2 March, 2018 - 08:01
FCB Africa is celebrating several recent B-BBEE milestones that, once again, highlight that the group is one of only a handful in the industry that doesn't pay lip-service to the word broad' in the phrase broad-based black economic empowerment'.
As one of South Africa's largest marketing & communications agency groups, FCB Africa's B-BBEE initiatives have, since the outset, acknowledged the need for diversity and flexibility.
The most recent milestone on its ongoing transformation journey was when its broad-based shareholder (The Maharishi Institute) was able to fully pay off its loan well ahead of projections, thanks to FCB group's strong recent business growth. As a result, dividends have started flowing directly to black ownership participants.
23 young Black women have been hand-picked as the first ownership participants to benefit from the broad-based shareholding in the FCB Africa group. In terms of the shareholding, they will receive dividends, access to both part-time and full-time employment opportunities, vocational training and guidance and a tertiary education, and take their first steps along their carefully-mapped career paths to enter the industry.
This situation is an anomaly in the industry, as well as in many other South African sectors, where shareholders can be crippled by debt to pay off the loans taken on to fund the purchase of their shares before they can enjoy the economic benefits derived from their investment.
In addition to this momentous debt-free' achievement, the agency was recently notified that it had - once again - outperformed the B-BBEE codes. Despite having achieved a Level 1 ranking in 2016, it remained true to its ethos of Never Finished' and achieved 5 more points on its scorecard in 2017 than it did in 2016.
Crucially, FCB Africa's transformation structure comprises several components, and is among the most diverse in the industry. In addition to its broad-based component which focusses on empowering women and the youth, it seeks to generate wealth creation for employees as well as long-term investors.
FCB has a long-standing partnership with Black business investors who have stood with the company for over 12 years and FCB Africa staff (including senior managers) who own a significant portion (20%) of the company.
Importantly, staff own shares in their own right and not through a trust so it is true ownership and they benefit from dividends at the outset, even if the shares are still being paid off. FCB Africa's recent growth has also meant that most of the employee shareholders and all of the investors are also debt-free with respect to their shareholding loans.
A debt-free broad-based Black economic empowerment shareholder, 55% Black-owned and 32% Black female-owned, and a Level 1 B-BBEE contributor; these are BEE credentials to be proud of, said FCB Africa Group CEO, Brett Morris.
Touchvision enables creative professionals to achieve stellar growth
Request a trial, book a demo or call us for a chat
Get New Film Business in 2018
Select your Membership
Underpinning all of this, however, is a deep understanding that, as a society, the fight for equality and to overcome the injustices of the past remains paramount. To this end, in collaboration with the ACA, the group is putting 250 of its most senior staff members through the Vuselela diversity training programme in 2017 and the beginning of 2018. The plan is to extend this training to all staff by the end of 2018.
And, we can always do more. On that score, the other thing I'm excited about is our ambition to become the best learning and development organisation on the continent. We have already seen the fruits of our labour in 2017 and this is just the beginning. Only by retaining and growing the best talent will ensure we will be able to continue paving the way for authentic transformation, and creating an inclusive economy that is sustainable for all South Africans.
Just two of the initiatives helping FCB Africa achieve this are its long-running Graduate Programme and the more recently introduced Creative Programmer Learnership Programme.
The FCB Graduate Programme, now in its 20th year and one of the longest-running, takes on between 20 and 30 graduates from the various advertising schools, tertiary institutions and Maharishi each year. Its aim is to nurture their progression into the workplace by assigning them mentors, setting them developmental tasks and arranging for lectures on elements of agency life and business they will not have come across while studying, said FCB Joburg Managing Director, Thabang Skwambane.
The desire is to offer the vast majority of participants full-time positions within the group. At the end of 2017, we took on 23 of the 25 who stayed with us until the end of the programme and, since 2016, have already employed six Maharishi graduates. The results speak for themselves, our partnerships and the new talent we have that FCB Africa has trained and adopted in our industry will drive it's future success, Skwambane said.
To address the chronic programmer shortage and drive transformation, FCB Africa's digital agency, Hellocomputer, has partnered with Umuzi to establish a Creative Programmer Learnership Programme.
Based on the premise that the closer the training environment matches that of future employers the more likely its learners are to succeed and excel, Umuzi offers free one-year learnerships that produce entry-level but high-calibre creative professionals, explained Hellocomputer Johannesburg Managing Director, Joey Khuvutlu.
Hellocomputer worked with Umuzi to define the syllabus that would prepare programmers for the creative industry - and kickstarted the programme in 2017, funding four learners who will complete the one-year learnership wit
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
01/06/2026
January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026
Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...
06/05/2026
Polands Miecznik-class frigates are part of the largest contract in Polish shipbuilding history. (Image Credit: PGZ Stocznia Wojenna)...
