become better at managing their time, delegating, and developing and empower-ing others. They are able to in-tegrate their learning into higher levels of performance, and de-velop the thinking patterns that enable them to be authentic, successful leaders.”

Dr Salomé van Coller-Peter, head of the MPhil in Management Coaching at the University of Stel-lenbosch Business School (USB), is excited that Leaderex provides opportunities for attendees to ex-perience professional coaching first-hand. “Under the leadership of COMENSA, a team of pro-fessionally qualified and experi-enced coaches provides coaching

sessions [for free at Leaderex],” she says.

These coaching sessions offer the chance to work with a partner who has nothing but your best in-terests at heart, she says. “You re-ceive focused attention and a lis-tening ear, without reproach and with complete confidentiality.”

Over and above the Leaderex coaching sessions, Van Coller-Pe-ter notes that a number of aca-demic institutions will be show-casing their particular coaching programmes at Leaderex. “As programme head, I value the op-portunity to meet potential learn-ers in person, and share with them what our programmes at USB offer and the benefits to learners.”

Dr Paddy Pampallis, co-founder and faculty head of The Coaching Centre, is an internationally accred-ited executive coach, consultant and supervisor, and one of the first five coaches in the world to have received her doctoral degree in executive coaching. She says Lea-derex “is the leading support in-tervention to accelerate learning, growth and development for indi-viduals, teams and organisations”, and adds that The Coaching Cen-tre will be speaking specifically into

the role of Ubuntu in coaching, and incorporating Ubuntu intelligence.

“We have been very involved in integrating the philosophies that have steered coaching locally into a very African offering,” she says. “When Ubuntu is worked with in a lived way, it becomes a beautiful guiding light through which we can honour individual differences, but really work to-wards a collective good.”

Getting the most out of your coaching sessionPampallis firmly believes that while coaching is about identifying indi-viduals’ skills and strengths, and helping people to develop these, the results need to be integrated with the organisational objectives.

“A greater opportunity for coaching and leaders is to ex-pand their awareness, growth and skills to impact into society as a whole,” she says. “This is a pri-mary aim of ours: that we become vehicles for sustainable change in the world.”

Walsh agrees. “Coaching is still primarily focused on the in-dividual, and although this helps with individual performance, it is not enough to generate the kind

of results required. Team devel-opment and team building have been around for many years; however, team coaching is still in its early developmental stage – similar to where individual coach-ing was 30 years ago.”

She notes that while there is an abundance of individual coaches, more systemic coaches are needed who can combine a mastery in coaching with occupa-tional design skills, and the ability to work at a much deeper level, combining attention to the indi-vidual, team, inter-team, organi-sation and wider systemic levels. This is why, in 2016, Metaco is delivering the first ever Systemic Team Coaching Diploma in South Africa.

During Leaderex, Metaco will address topics including how to raise the quality of the conversa-tions that take place in the busi-ness today; the end of the heroic CEO; your greatest asset is your culture, not your people; and the extent to which the relationships that exist between the organisa-tion’s various stakeholders impact on business results.

Davies notes that coaching is particularly relevant in South Af-

rica at present. “Coaching is all about change and transforma-tion – and there is nothing more important in South Africa today. Coaches are in a position to make a huge contribution to the cre-ation of the South Africa in which we all want to live – where people are empowered, capable and re-sourceful,” she concludes.

Coaching and mentoring – core ingredients for business successIn 2015 the free one-on-one coaching sessions offered at Leaderex were a runaway success. This year they are back by popular demand, writes Tamara Oberholster WHAT’S IN IT

FOR ME?Here’s what you can expect at Leaderex 2016 in terms of coaching and mentoring:• COMENSA Coaching

Corner: Experience working with a great coach, for free. This “speed-coaching” experience sees top South African coaches providing 20-minute coaching sessions, in which you’ll have the opportunity to think through and find some answers to a key question you have about your business, your career or your future. Coaches taking part are: – Alice Kanengoni – Belinda Davies – Bongiwe Dumezweni-Ntakumba

– Candice Nanabhay – Cindy Bell – Clifford Modiselle – Colleen Jack – David Smith – Prof Dawie Smith – Dr Dumisani Magadlela – Getti Mercorio – Graham Kiggan – Hanrie Hill – Janice Hanly – Jenny Hoggarth – Kgobati Magome – Mariane Vorster – Nadine Benade – Nomfuzo Ntolosi – René Barnard – Tineke Wulffers

• Coaching and mentoring exhibition: A wide range of offerings will be available for individuals and companies looking for mentoring and coaching partners and solutions, as well as those looking for training or development in the field.

