
In this episode, I interview Andy Searle, the CEO of BPESA, South Africa. Andy has worked in the global business services sector since 1998 focusing on the economic growth of the sector, job creation and skills development.
We talk about why empathy is a keen component in the services industry, what are the 4IR skills we need to develop, virtual meeting etiquette and why South Africa has had phenomenal growth in this space.
Andy is a keen athlete and has overseen a sector that has had phenomenal growth in the last while.
The numbers do the talking.
The GBS Operators in the BPESA network added 12,243 new jobs in South Africa in the first three quarters of the year bringing the total number of new jobs created since January 2018 to 23,410 against the Jobs Summit target of 50,000 by 2023. With 89% of the new jobs being for youth, 64% for women, and 10,4% being specifically for excluded youth, the sector is making a very positive contribution to addressing some of our key socio-economic challenges.