D I M E N S I O N D ATA
DIMENSION DATA
Tour de
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For Top Ten South African employer Dimension Data, leadership and team ethos are at the heart of both its success and the sport it sponsors. “We don’t just talk about our people being an asset; we truly act on it,” says Grant Bodley, CEO of Dimension Data’s Middle East and Africa region. 2 / www.enterprise-africa.net
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At a time of enormous change in the workplace, many South African businesses are struggling with managing talent, cultivating leadership, encouraging learning, and understanding their employees. Despite this disquieting conclusion of the Oxford Economics Workforce 2020 study, a record number of South African organisations have achieved the prestigious Top Employers Certificate, awarded by Top Employer Institute, which for the past 27 years has been recognising the best employers in over 100 countries across the world. Among South Africa’s recently named Top Ten for 2018 is Johannesburg-headquartered Dimension Data, global leader in the provision and management of specialist IT infrastructure solutions and services. The Netherland’s based Institute’s comprehensive independent research report shows that Dimension Data provides “exceptional employee conditions, nurtures and develops talent throughout all levels of the organisation and has demonstrated its leadership status in the HR environment, always striving to optimise its employment practices and to develop its employees.”
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// EAST AFRICA IS A MAJOR CONTRIBUTOR, A REALLY SIGNIFICANT AND EXCITING PART OF OUR BUSINESS // For Grant Bodley, CEO of Dimension Data’s Middle East and Africa region, the Top Ten award is a eloquent certification of walking the talk. “It’s a validation of the fact that we don’t just talk about our people being an asset; we truly act on it. “By creating an attractive work environment, respecting diversity and investing heavily in all related aspects, we try to ensure that we develop our people and give them a career path. It’s a very critical aspect of our business, and one that’s top of mind for me.” WORKSPACES FOR TOMORROW Owned by Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation (NTT), one of the worlds largest telecommunications service providers, Dimension Data is a market leader in the IT industry, founded in 1983 and still headquartered in South Africa. Using the power of technology, it helps organisations achieve through digital infrastructure, hybrid cloud, and
workspaces for tomorrow, and cyber security. With a turnover of $7.5b, offices in 52 countries, and 30,000 employees, “globally and regionally, we deliver wherever our clients are, at every stage of their technology journey,” says Bodley, Chief Executive Officer of its Middle East and Africa Operations since October 2015. Unsurprisingly South Africa is the territory’s biggest market, with East Africa and the Middle East fast growing. “South Africa is still by far and away the largest contributor, accounting for some 60% of our portfolio, and where we have the most mature capabilities. “East Africa is a major contributor, a really significant and exciting part of our business, and where we are expecting more aggressive growth. The Middle East is also proving to be exciting geography for us. “Each of these areas has its own nuances and challenges of course, but we are expecting significant growth rate out of both. Our objective is to have a balanced contribution across the region.” THE MIDDLE EAST MAGNET With many South African companies in sectors such as retail and health care expanding into the Middle East, Information Technology is also exerting its pull. The prizes are clear, with world leading research and advisory company Gartner projecting 2018 IT spending in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region hitting $155b, a 3.4% increase on last year. “Our initial expansions were into places such as Australia, the UK, Asia and the whole of Europe, and the USA; and Asia, Europe and the USA are obviously massive contributors to our overall numbers. However, the Middle East, along with Africa, is an area in which we have been operating for the past eight or nine years, and with a lot of investment - significantly so in the case of Dubai for example. “Research from the International
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// WITHOUT BUSINESS BEING SUCCESSFUL WE WILL NOT BE ABLE TO ADDRESS CHALLENGES SUCH AS UNEMPLOYMENT AND THE LIKE // Business Council (IBC) show South Africa has the biggest opportunity for information and Communications Technology at $10m, Saudi Arabia at $7m and the UAE at $5m. Then you have Egypt and Nigeria at a very significant mark. “So these are markets that are hard to ignore. That being said, you need to tread cautiously, and understand the dynamics of their economies and business culture. This is essential to ensure you can create and build a good and stable business.” Skills – or the lack of them – are a key part of a business and cultural environment, and Bodley, who recently attended a global strategy conference, stresses the universality of the problem. “It’s undeniable that in certain areas there’s a skills gap in Europe, America and Asia. Africa and South Africa are no different, which is why we