ADVICE FOR STARTING UP SOUTH AFRICAPAUL BACHER is the founder and chairman of the National Mentorship Movement, a nationwide mentorship programme operating across all economic sectors of South Africa. The aim is to connect 100 000 active mentors to one million mentees, in order to groom existing and future entrepreneurs, create confident and successful individuals, transform the economy and create a sustainable future for South Africa.Bacher will be speaking during the

SiMODiSA panel at Leaderex on the subject of “How to start up South Africa”. Here’s a taste of his advice:• Just get started. If you have a desire

to be an entrepreneur, do it. All of the learning happens in the doing, not when sitting on the fence.

• Locate quality mentors. There’s nothing more important than having someone with grey hair to bounce things off. Find a good mentor to assist with your strategy and help to open doors.

• Always hire people who are better than you. Surround yourself with quality people from whom you can learn.

• Ensure your partners have the same core values. Don’t assume – discuss and debate it. Your partnership won’t last if you aren’t aligned in your values.

• Put in place a shareholder agreement. Discuss and agree on how you plan to deal with conflict from day one, as it will happen.

WHETHER ATTENDEES are looking to learn from experi-enced CEOs and entrepreneurs, target a promotion, negoti-ate better salaries, embark on a business qualification, check out new job opportunities or simply get clarity about their ca-reer paths, Leaderex is the place to be.

Gareth Armstrong, founder and executive director of Fu-ture CEOs, will be leading or facilitating various career devel-opment and advancement masterclasses at Leaderex. He says these sessions are aimed at anyone seeking guidance and in-sight to fast-track their careers.

“Too many of us move through life and different compa-nies thinking or expecting that we will be rewarded for hard work, dedication and commitment to the company, only to become frustrated by the gap between our efforts and the unmet professional expectations,” he says.

The winding roadAmbitious future CEOs who are interested in understanding the ins and outs of how to fast-track their rise to that coveted corner office or that position in their organisation should be attending these masterclasses, says Armstrong. “[At Leaderex] we will be featuring CEOs, thought leaders and other top ex-ecutives who have successfully climbed the corporate ladder, found a large amount of success in their careers, and under-stood the need to consciously engage each phase of their per-sonal and professional development to the point where they now enjoy the professional freedom to do what they feel most needs their time and energy.”

Each session is an open forum where comments can be shared and questions asked to both the panel and audience. Topics will include salaries, career decisions, whether an MBA has real value, and which are the best companies to work for.

Armstrong quotes Facebook chief operating officer Sheryl Sandberg’s observation that a career path is more than just the straight line to the top that we often imagine it to be. Sand-berg’s words were: “Careers are not a ladder; they’re a jungle gym. Look for opportunities, look for growth, look for impact, look for mission. Move sideways, move down, move on, move off. Build your skills, not your résumé. Evaluate what you can do, not the title they’re going to give you. Do real work. Take a sales quota, a line role, an ops job. And don’t expect a direct climb.”

Seen this way, Armstrong says, a career path is very much more a development path or journey. “You’ll know you’re on the right career path when you’re eager to learn more about

your industry and business, pursue tough assignments and aren’t afraid to fail because of the value you understand ex-ists in both outcomes – and, most importantly, are becoming the person you desire to be,” he says.

In search of talentTop companies will also be present at Leaderex, hoping to engage with new talent. “Leaderex is as much about moving South Africa forward as it is about the pool of leaders navi-gating the way,” says Natachia George, Middle East, Africa, Russia & Turkey (MART) recruitment lead at Accenture. “Over 5 000 visitors are expected to attend, and we look forward to engaging with industry players, as well as exchanging ideas on how to make South Africa a better country to work and thrive in.”

