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CHAIRMAN’S REPORT

STEFAN OLIVIER

I would rather be part of the team seeking a solution, than the team that constantly criticizes with no value-proposition for themselves and the community.

In the mid 90’s, NIKE wanted to introduce and expand their brand in Africa. They sent out a group of researchers to test the market and the outcome was the following:

The people in Africa walk barefoot and their feet are hard and tough – they are not open to change and are set in their ways.

They concluded that the risk to invest in Africa would be unwise. Therefore NIKE withdrew from Africa.

Months later, NIKE sent another team of researchers to Africa, as they were concerned that they might have missed a potential group of clients.

The results of the investigation were the following:

The people in Africa walk barefoot and their feet are hard and tough – they would love to wear comfortable shoes – with the right marketing, NIKE could easily change their mind and convince them to wear shoes.

And the rest is history…this is how NIKE entered Africa.

Keep track of reality, but you can’t afford to make decisions based on what you can see with the blind eye in South Africa. Identify the negative problem points and come with positive solutions – don’t be the local gossip spreading negative reports.

Let’s rather take hands and create solutions – there are many opportunities waiting for us.

We invite you to become more involved in the ventures of the Business Chamber – together we can make a huge impact and change challenges into solutions.

This time of the year might be tough and difficult for business owners, especially considering the fact that the financial year end in February 2018, may not have been as profitable as you originally hoped for.

Don’t feel discouraged and overwhelmed, but at the same time, do not sit back and relax – remember that every difficulty or dark situation always carries the potential for great opportunities that may lead to ultimate successes. What we might see as negativity, broken trust and reasonable doubt for expansion in South Africa, might just be the open door for the breakthroughs we have been waiting for.

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BUSINESS WOMEN’S NEWS

OLIVIA VAUGHAN

Sheryl Sandberg, the current Chief Operating Officer of Facebook and former CEO of Google encourages women all over the world to sit at the table, whether it is in the boardroom or the dining room. She contends that by creating a separation and excluding ourselves from decisions by not speaking up, women create the very division that we have fought so long to rid ourselves of. So for the previous quarter, I have sat at the table, I have represented the voice of business women and have been invited to all the meetings, all the meals and been part of many of the decisions. I am proud to say that I do not feel excluded, quite the contrary, I feel that it is a well accepted concept by business in general that women are a valuable part of commerce in the Vaal Triangle.

As a group of ladies taking on projects to uplift women and tackle social economic issues in the Vaal Triangle, we are excited to announce projects that have been identified for the year of 2018.

• Enterprising Women, an ongoing initiative run in conjunction with the North-West University, will reach new heights where young female entrepreneurs will be afforded the opportunity to enter into a mentorship program with willing participants within the Chamber. These ladies have been trained with theoretical knowledge of how to start and run a business and now with the help of the Chamber, they will be able to be paired with a mentor who will impart valuable practical training to round off their education.

• The uniform recycling project, together with Avis, will see Avis South Africa providing previously loved uniforms to GTCOC in order to be repurposed in various ways. The uniforms will be de-branded and then either sold at a nominal cost to graduate students to ensure they have proper attire to attend interviews and/or work, or they will be taken apart and used in various craft projects in order to be sold back to the corporates as corporate gifts. The money raised from this will be used to fund other social projects in the Vaal as identified by GTCOC.

WOMEN’S INTERESTS 2018

As we approach the second quarter of 2018, reflection on work done, as well as plans for the next two quarters are in order! As a rule, I believe in inclusivity and creating collaborative environments in which to leverage opportunities. Therefore, this year I have made a concerted effort to attend and be involved in as many projects as possible in which GTCOC is involved. It is not through separation and division of business women that change will be effected, but through including our voice in important and relevant decisions and being part of the existing collaborations within our network.

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• All ladies in the Chamber are encouraged to participate in a drive which will see the business women in conjunction with Premier Foods, put together as many Dignity packs as we can containing feminine hygiene products sponsored by Premier Foods as well as any new or previously loved underwear. These dignity packs will be distributed to the Rape Centre at the Vanderbijlpark SAPS, various underprivileged schools and charity associations.

I encourage all ladies within the Chamber to be a part of these initiatives as a way of giving back with grace and humility.

That said, ladies remain ladies and we all like a bit of R & R now and then to rest our stilettoed feet and let our hair down. Some well deserved champagne and a slice of cheesecake to lift the spirits and spur on energy for the next quarter will go a long way. For this we have two fantastic events coming up throughout the remainder of the year. There will be an event featuring renowned photographer and qualified life coach Michelle Wastie. Michelle’s portfolio includes Woolworths, Oreo, VISA, Google, Guiness, Discovery, Radisson Blu, Multichoice, FNB, SAB and the list goes on… Michelle will be exhibiting amazing photography of how she captures the spirit of a woman in her work and she will also be talking on how to remain in your power while running a business. This is an event not to be missed and the first for GTCOC Women’s Interests to have the opportunity to interact with such a well-renowned and successful entrepreneur operating in such a unique sector. The invitations will be sent out as soon as we have secured a date for the event.

In the month of August, we celebrate women. What it means to be a woman, our essence, our complexities, our talents and abilities. In celebration of this we are arranging a Women’s Day Extravaganza on 9 August 2018. This is going to be an exciting and unique event that will prove to be a great way to celebrate women. The idea behind this event is that it is not going to be an event just catering for women, but rather an event celebrating women. It is our hope that men and women alike will support this event, in order to support the idea of inclusivity and collaboration despite gender, race or creed.

As we endeavour to embark on projects that will enrich both the community as well as our business people within the Chamber, I trust that the GTCOC community will get behind every project and stand together to make sure that change is effected in various areas. It is only as a group with one vision that real change will be effected and a sustainable difference will be achieved.

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SPONSORS

EVENTS

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EXECUTIVE MEMBERS MEETING

09 April 2018

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EVENTS

MEMBERS MEETING

19 April 2018

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EVENTS

SEDIBENG BUSINESS CHAMBER

LAUNCH

20 April 2018

A

F’SASEC LAUNCH OF AUTOMATION

WORKSHOP

20 April 2018

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EVENTS

WATER SUMMIT

24 April 2018

IDP MEETING

24 April 2018

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EVENTS

PRIVATE PUBLIC PARTICIPATION

25 April 2018

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EVENTS

SMALL BUSINESS NETWORK

25 April 2018

STAKEHOLDER FORUM MEETING

RANDWATER AND DEPARTMENT OF WATER

AND SANITATION

26 April 2018

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UPCOMING

EVENTS

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UPCOMING

EVENTS

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UPCOMING

EVENTS

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GENERAL