GRANT BODLEY- DIMENSION DATA MEA CEO
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DIMENSION DATA
at Dimension Data have internship and graduate programmes, and spend tens of millions of Rands on learning and development to try and close this gap. “But the reality is as that as the world gets fundamentally disrupted, there are just not enough highly skilled people to meet the demand out there. It’s not a skills gap across the board, but in specific areas. But that’s just the nature of the business. If you have a new demand coming on stream, it takes a while to catch up on the supply side of the equation. “Overall it’s a real challenge, but one where we can try to mitigate through our own investment from ground roots level right through to the re-skilling or cross-skilling of those who have been with us for many years.” TOP TEN MINDSET This is the mindset of a Top Ten employer. But does the award act as a recruiter? “Well, it’s a reflection of the effort and investment we put in, but it’s difficult to quantify the impact. “Our ambition is not to win an employer major award, gratifying though this is. Our ambition is to make sure we create a really healthy and attractive environment, one which makes people enjoy coming to work, and where they are valued. Our people are our biggest asset and differentiator, and we hold them close to our hearts.” The leadership factor, recognised in the Top Employer Institute award citation, is part of the Dimension Data DNA. And it is no co-incidence that the company has chosen the sport of cycling for high-profile sponsorships; first the Tour de France, and then Team Dimension Data for Qhubeka Africa’s first ever UCI (Union Cycliste Internationale, sports cycling’s world governing body) World Tour team. “Dimension Data has always been a supporter of sports, in the past cricket and golf for example, and it’s an area where as a brand we have always been associated. The organisers of the Tour de France approached us in
2015 to become the official technology partner of choice, and from there we expanded to Team Dimension Data for Qhubeka.” Qhubeka is the South African not-for-profit organisation which since 2005 has supplied 75,000 cycles to improve access to schools, clinics and jobs. A bicycle is a tool that helps people move forward (Qhubeka is a Nguni word meaning ‘to progress’) and one particularly effective in meeting the needs of school children in South Africa, where more than half a million walk more than two hours to school and two hours back. With a Qhubeka Bicycle, a child’s commute time is
// I AM CONFIDENT THAT WITH OUR ENGAGED WORKFORCE, WE WILL CONTINUE TO GROW FROM STRENGTH TO STRENGTH // reduced by as much as 75%. “Team Dimension Data for Qhubeka was a new and unique angle, and a cause very dear to us, one where we have this ability to make a difference to peoples’ lives. “Dimension Data is very well known in South Africa but less so in parts of Europe, and with the Tour de France being one of the world’s most watched events it was a great opportunity for us for brand exposure and showcase our technology, taking what we do and putting it on the world stage.” This same world stage has been upbeat since the appointment of Cyril Ramaphosa as South Africa’s President, with business confidence in the first quarter of 2018 the highest
for three years. Grant Bodley shares the cautious optimism. “The key is for the Government to support business and make South Africa foreign investment friendly, and with the new political leadership business confidence seems to be up, and people more willing to invest. Without business being successful we will not be able to address challenges such as unemployment and the like. “Mr Ramaphosa has addressed concerns that were certainly up there, and while the journey is far from complete, there is now a greater sense of optimism in South Africa and in world opinion.” Operating in the hyper-changing and competitive Information Technology sector, Bodley, who joined the company in 2000, points to the strength of Dimension Data’s powerful global parent organisation, now spending $2.0m to $2.5m on R&D alone. MAKING A DIFFERENCE “Obviously one cannot be all things to all people and you have to pick your audience to make a difference and a contribution. “We continue to show a strong double-digit growth and achieved our financial objectives. We are on an aggressive growth strategy and we are committed to achieve.” Parameters have been for 2020, after which he will re-asses his sights. “The journey is never over. There’s a lot of opportunity out there as well as challenges we need to overcome. But we have robust plans in place, and we are excited by the future. I am confident that with our engaged workforce, we will continue to grow from strength to strength. It’s our intention to stay at the forefront.”
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May 2018
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Tour de Force
Exclusive Interview with Dimension Data MEA CEO Grant Bodley ALSO IN THIS ISSUE:
Sorbet / Stangen / Letšeng Diamonds / Tiber Construction
AS FEAT UR ED IN
ENTERPRISE AFRICA
MAY 2018