She says Accenture views talent attraction, development and retention as critical to the organisation’s success. “Partici-pating at industry events such as Leaderex allows us to deliver on our strategic intent of unleashing ideas, driving innovation and developing the highly specialised skills needed to suc-ceed and thrive in today’s tough economic times.

“The Accenture talent acquisition team will be avail-able for discussions with candidates who are interest-ed in engaging with us about career opportunities and how to become a part of an organisation that is commit-ted to changing the way the world lives and works. We’ll talk about our various career options, our employee value

proposition and what it takes to be successful at Accenture.”Johanna Mapharisa, Africa talent leader at EY, agrees that

Leaderex provides a great platform for corporates to share leading practices. “As an organisation that is committed to building a better working world, we believe it is important to share insights into different talent trends, to help us all work together, remain relevant to the needs of our workforce and best develop the leaders of tomorrow,” she says.

Mapharisa, who will be contributing to the panel discus-sion “What will the workforce of the future look like?”, notes: “EY is a fully integrated global company where teaming and collaboration have no boundaries. Work-life integration through flexibility programmes, supported by technology, is critical in unlocking value from employees, helping them live balanced lives and increasing efficiencies for companies. The future of the workplace will also be characterised by multiple generations with different working styles and preferences. At EY, we embrace diversity in all its forms, and I will be sharing insights about how we’re reaping the benefits of working opti-mally with a diverse workforce.”

Nicola Tager, head of Investec Careers, believes Leader-ex is a fantastic platform for networking and engaging with other professionals, as well as an opportunity to challenge conventional thinking. Her advice to people who are seeking to be promoted is to elicit honest and robust feedback, ask themselves what they are doing to drive their own growth, and question whether they are operating in the right environment.

“The concept of growth and career progression has changed through the generations. The traditional thinking is no longer relevant. We recognise individuals’ need for devel-opment,” she says. “Investec is an amazing platform which enhances development of talent.”

Onwards, upwards to career success

For anyone looking to advance their career, Leaderex is an

exciting opportunity to explore a range of options, from

training and development to new career prospects, writes

Tamara Oberholser

WHAT’S IN IT FOR ME?Here’s what career-minded attendees can expect to enjoy at Leaderex 2016:• Masterclasses: These sessions include input from

top businesspeople, experts and thought leaders on a range of topics, including: – Are you sure you’re on the right career path? – Why aren’t I being promoted (and what should I do about it)?

– Future CEOs Women’s Forum: meet the best in the business

– Ask the CEO: career lessons and insights – Salaries in South Africa: what you should (or could) be earning

– The best companies to work for in South Africa – To MBA or not to MBA?

• Career advancement and business education exhibition: With an emphasis on career coaching, personal branding, executive education, business schools, industry associations and best employers, this exhibition is ideal for anyone interested in career advancement.

• Career Matchmaking: This year, Leaderex introduces a Matchmaking element where high-calibre career-seekers will be able to meet one-on-one with top employers.

• MBA Matchmaking: For the first time, Leaderex will be incorporating a Matchmaking element where prospective MBA students will be able to meet one-on-one with business-school admissions staff.

Gareth Armstrong, founder and executive director of Future CEOs, chats to Lead SA representative Yusuf Abramjee at Leaderex 2015

LAST YEAR MILLENNIALS (roughly de-fined as those born from the early 1980s) became the largest generation in the work-force. This, says Lee Naik, MD of Accenture Digital, is significant for two reasons. “First, because millennials will soon become the predominant source of human capital, and, second, because businesses stand to bene-fit greatly from the technology acumen and talent this generation (also known as ‘digital natives’) possesses.”

The greatest workplace disruptor, digital transformation, is changing not just the way people work, but also the type of compa-nies they wish to work for.

“The major transformational force be-hind this is the digital revolution,” says Jonas Bogoshi, country manager for EMC Southern Africa. “Until now [this has] main-ly existed inside traditional computational devices such as laptops and phones.” But, he adds, this is going to get “a lot bigger”, and change the way we work and play. “In four years there will be three times as many connected people, six times more connect-ed devices, and data will increase fivefold.”

