by MarkLives (@marklives) McCann Johannesburg, which is part of Interpublic Group of Companies (IPG), has attained Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (BBBEE) Level One accreditation. IPG has partnered with Identity Partners on an investment, with McCann Johannesburg taking the black ownership to 51% (of which 36% is black-female owned).
Value of women’s voices
The partnership with Identity Partners is meant to reaffirm that McCann Johannesburg acknowledges and recognises the value of the voice of women in South Africa. Among those who marched in the historic 1956 women’s march was Sophia Williams-De Bruyn, mother of Identity Partner principal director, Sonja De Bruyn Sebotsa, who spearheaded the partnership with McCann Johannesburg.
“There has never been a definitive moment for us as McCann Johannesburg to demonstrate our commitment to the advancement, retention and recruitment of women not only in leadership positions, but also at all levels throughout the agency. As we make progression to transformation, I would like to see more females take on major roles in the industry currently dominated by their male counterparts. Transformation in the industry is attainable; together we can shift perceptions and bring forth change,” says recently appointed managing director, Archie Masebe.
To attain the accreditation, the agency worked upon executing improvement in elements of management, employment equity, skills development, preferential procurement, enterprise development, and socio-economic development, in addition to the ownership element it had already scored highly on.
“No element plays second fiddle”
While the achievement was not an easy feat, Masebe comments, “The issue of positive transformation is at the forefront for McCann Johannesburg; it takes precedence over our own set vision. My role is to see McCann Johannesburg become a key player in the advertising industry. We are heavily invested in all the elements of the scorecard, thus no element plays second fiddle in priority to achieving total transformation.
“Compliance to the BBBEE elements opens new doors for us. It is a win-win for those we do and also intend on doing business with. We believe that in transforming our own brand, we transform the industry. Empowering our own staff through skills development adds tangible value in contributing to the creative pool in the industry. McCann Johannesburg uses tools created by the McCann Worldgroup to develop internal programmes aimed at advancing creative development, business and commercial management acumen, as well as skills necessary for strategic development. We also subscribe to the initiatives provided by the DTI for skills advancement through offering internship programmes in various departments throughout our agency. In this, we are able to play a meaningful role in the development and nurturing of black talent in our country.
“As transformation begins to take form in South Africa, it is the responsibility of companies to be compliant and take accountability of the codes of good practice as a contribution to building a nation that champions past inequalities,” Masebe concludes.
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