Chief Transformation Officer – Resources 4 Africa
Seize the moment! That is the ethos I live by here at Vista Group, and that is the spirit in which I believe we can make endless progress. It gives me great pleasure to address this family of enterprises that I have come to know in my brief time here as Chief Transformation Officer working with the Resources 4 Africa division.
Over the last year, I have had the pleasure of meeting employees across Ghana, Mozambique and Swaziland. I have taken equal interest in reading about the strides we make as a collective across the continent in Pharma, Merchandise and Education.
It has by no means been an easy environment for business over the last few years with ever growing competitive, regulatory and FOREX hurdles to cross. I salute our country and division heads for steering their ships and navigating through the complexity that is business in Africa today. It is their endurance that inspires me to identify the various technology platforms, solutions and upgrades that I scour the enterprise space for daily, in the hope of unleashing new unexplored value.
The 21st Century has not only been marked by a dramatic increase in world trade, but rather a dramatic proliferation of technology that has enabled this trade. Nowadays everyone can Google the price so we must compete on excellence. The winners of tomorrow are companies with zero inventory and millions of customers providing a solution that is protected by intellectual property and a monopoly network effect that keeps business coming in.
More than ever, it is necessary for us to identify what technologies can help us leapfrog the competition, bring us closer to our customers, bring us closer to understanding our customers and deliver service and goods faster. Sure, along the lines it will require many of us to step up our game, learn new methodologies and change some processes that we are used to. Nevertheless, the upside of being exploratory and digitally savvy is the potential we have to discover technology-led business models of the future that can augment the Vista Group reputation as pioneers in our various business sectors.
What is the worst that can happen? Efficiencies such technology can deliver to business will free up our time, and allow us to have workdays that are more flexible where we focus on aspects of our jobs that we like more. It would also enable us to be more customer facing and market savvy, to seize the moment for all its worth.
Digital transformation is as much about strategy transformation as it is about digital. I look forward to the challenges ahead, and having a good dialogue with everyone as we gradually digitize our platforms and bring them into the 21st century. Consider me a servant of your business, and get in touch with me if you have ideas on how we can seize the moment today and for the future.