This digital revolution is the force be-hind what experts term the “fourth indus-trial revolution”. “By 2020, the fourth in-dustrial revolution would have brought us advanced robotics and autonomous trans-port, artificial intelligence and machine learning, advanced materials, biotechnolo-gy and genomics,” says Naik, who is one of the experts hosting a discussion at this year’s Leaderex event on how companies can transform to digital.

The rise of the digital workerThe effect of this change is the rise of the digital worker. “Wearable technology will result in highly mobile workers who work where they want to, when they want to, elim-inating the need for large office buildings, rows of desks and regular office hours,” says Alan Hosking, publisher of HR Future Maga-zine and curator of the Future of Work pro-gramme at Leaderex.

This new type of worker will also need

to be a chameleon, both technically profi-cient and able to embrace change, move from assignment to assignment, constantly learn new skills and be able to apply them in a variety of scenarios. They will need to align their skills set to keep pace and drive change.

“Creativity will be one of the top three skills workers [of the future] will need,” says Naik. “With the avalanche of new products, new technologies and new ways of working, workers are going to have to be more cre-ative in order to benefit from these chang-es.”

The ‘we’ economy The world of work is also expected to change into a more empathetic and col-laborative environment. “People will work in networks of resilient, ever-changing, high-empathy teams, with enterprise-wide, multidisciplinary collaboration happening across cities, countries and continents,” says Hosking.

As companies establish what their core and non-core activities are, they will also start outsourcing specialist tasks to drive ef-ficiencies in their business. “Companies will evolve from being factories which produce products or services into laboratories which research and develop products and services to meet our ever-evolving customer needs

and demands,” predicts Hosking.Naik adds that organisations will focus

on how to orchestrate activities, rather than how to control them. This, he says, will cre-ate a “we” economy, which is driven by a focus on tapping into networks to drive ef-ficiencies.

This change will stimulate the liquid work economy or the freelance industry. And how will this look? “The Gig economy,” explains Hosking, is one in which “large numbers of independent workers accept and undertake jobs on a one-off or temporary basis”, and, he says, this has already begun.

Where does SA stand?South Africa’s skills shortage is seen as a barrier preventing the country from fully benefiting from the digital future. But, says EMC’s Bogoshi: “Nobody has the neces-sary skills.” In his opinion there is a critical shortage of IT skills globally, and that sup-ply is simply not able to keep up with the demand.

Hosking suggests that for South Africa to flourish in a market where the digital rev-olution is creating new opportunities, the country will need to demonstrate a high level of political and economic change to re-engineer our education system in order to better prepare our youth for the future.

It isn’t just the school system that seems to be behind the curve. Naik says active workplace training is not a reality in this market. “The Oxford Economics Workforce 2020 study found that less than half (42%) of South Africa’s employees get ample training on workplace technology – and less than a third (31%) actually get access to the latest technology.”

It seems that, in theory, the digital future presents unlimited opportunity for organi-sations in South Africa. However, the ques-tion that will be debated and unpacked at Leaderex 2016 is how business and society can and should be seeking to capitalise on the changes technology can offer. And, for existing workers, the impact on their future is also up for discussion as Deloitte Digital’s Valter Adão answers the question: Will I still have a job in 2020?

Is SA ready for the new world of work?The days of landing a job and staying in a company until retirement are gone. Indeed, for the new workforce, this old-fashioned approach holds little reality, writes Jane Steinacker

EXPAND YOUR HORIZONThe fourth industrial revolution is creating opportunities for South African business to drive efficiency and become more profitable by disrupting the industry. But, in order to take advantage of this, companies need to understand what the future of work will look like and how to capitalise on the emerging trends.

On August 24 at Leaderex, a series of masterclasses will look to answer some of these questions by tapping into knowledge and insights from key leaders in this field.

