IN PICTURES: Brand Summit SA discusses how to create the ideal brand for the country

The Brand Summit South Africa hosted its second annual event in Sandton on 6 and 7 June in a bid to understand how South Africa is perceived globally, and how to create the ideal brand for South Africa.

Solly Moeng, the convenor of the summit, explained that the summit aimed to discuss what South Africa had experienced over the past 10 years or so, such as what had divided communities and how this has impacted how South Africa is perceived globally.

Moeng added that the summit also worked to highlight the good things happening within communities and recognise the people, companies and non-profit organisations that are playing a role in improving their country.

Hot topics

The two-day event hosted a wide range of speakers to discuss topics such as things that impact South Africa’s brand, identify key South African brands that impact the image of the country and to discuss the best practices for nation building and management to improve the image of the country.

Speakers included the Auditor General Thembekile Kimi Makwetu, Mayor of Johannesburg Herman Mashaba, Professor Wiseman Nkhulu, the executive chairman of KPMG and Dr Louise van Rhyn, the CEO and Founder of Partners for Possibility.

Gala evening

A highlight during the Brand Summit South Africa was a gala evening in which a series of awards were handed to people and businesses that have made an impact on the development of the country.

Noteworthy awards

Some of the awards handed out on the evening include Influencer of Influencers, Public Intellectual Brand Contributor and SMME (small, medium and micro-sized enterprises) Brand Contributor.

Marlene le Roux, the CEO of the Artscape Theatre, was awarded Influencer of Influencers and said that the recognition had come as a surprise. Le Roux said that in her role as the CEO she has championed the rights of people with disabilities.

“I was blessed when people gave me opportunities against all odds and that’s what I want to do for young people… I want to salute all the people with disabilities that against all odds, try their level best to survive every single day,” said Le Roux.

Kamogelo Mangena won the Public Intellectual Brand Contributor award for driving change in opinions in South Africa. “I hope that it will also influence a lot of people do whatever they want to do in order to influence policy and drive change and action.”

He added that it was wonderful to get to know the other winners and see so many people who are having a positive impact on their community.

The award for SMME Brand Contributor was given to Nonzero co-founder Tania Habimana. Through her company, Habimana has contributed to the development of small businesses throughout the country. Her business helps other small businesses by offering cost-efficient marketing and works with large corporations to create an ecosystem of partners.

“It was a complete surprise… It’s a blessing and humbling to know that what we’re doing is being seen by such a big organisation,” added Habimana.

Solly Moeng, the convenor of the summit, said that he believes it’s really important to highlight the work being done by individuals and groups.

Topical discussions

Numerous noteworthy panel discussions held during the summit.

Ahead of the summit, convenor Moeng explained how new to the summit this year was a dedicated discussion focusing on the audit profession. It was therefore fitting that SA’s Auditor General, Thembekile Kimi Makwetu, delivered a keynote address that touched on the importance of values-driven and ethical leadership in managing public funds.

He further described the role that the auditing profession played in shaping the domestic and global image of South Africa.

The power of business in communities

One of the noteworthy panel discussions held was on the challenges that confront communities – such as the areas that hinder their growth and what improvements are needed in terms of service delivery, education and the economy.

This discussion was led by Louise van Rhyn from Partners for Possibility and Jon-Hans Coetzer, chief academic officer at the EU Business School Group and it was mediated by the award-winning Le Roux.

Coetzer claimed that South African’s had lost the essence of Ubuntu. “We are honestly fighting against ourselves. The fact that racism still exists in our country says a lot.”

Van Rhyn came up with a possible solution to improve communities. “We understand that the most privileged in this country are businesses so our aim is to get businesses to share their skills with the less privileged.”

Le Roux wrapped up by saying that we still have long a way to go if there are still communities without basic water and electricity, sanitation and adequate education.

The role of youth in improving SA

Another key discussion focused on the youth’s role in improving South Africa with the topic, ‘Leaders of the Future’.

The discussion was moderated by Mushambi Mutama, while seven panellists made their voices heard. They were:  Metji Makgoba, SA PhD student at the University of Cardiff, Mbali Motsoeneng, manager: Policy and Planning Private Office of the Executive Mayor of Johannesburg, Lelemba Phiri, CMO of Zoona, Krigan Naicker, managing director of Big Bay Group, Luyolo Sijake, African China scholar, Muziwandile Makhanya, MA student at Creative Brand Leadership and Elmen Lamprect, COGO People Analytics.

Motsoeneng discussed the challenges that the youth faced. “It has been found that 30.9 million South Africans have access to the Internet. However, data is expensive and we are hoping to have more uncapped Wi-Fi spots in most areas of Johannesburg,” said Motsoeneng.

Matji said that the point of departure in improving the youth of South Africa was to start by improving the education system.

Many from the business community attended the two-day summit. Here are some of those who the Sandton Chronicle caught up with during the gala evening:

Did you attend the Brand Summit SA? Share your highlights on the summit in the comment section below.