Blog
Mar 31

March 2018 – Our network WILL work for you

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Homecoming Revolution News
The Global Headhunting Firm for Africa

The value of a strong network can’t be underestimated when it comes to headhunting top talent. With a network of over 37 000 Africans across the globe, we’ve built up relationships with skilled African professionals, corporates, global diaspora groups and Ivy League Universities. Read more below.

If you’re an employer seeking exceptional talent, Get in touch. If you are a Candidate looking for the next chapter in your career, make sure we have your CV.

We’ve had a very busy month. Check out our latest Executives on the Move and Out & About features below.

Onwards & Upwards

The Homecoming Revolution Team

Our network WILL work for you
The significance of having a global network is something that is often overlooked. Against a
backdrop of an increasingly competitive battle for talent, a strong network is a critical tool for
tapping into top talent possessing a mix of rare skills. Inquire about our candidate network here.Comments Angel Jones, CEO of Homecoming Revolution, “We’re able to leverage our
extensive global candidate community in order to tap into a broader range of talent, often
placing candidates who might not have considered a particular sector or company before but
are the ideal match. Our long-standing relationships also ensure immediate access to a
pipeline of pre-screened and ready-to-go candidates.”She says a core benefit of having access to such a large pool of professionals, is word-of-
mouth referrals.“47% of our placements have been via our extensive network and not via traditional search
methods. We’ve built a unique face-to- face network by hosting over 43 global events. Having access
to such a large network enables us to cast the net far wider than the traditional talent pool.” Read more.
Executives on the move: Click Foundation CEO & COO

Dudu Makhari

Dudu Makhari and Shirley Gilbey have joined the executive team of The Click Foundation, a non-profit using educational technology to tackle the early learning literacy crisis in South Africa.

They joined the organisation in February, Dudu in the capacity of CEO and Shirley in the capacity of Group COO.

Shirley Gilbey

Each possessing a unique set of skills, they form part of a dynamic team fundamentally improving the literacy rate of increasing numbers of young learners across South Africa. Their focus is building a foundation that is scaled to deliver impact to 1 million learners by 2022.

Dudu and Shirley are responsible for developing and delivering on strategic objectives, scaling the organisation and programmes, ensuring the budget is maintained, growing and inspiring the team, building the organisation’s culture and driving staff performance.

LSE Africa Summit
African leaders sign landmark free trade agreement
Close to 50 African Union Member States have signed the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), marking what African Union leaders called a “historic moment in the life of the continent”.

African leaders gathered in Kigali in March for the 10th Extraordinary Summit of the AU Assembly of Heads of State and Government.

The agreement is seen as the biggest free trade agreement since the establishment of the World Trade Organisation.

The UN Economic Commission for Africa has estimated the agreement could increase intra-African trade by 52% by 2022.

Currently, trade between African nations accounts for around 10% of the continent’s total commerce. Read more.

Africa a world leader in women business owners

Ghana has the highest percentage of women business owners worldwide, according to the 2018 Mastercard Index of Women’s Entrepreneurship.

The Index examined 57 different economies around the globe, including Botswana, Ethiopia, South Africa and Uganda; with Ghana, Nigeria and Malawi as new additions.

According to the report, 46,4% of businesses operated in Ghana are owned by women, while 33.8% of businesses in Uganda are women-owned, outperforming Australia and the USA, where businesses owned by women amount to 32.1% and 25,5% respectively.

South Africa moves up one place from last year to rank 22nd. The survey found that South Africa has made progress in reducing the gender bias for women engaging in early stage entrepreneurial activities but found that women account for only 18.8% of business owners. Read more.

Kenya most lucrative market in Africa for fintech employees
Kenya is the most attractive market in Africa for workers in the fintech industry with new data showing that companies pay the highest salaries in comparison to their peers on the continent.

This is followed by Nigeria, Tanzania and South Africa. The survey was carried out among 400 respondents in 69 companies in 10 African countries.

This data is a reflection of the vibrancy of the local fintech scene where start-ups are marrying technology and financial services to address problems that range from credit access for farmers to health insurance.

High levels of compensation are also underpinned by stiff competition for fintech talent in Kenya and beyond. Sixty four per cent of respondents told the DFI that competition for talent had the highest impact on the ability to hire and retain employees.

The study also shows that companies in Fintech have to do more than just offer attractive salaries if they want to keep employees. Many of the respondents said that non-traditional pay and benefits were important. Read more.

Out & About
Seamless Africa 2018

Seamless Africa brought together leaders in the payments, ecommerce and retail industries. Some of the best and brightest in these sectors provided valuable insights, trends and predictions on how fintech, ecommerce and retail will shape the continent in 2018 and over the next few years.

Faye Tessendorf (Director at Homecoming Revolution) & Johnson Ondicho (Head of Electronic Payments KCB Bank Group)

Johnson Ondicho (Head of Electronic Payments KCB Bank Group) providing insights on Africa’s payments industry at Seamless Africa 2018

Charles de Winnaar (Head of Product Retail Business Bank: Barclays Rest of Africa, Brian Weaving (Head of Product Development at Absa, Justin Hess (Head of Customer Experience Design Office at Barclays), Johan Viljoen (Head of Operations Digital at Barclays Africa & Ketan Kalidas (Head Channel Optimisation at RBB Rest of Africa)

Idrees Kolabhai (Head of Cash Management TPS at Standard Bank Group) Faye Tessendorf (Director at Homecoming Revolution), Simryn de Jager (Head of Cash Management at TPS SA) & Malcolm Govender (Senior Product Manager at Blue Label Telecoms)

Patty Mataka (CEO Africa Invest) & Faye Tessendorf (Director at Homecoming Revolution)

GIBS Retail & Consumer Insights Conference

The GIBS Retail & Consumer Insights Conference focused on the culturally segmented South African retail sector. Some of the key themes addressed included the impact of digital, mobile and ecommerce on retail, understanding the consumer, future shopping behaviours and customer engagement.