PwC’s Barry Vorster and Carl Wocke from Merlynn will start the day with a session on “How the world is changing”, which will afford delegates the opportunity to fully understand the forces that are reshaping the world of work as we have known it.

The changes in both the workforce and the workplace of the future will be discussed in separate sessions to better empower companies to understand how their structures and processes will be affected by the rise of the digital native in their organisations.

One of the greatest threats to organisations is that they will neither be able to attract nor keep the talent in an environment where these skills are in short supply. Get expert guidance on how to attract and retain disruptive talent in an “always on” culture that is driven by technology, in the session on “How will talent be managed in the future?”.

Markets are moving faster than ever before, and the fear of disruption is keeping many business leaders awake at night. A panel of thought leaders will discuss how to manage rapid change, transform your organisational culture and stay ahead of the game. In “Disruption: companies must adapt or die”, business can garner knowledge on not just how to survive the new wave of change, but how to flourish.

Migrating to the digital environment is no longer optional; it is a business necessity. Not just because failing to do so may lead to extinction, but because the new workforce demands it. Learn from a panel of experts about “Managing the transformation to digital”, in a Leaderex masterclass that will give advice on how to navigate the transition and capitalise on the opportunities of the digital workplace.

WHAT’S IN IT FOR ME?Join the Leaderex 2016 masterclasses on the “Future of Work” to:1. Understand the digital revolution that will affect business and how the world is

changing.2. Garner knowledge on how to capitalise on the skills the new digital worker offers

the marketplace.3. Get your business ready for the change by mastering digital transformation.4. Gain insight into how your business can become the disruptor and not the

disrupted.5. Better understand how you may need to change organisational structures and the

workplace environment, and benefit from the change.

JONAS BOGOSHI... Nobody has the

necessary IT skills

SAVING IS CRUCIAL for any economy. Saving helps consumers buffer themselves during economic hardships. This assists the economy in recovering faster, as bills are being paid and people can continue to buy discretionary products, which ultimately keeps people employed and limits the need for government stimulus.

That’s the word from Bruce Fleming, the Financial Planning Institute’s (FPI) Financial Planner of the Year 2016.

But South Africans are notoriously bad savers. Fleming says: “[Our savings dipped] as low as -2.70% in the fourth quarter of 2013. This means we are borrowing more than we are saving, with a debt income ratio of 80%, which is unacceptably high.”

It is for this reason that South Africans are in dire need of education around the importance of developing a savings and investment culture, something that will be on offer at Leaderex 2016 when free one-on-one financial planning sessions with cer-tified financial planners will be available to delegates. Graham Knight, a certified finan-cial planner (CFP) with Alexander Forbes, says: “We need to educate the public about the pros of saving an amount every month. There are no negatives to saving money.”

South Africa’s saving grace when it

comes to saving, however, is that most em-ployed people are being forced to save. “Most companies have compulsory savings schemes in the form of retirement funds. Company retirement funds are [currently] the primary source of retirement savings for individuals,” says Fleming.

Company pensions, however, can pro-vide a false sense of security, as they of-ten do not provide enough to see people through retirement, because they are not tailored to an individual’s specific needs. Knight explains: “Planning for retirement should start the day you start work. [But] people also need to check what portfolios their money is invested in, to make sure it is growing sufficiently in the early years, and is protected from volatility in the last few years before retirement.”

Fleming encourages people to find a professional financial planner to advise them on the best financial plan for their per-sonal needs. “It is important, when looking for a financial planner, that s/he is a CFP and is registered with the FPI. The financial planner you choose should have your finan-cial interests at heart, and should put a plan together based on your lifestyle goals and aspirations.”

Knight says one of the best ways to find a good financial planner is through a refer-ral. “[Either consult] your company pension or provident fund provider, or use a referral. You need to be comfortable with someone who is going to look after your money; if the planner has assisted your friend or family member, that is a good place to start.”

Government, in an effort to boost local savings and investment, has introduced a tax-free savings option, which can be taken up on a variety of platforms, from a bank savings account to retirement funds, to a Jo-hannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) portfolio.

