What a year it’s been. So many headlines. So many scandals. So many crises. So many falls from grace. It’s a fact of life in South Africa that most years are roller-coasters – politically, economically, environmentally, socially, ethically and transformationally (if is there such a word) and 2018 was no exception. South African years leave one feeling both exhausted and triumphant, brandishing a slightly thicker skin, mildly fearful of what the next one may bring but eternally optimistic that it will, it must, be better.
Corporate Affairs: Never more critical
The role of communication in times of volatility is a critical one. Communication with an organisation’s stakeholders both internal and external is never more important than when a company is under pressure – from the media, from shareholders, from its employees, from the public and government. The role of the Corporate Affairs Director is a complex one and, because the role is a relatively new one (not just in South Africa but globally) experienced Corporate Affairs candidates are tough to find. The days of the role of Corporate Affairs Director being held by a long-serving employee who has been around the block and the business several times and therefore has valuable corporate memory, is well-liked by a few dusty stalwarts of the Board but who doesn’t really add much value are thankfully disappearing. The role is too important. Along with Investor Relations, Corporate Affairs leaders have a rare level of insight into the key drivers of their business and its strategy and are often privy to decisions taken at the highest level. These individuals are the eyes and ears of the company, a critical conduit between the management team and the markets and vice versa. Management must be able to rely on their IR and Corporate Affairs Directors to let them know what the outside world is saying about the organisation, pre-empt negative sentiment, prevent rumours from becoming anything more and calm volatility. They are expected to be able to contribute to decision making way beyond their immediate area of responsibility, across all key business functions. They play a critical role as custodians of corporate reputation.
The Big T
Looking back at some of the corporate catastrophes of 2018, the scandals, the spectacular falls from grace and teeterings on the edge, one can’t help but wonder where Corporate Affairs was before the rubbish hit the fan. I have worked with candidates in the past who have bravely taken the plunge and left their jobs because they didn’t like what was going on in their organisations. Lapses in governance and ethical conduct on the part of a company’s leadership, coupled with little or no communication erode what is arguably the most important quality in those who lead: Trust. And as someone once said, ‘without trust you cannot lead.’
Diversity & Transformation
Halogen Search & Selection was launched in May of this year to focus specifically on the South African corporate affairs market. I am proud to have worked on new mandates across the corporate affairs spectrum with some inspiring organisations and leaders across a range of sectors, from financial services and resources, to retail and pharmaceuticals. In the course of these assignments, in spending time with clients in order to gain an understanding of their businesses and their challenges when it comes to recruiting for highly specialist roles, I’m constantly reminded of what it is that makes the South African business landscape so compelling: Resourcefulness, resilience and tenacity are qualities I come across often in dealing with clients and candidates alike. I’m struck time and again by the sense of purpose and ambition in the corporate affairs professionals I meet, by the genuine desire they have to play a role in helping to shape the narrative of their organisations, particularly those undergoing significant transformation programmes as so many South African organisations are. They join an organisation not just for the sake of a job but to shift the needle in terms of that organisation’s reputation, in transforming its workforce, in playing their part in job creation and succession planning, paying it forward and putting back into the communities in which their organisations operate. We hear it all the time but it’s worth saying again: there is an abundance of diverse and exceptional talent in South Africa.
Partnerships
Halogen has had the privilege this year of partnering with several organisations to deliver in-depth research, workshops and networking events – I would like to thank The Investor Relations Society of South Africa, Invicomm, Reputation Matters and Open Cape Town – we look forward to continuing our collaborations in 2019. I am proud to be joining the Allan Gray Orbis Foundation mentoring programme for the first time & look forward to learning a great deal from and about our future entrepreneurs.
I’m not fond of having quotes foisted on me but I’d like to be allowed to mention one, for the first and only time this year: My #1 quote of 2018 is from Australian comedian Hannah Gadsby. In this determined, diverse and complex country of ours, we would all do well to scribble this on the bathroom mirror so we can look at it every morning:
Wishing all our clients and candidates a peaceful and restful festive season and best wishes for the New Year.