Panel discussion with Nomfundo Dlamini (Founder of Tank Research), John Bradshaw (Head of Marketing at Pick n Pay), Dallas Glover (Strategic Director at McCann Health), Carolyn White (Director Shopper Marketing and Retail at McCann World Group) & Preetesh Sewraj (CEO Product of the Year)

Faye Tessendorf (Director at Homecoming Revolution) with Benjamin Trisk (CEO of Exclusive Books)

For Employers – See Our Talent Hot List
Please get in touch if you are interested in recruiting any of the following candidates:

Kenyan Male – Global Engagement Head in Fintech

Nigerian Male- Head of Customer Experience in Banking

Kenyan Female – Marketing Director in FMCG

Rwandan Female – Chief Operating Officer in Technology

South African EE Female – Head of Internal Communications in Financial Services

Nigerian Female – Global Audit Manager in Banking, wants to return from the UK

Kenyan Male – Sales Director in Telecommunications

South African EE Female – HR Director in FMCG

Rwandan Male – Business Banking Head in Financial Services

South African EE Male – Head of Quantitative Research in Investment Management

Kenyan Female – Head of Operations & Business Growth in Banking

South African EE Female – HR Lead in IT

Ugandan Female – Senior Systems Analyst in Technology

South African EE Male – Senior IT Project Manager in Banking

Rwandan Female – Country Lead Digital Banking in Fintech

South African Female – Communications Director in Technology

Kenyan Male – Executive Director in Management Consulting

South African Male – Head of Business Integration in Financial Services

South African Female – Marketing Operations Director in Energy, wants to return from the US

Nigerian Male – Senior Product Manager in Information Technology

South African EE Male – Senior Solution Architect specializing in HRIS, wants to return from the UK

Kenyan Male – Operations Lead in Logistics & Supply Chain

South African EE Female – Marketing Manager in Food & Beverage

Nigerian Male – Chief Operating Offer in FMCG

South African EE Female – Executive Director of Operations in HR

A Selection of Job Opportunities
Business Development Executive, Global Payments – Kigali
Commercial Director, Consumer Goods – Abidjan
School Leader, Education – Nairobi/Lagos/Johannesburg
Finance Director, Retail – Accra
CIO, e-commerce – Nairobi
Executive Director, Non-Profit Education Organisation – Johannesburg
Operations Director, Fintech – Lagos
Investment Analyst, Financial Services – Nairobi
Lead Software Architect, Logistics & Supply Chain – Johannesburg
Country Lead, Financial Technology – Kigali
Associate Principal, Private Equity – Johannesburg
Sales Lead, Consumer Goods – Luanda
Head of Sales, Global IT Leader – Maputo
Chief Operating Officer, Fine Art – Johannesburg
Senior Implementation Analyst, Capital Markets – Cape Town/Johannesburg
Finance Head, Arts & Culture – Johannesburg
Commercial Director, Pharmaceutical – Port Louis
Market Insights Lead, FMCG – Johannesburg
CFO, Information Technology – Nairobi
Head of Technology, Global Consulting Firm – Cape Town
Marketing Executive, Food & Beverage – Durban
We are continually working on many roles in addition to the ones above. So if you’re in the market, please make sure we have your CV so we can match you to opportunities as they arise.
Homecomer Stories:
SOUTH AFRICA

We moved home for our kids

After completing Matric, Jacqueline de Rozario-Knezevich, sold her first car and bought a one-year return ticket to England. The plan was to work hard, save money and come home to buy her first house cash. Little did she know it was going to be a 14-year staycation.

Two years after returning with my family, I thank God every day for my kids, my marriage, my family and friends. My family have all benefited from our move back home. While I have missed out on a lot: weddings, births and other celebrations, I don’t regret my time abroad, it has made me who I am today. But I can honestly say you don’t know what you have until it’s gone, the grass isn’t always greener on the other side…Read more.

NIGERIA

I didn’t want my children’s only experience of Africa to be what they saw on TV

Business coach Stephanie Onwunali was born in Nigeria. She moved to the UK for 10 years and is now back in Lagos for good.

I moved to England in 2005, at the age of 14, as my parents wanted me to get a head-start on the education system there. I studied Accounting and Finance at the University of Birmingham and trained with Ernst & Young post-graduation for 4.5 years.

One day I woke up and decided I had enough of living in the UK. Something would always remind me that I wasn’t home, and I didn’t want to raise my kids in London. I didn’t want their only experience of Africa to be what they see on TV. I wanted them to know where they are from…Read more.

SENEGAL

5 things I have learnt as a diaspora returnee

Homecomer Oluwakemi Loriade shares 5 things she learnt since returning to Africa in 2016.

It’s been over a year since I “moved back” to Africa. I kept telling friends and family that I wanted to leave Washington DC. It felt like the right time to return to the continent I left at 15 to attend boarding school in Wales then college and graduate school in the United States. I had achieved what I had to achieve “abroad” and wanted to “go home.”…Read more.

LBS Africa Business Summit

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