“You can save completely tax-free, meaning you pay no tax on your gains, dividends or in-terest, therefore enhancing your return,” ex-plains Fleming. The limit on the investments is R30 000 per year, with a maximum of R500 000 over the lifetime of the investment.

And the experts’ final word on invest-ing and saving? Get rid of debt. Knight says: “People need to understand the cost of debt. They also need to under-stand that taking out a loan to settle an-other loan will get them deeper into debt over time.”

Fleming’s advice: “Prioritise your debt from the highest interest rate to the lowest interest rate and decide which debt should be paid off first. Once that debt has been paid off, use those payments to pay off the next debt, and so on.”

Getting this right may also require sound financial advice. Look for a good ac-countant or tax practitioner; use referrals and make sure your practitioner is a mem-

ber of either the South African Institute of Tax Professionals (SAIT) or the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants (SAICA).

Finally, for those worried about South Africa’s financial future, it is important to note that the country is still one of the most structurally sound financial destinations in the world. Fleming believes that if you are in South Africa, spending rands, a local diver-sified portfolio should form part of a sound investment and savings plan.

Zeona Jacobs, JSE director of market-ing and corporate affairs, adds that South Africans should take a long-term view to savings and investments in order to weather the current economic cycle.

Knight concludes by noting that South Africa’s increasing interest rates should provide a huge incentive to save. “Interest rates are rising, so fixed deposits will start becoming viable, as the interest earned will be more than inflation, should interest rates continue to rise.”

ZEONA JACOBS, JSE director of market-ing and corporate affairs, says: “The JSE has a vested interest in financial inclusion and empowerment of the next generation of investors in the country. That is why we val-ue events such as Leaderex, [which brings together leaders who can work] towards strengthening our economy and building long-term sustainability.”

The JSE is also an important contributor to the South African culture of saving. “The stock exchange plays a crucial role in the savings environment, as it gives the investor the opportunity to have real participation in the economy of the country. It is a myth that the JSE is only for large investors or the af-fluent,” she says.

It may be a platform for companies to raise capital, but the JSE is not only focused on multimillion-rand businesses. The JSE AltX is an alternative platform that was cre-ated 13 years ago to help SMEs raise capital for their businesses. Jacobs explains: “[Cap-ital is] crucial to the development of SME businesses in South Africa, [which are] be-coming increasingly important to the eco-nomic structure of the country.”

Although the JSE is committed to fi-nancial inclusion in the country, it believes more needs to be done to encourage finan-cial education. To promote financial litera-cy among children and the general public, the JSE has implemented a number of pro-

grammes. Jacobs says: “One of our com-pany’s key efforts in financial literacy has been the annual Investment Challenge that we host, where high-school and tertiary stu-dents, as well as the general public, get the opportunity to learn about investing by par-ticipating in the virtual stock programme.”

She adds: “The value of the game ex-tends beyond just financial literacy. It teach-es participants the fundamentals of under-standing complex financial statements, fosters teamwork, encourages research and the understanding of financial language.”

This type of initiative does a lot to de-mystify the JSE and investing in the stock market. The JSE also offers ongoing invest-ment seminars, called Power Hours, which

are hosted in Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban. “We also have online learn-ing modules and online information about investing that can be accessed by the gen-eral public at any time and in the comfort of their homes,” she concludes.

For information on the JSE’s education platforms, visit: Power Hour – www.jse.co.za/grow-my-wealthOnline modules – www.learn.jse.co.zaInvestment Challenge – www.schools.jse.co.zaVirtual trading game for the public – virtualtradinggame.jse.co.za

Ramp up your financial savvy

Demystifying the JSE

Financial education is a major theme of Leaderex 2016. After all, it is well documented that countries that have a good savings culture tend to be more prosperous than those that don’t, writes Gaye Crossley

This year the Johannesburg Stock Exchange is a sponsor of Leaderex

WHAT’S IN IT FOR ME?The JSE is hosting a series of masterclasses this year which are designed not only to demystify the JSE, but to give people a clearer understanding of the bourse’s structures.