06/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
06/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
06/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
06/05/2026
Riedel Communications today announced the expansion of its leadership structure as part of a strategic initiative to strengthen both its operational management ...
06/05/2026
For nearly three decades, Veteran Production Sound Mixer and Five-time Emmy Award Winner Dirk Sciarrotta has helped define the sonic identity of the long-runnin...
06/05/2026
ZEISS CinCraft LensCore: Cinema Lens Looks for Compositing
Brie Clayton May 6, 2026
0 Comments
ZEISS announces the launch of CinCraft LensCore, a nove...
06/05/2026
Wisycom Solves Extreme RF Challenges Across Miles of Live Action for Gravity Med...
06/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
06/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
06/05/2026
Narrative Entertainment has partnered with Encompass to deliver high-quality subtitling of its Great! network content using the Altitude Intelligence AI assiste...
06/05/2026
SipRadius, widely recognized for making content processing and connectivity secure and seamless, is proud to launch a dramatic new approach to AI content creati...
06/05/2026
When the broadband and media industry gathers at ANGA COM in Cologne from May 19 to 21, Big Blue Marble will be at the forefront. The international broadcast an...
06/05/2026
Cinegy GmbH, a leading developer of software-defined television technology, is proud to exhibit at MPTS for the first time. Visitors to the stand will discover ...
06/05/2026
Val Jeanty Receives 2026 Doris Duke Artist Award Jeanty, a composer, percussionist, and turntablist, is the fourth Berklee recipient of the prestigious award ...
06/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
06/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
06/05/2026
When live cycling races and international marathons stretch for miles across cities and countryside, there is no margin for RF failure in live broadcast. As Chi...
06/05/2026
Oberkochen/Germany, May 5, 2026
ZEISS announces the launch of CinCraft LensCore, a novel solution for creating physically based cinematic lens looks for visual...
06/05/2026
SAN JOSE, Calif. - May 6, 2026 - Harmonic (NASDAQ: HLIT) today announced its latest broadband innovations for ANGA COM 2026, highlighting its vision for a new e...
06/05/2026
Statement from Rupert Murdoch, Chairman Emeritus, Fox Corporation on Ted Turner&...
06/05/2026
Friday 8 May on RT One and RT Player
Meet the NSPCA team caring for and protecting animals in need in this six-part series
Fly on the wall, six-part series...
06/05/2026
The race to build the world's most powerful AI factories demands networking ...
06/05/2026
How changes to proteins can alter drug interactions for new precision therapies Scripps Research team maps how chemical modifications to proteins affect drug bi...
05/05/2026
Experts from the world of academia, tech, business, politics and media convened for a Thomson Talks at the Cambridge Disinformation Summit in April. It's th...
05/05/2026
Three phones were hardwired for power and transmission to the truck; camera feat...
05/05/2026
The creative studio behind campaigns for the NBA, Fanatics Sportsbook & Casino, ...
05/05/2026
Nielsen has announced results from a co-viewing pilot program covering February&...
05/05/2026
viztrick AiDi, an on-device AI solution developed by Nippon TV, delivered global...
05/05/2026
ARRI has announced Omnibar, a battery-powered, IP65-rated multi-color LED linear...
05/05/2026
Imagine Communications has announced that France T l visions is the first broadc...
05/05/2026
The Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) and Bell Media today announced a multiyear agreement to broadcast and stream WNBA games in Canada beginni...
05/05/2026
SVG is proud to announce Warner Bros. Discovery's Techwood Studios in Atlant...
05/05/2026
With no operator required, AutoMic workflow automates talent identification on U...
05/05/2026
A crash in 2015 set the industry back, but this winter proved that drones are he...
05/05/2026
Another year, and more proof that Asia continues to shape some of the world's most exciting new sounds. This year's RADAR artists draw from deep local r...
05/05/2026
The Austin City Limits Music Fest 2026 lineup just dropped, and this year, Spoti...
05/05/2026
New drum machine book campaign incoming
Bjooks have announced that during Superbooth 2026, they will be launching a Kickstarter campaign to fund the product...
05/05/2026
Flagship all-in-one production bundle updated
The latest version of Native Instruments' flagship virtual instrument and plug-in bundle has just been ann...
05/05/2026
Rohde & Schwarz to host RF Testing Innovations Forum 2026, helping design engine...
05/05/2026
L3Harris provides communications, electronic warfare, sensors and mission systems that enable Virginia-class submarine crews to operate with confidence in conte...
05/05/2026
The company grew by 7.6% in net revenue and 16.3% in EBITDA, achieving a 33% inc...
05/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
05/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
05/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
2 March, 2018 - 08:01 
