Weber Shandwick Africa has wrapped up a successful year with Level 1 B-BBEE accreditation.
Using the power of analytics, social media and storytelling to engage audiences across Africa thoughtfully and with impact, the consultancy has achieved several key milestones in 2019.
It has enjoyed consistent growth this year – an enviable accomplishment in tough economic times. And along with winning the Africa Sabre Award for Crisis and Issue management for its work on the Cape Town Water Emergency, Weber Shandwick Africa also bagged an EMEA Sabre for Crisis management, to honour its stellar Cape Town Water Emergency: From Crisis to Opportunity for South African Tourism.
In addition, the consultancy has also grown its fledgling office in Kenya into a respected business in the region, servicing clients such as Mastercard, Copia, IBM, GSMA and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
All great achievements, but the one CEO Jill Hamilton is most proud of is the agency’s Level 1 B-BBEE accreditation.
“In the past year, Weber Shandwick Africa moved from a Level 2 EME contributor to a Level 1 B-BBEE Contributor, achieving 135% B-BBEE recognition level. Today, the consultancy is 53.22% black-owned and 46.66% black-women owned. It’s a milestone we are exceedingly proud of,” she said.
The consultancy has also invested considerably in training and skills development.
“This year, through our internship programme, we employed five interns seeking work experience to complete their courses. We also contributed funding to a former employee so she could start her own business, through our supplier enterprise development initiative. And we continue to roll out various training courses for our staff aimed at giving them global exposure and addressing their practical training needs,” Hamilton said.
This investment in skills development and knowledge sharing is a vital part of Weber Shandwick Africa’s operations. It means an office full of professional teams able to deliver comprehensive reputation management for internal and external audiences, media relations, media training, crisis management, content creation and events for local and international clients on the continent.
“Our wide footprint in Africa means we work in numerous sectors – including agribusiness, automotive, corporate, financial services, healthcare, information communications technology, industrial and manufacturing, social impact, and travel and tourism – and in more than 30 countries.”
According to Hamilton, Weber Shandwick Africa delivers PR with a modern cultural spin. “We like to think of ourselves as problem solvers, opportunity creators, our clients’ go-to people. Really, we are culture influencers,” she said.
The consultancy is also aligned with Weber Shandwick globally, contributing to the 129 markets in which it works around the world. In fact, 61% of the top 100 client engagements are multi-market – a fact which is reflected in Weber Shandwick Africa’s client list: Mastercard, GSK, Abbott, IBM, GSMA and Eutelsat to name a few.
“As client business models – and communication methods – adapt to new realities, Weber Shandwick in Africa and other markets is uniquely suited to help its clients achieve their goals. We focus on delivering the highest level of client value and results, and our international footprint brings diverse talents, global insights and pioneering instincts to any communication challenge,” Hamilton said.
“More than ever, organisations need to find solutions for the unprecedented challenges born of tech-driven disruption. We fuse our global teams that are grounded in tech, digital innovation and analytics to help clients meet their targets. We research, we test, we experiment and… we solve. We’re looking forward to delivering more award-winning work in 2020.”
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