“This platform provides an opportunity for the JSE to engage with [the public through] a number of professionals, who will provide more information about the stock exchange, its operation and, most importantly, how to invest in the stock exchange. This is an ideal opportunity to get answers to your questions, as well as understand the different technical terms used by stockbrokers or the financial markets community,” says Zeona Jacobs, JSE director of marketing and corporate affairs. Look out for the financial education masterclasses on August 24:• Introducing the JSE• Investing in your future: Tax-free

savings and ETFs• Investing in our future: Changing the

savings and investment culture in South Africa

• The role of the stockbroker in your investment journey

• Investing in business: Growth of SMEs in South Africa and listing your SME on the JSE AltX

• The role of sustainable investment• Investing in the future of SA: Is it still

a good time to invest in South Africa?• A day in the life of a trader

BRUCE FLEMING... We are borrowing more than we are saving

ZEONA JACOBS... It is a myth that the JSE is only for large

investors or the affluent

DON’T MISS OUT…… on free one-on-one financial planning sessions at Leaderex 2016. One of the highlights of the event, this not-to-be-missed offering is being driven by the Financial Planning Institute of Southern Africa, the leading independent professional body for financial planners in South Africa. Sit down with a certified financial planner and discuss your savings, investment and retirement planning with one of South Africa’s top professionals.

NOTHEMBA MXENGE... Activating Ubuntu intelligence... I am motivated by continuous improvement

TACKLING THE ESSENTIAL – but often in-tangible – issue of nation-building requires integrated communities speaking in one voice. However, in order to work, the pro-cess needs active participation and robust debates by and among civil society, govern-ment and citizens. Rather than shying away from thought-provoking discussions around key issues, and dodging difficult subjects, nation-building challenges individuals, busi-nesses and political leaders to adopt a part-nership approach to problem-solving.

With this in mind, political commenta-tors, proudly African ambassadors, business community leaders, educators and well-known voices from all sectors of the South African economy will gather at Leaderex 2016 to debate, inspire and share insights on nation-building.

Associate editor of the Daily Maverick, Brooks Spector is just one of the high-lev-el commentators taking part. He acknowl-edges that South Africa is not short of problems, and that sometimes it seems as if everyone has an opinion about what must be done to “fix” things. He notes that there are already many studies on the concept of nation-building, and that the National Development Plan (NDP) also of-fers a wealth of ideas and proposals for consideration.

“One of the biggest, most difficult challenges, however, is in finding common ground among South Africans over what specifically needs doing and what needs to be done most critically, and in what order,” says Spector.

Terry Volkwyn, CEO of Primedia Broad-casting and founder of Lead SA, concurs. She stresses that South Africa is rich in charismatic and competent people who are leading organisations, businesses and insti-tutions, political and civil bodies. “It’s not so much that we don’t have strong leaders, but that there’s no co-ordination to apply

these leadership skills to major issues, to find solutions and pull the country forward,” says Volkwyn.

Primedia has a term for this: “connect-ing the disconnected”, she says, it aims to amplify results. But, admits Volkwyn, there is a void in this space in South Africa. Howev-er, through Lead SA, her organisation aims to encourage individuals and companies to use whatever influence they have to make a positive impact.

“The Lead SA philosophy is that if ev-eryone does what they can, and makes that little bit of extra effort to do the right thing, we can start to re-knit the social fabric that often seems very broken,” she says. This goes back to active participation by society, which could be through small acts of kind-ness and speaking up on issues that affect communities in a positive and negative way, to spark important discussions and promote understanding of others, and to drive deci-sion-makers to do the right thing, she ex-plains.

According to Karl Gostner, Lead SA’s Cape Town GM, nation-building is a process that requires strategy in action, in order to

unite society and to succeed in adapting to the changing needs of the country and its people. “We need to be able to have open conversations about where we are as a coun-try and as a people, because these conver-sations enable society to change, and [in the process we] start to understand one another and work together,” says Gostner.

Lead SA is a personal call to every per-son to make a difference, but over and above our individual responsibilities, busi-ness in South Africa also has a responsibility to make a difference. This requires corpo-rate South Africa to look beyond the simple creation of employment and the running of profitable businesses, into the realm of be-ing agents of change. To this end, business needs to speak out against ineptitude, and use its societal heft to demand the sort of change which growth requires, says Lead-erex speaker Adam Craker, CEO of IQ Busi-ness.

Agents of changeCraker points out that South African busi-ness would do well to emulate the passion with which students last year spoke out against ineffectual governance, during the #FeesMustFall protests. While he doesn’t advocate violence or vandalism of any sort, he says the focus and courage that drove the students were unmistakable.

“Businesses share the frustration with government, yet their voices have largely been conspicuous by their absence,” says Craker. “For too long, business has simply got on with its own activities, while ignoring the realities of our contemporary issues; the time for real leadership is now.”

Of course, Craker is mindful of the fact that too many businesses make contribu-tions to good causes which are seen sim-ply as easy tax write-offs. This, he believes, needs to change if we are to rebuild the Rainbow Nation.

Like Spector, Craker points to the NDP as a guideline for the future, saying it is

time South Africans consider the plan – and action it – as it requires the support and commitment of all South Africans in order to achieve the outcomes we are all seeking. Business has a key role to play, alongside government and society at large, to invest in, resource and execute the NDP, they say.

Roll up your sleevesThanks to the passion and commitment shown in the #FeesMustFall protests, we are starting to see the courage and power of young South Africans in pursuing their dreams and pushing forward in their quest for a better future. This is encouraging, but it requires skills and mentorship from South Africans from all walks of life and all levels of experience.

Since 2003, Homecoming Revolution, a pan-African recruitment firm for global Af-rican professionals, has been specialising in headhunting and placing global African talent on the continent, specifically focused on those wishing to return home to Africa in order to add value and make a difference to their communities. For every one person returning to South Africa, additional em-ployment is created, says Faye Tessendorf, director of Homecoming Revolution.

Tessendorf points out that unemploy-ment is a reality on the continent, but many of these individuals “coming back home” end up starting their own businesses, and then employ other people. When they find work, they also use the skills acquired over-seas in such a way as to effect change for the better in other people’s lives.

“Through networking events in London, New York, Johannesburg, Nairobi and La-gos, we look for highly skilled African talent wanting to return to their home country, and we advise them on what is out there, and how they can make a difference and con-tribute to Brand Africa,” says Tessendorf.

Whether we are in business, leadership or looking to be gainfully employed, we can all make a difference when we start realising that we are change-makers and contribu-tors in developing and nurturing a distinctly South African nation brand.

“A big focus now is strong leadership that turns the tide on corruption, and we need leaders who act ethically, with integ-rity and stand up against corruption,” adds Volkwyn.

It’s time to build this nation… together In South Africa, the notion of nation-building couldn’t be more important than it is now, given the economic, social and political pressures facing the country, writes Denise Mhlanga

WHAT’S IN IT FOR ME?Nation-building masterclasses take place throughout the day on August 24, featuring top speakers such as the Daily Maverick’s Brooks Spector, NWU’s Raymond Parsons, Rob Rose of Financial Mail, Nothemba Mxenge from the Centre for Coaching, Dawie Roodt of Efficient Group, and Adam Craker from IQ Business. Topics up for discussion include:• The art of self-leadership and activating Ubuntu intelligence.• How long will South Africa survive? This is a debate on the economic and political

challenges in South Africa, and what all South Africans can and should be doing to turn the country around.

• It’s time to speak, it’s time to act – South Africa is facing rating downgrades and sociopolitical discontent, which is creating an opportunity for businesses and government to work together to initiate smart and actionable outcomes. What role should business be playing in nation-building?

• Should I stay in South Africa or should I go? Join in this open discussion on living and working in South Africa.

ADAM CRAKER... For too long, business has simply got on with its own activities, while ignoring the realities

BROOKS SPECTOR... One of the biggest, most difficult challenges is in finding common ground among South Africans

DR MILLARD ARNOLD... Genuinely impressed by business leadership in SA... I continue to think our leadership is better than most

TERRY VOLKWYN... If everyone makes that little bit of extra effort to do the right thing, we can start to re-knit the social fabric