"Gobal Career Company Event in Aid of Education Africa"

March 17-19, 2013

GCC is proud to announce its latest initiative to raise funds for their chosen charity ‘Education Africa’.

This year has seen Sarah Roe, Director at GCC appointed as Vice Chairman of the UK board of trustees for Education Africa and as such we are ramping up our fundraising activities for this amazing charity.
Education Africa is a South African based charity that works together with disadvantaged communities to address the issue of inequality in education, a legacy left behind by the apartheid system. Their motto is “Making real change happen; poverty alleviation through education”. The charity assists disadvantaged South Africans in their quest to obtain a quality, relevant education in order to ensure that they are in a position to become global citizens and a competitive, productive element in the local job market.
This is perfectly aligned with the Careers in Africa initiative and therefore made it an obvious choice as our corporate charity.
 
If you would like to sponsor our team of climbers please follow this line justgiving.com/SarahAdcockclimb
 
Alternatively, if you would like to find out more about Education Africa you can either contact Sarah Roe directly atroe@globalcc.net or take a look at the website www.educationafrica.org

"South Africa Achievers Awards (SAAA) partners with GCC"

Feb 2013

The United Kingdom based South African Achievers Awards (S.A.A.A) recognise and reward South African excellence in all areas of life - from business to sport, entertainment to public service, the arts to charitable good works. It is a unique platform from which to showcase the valuable and distinctive contribution made by members of the South African community. SAAA is pleased to announce its partnership with Global Career Company for their inaugural SAAA presentation. 

Bulelwa Sompeta CEO of SAAA said “SAAA is honoured to partner with GCC for this prestigious event. They have been very supportive and believe in our brand. We are looking forward to a fruitful relationship. We’d also like to thank them for hosting the SAAA media launch” Global Career Company is an international recruitment consultancy specialising in the repatriation of internationally educated and based candidates seeking a career back within their home countries. The company works across both Africa and Asia, placing the candidates into positions within top multi-national companies. In the last 11 years we have recruited over 8000 candidates into companies located across Africa and Asia through our internationally based recruitment summits and targeted recruitment campaigns. We work with 400 multinational companies to provide recruitment services on a local, national and international level.  At Global Career Company we match our recruitment strategy to the unique needs of the companies we work with. To date we have successfully organised 60 summits in 15 cities worldwide. For more information please visit www.globalcareercompany.com . 

Rupert Adcock, Managing Director of Global Career Company welcomes the initiative, commenting ‘we share the focus of SAAA in drawing public attention to the success and hard work of the South African Community in both the UK and South Africa. Members of this Community make a valuable contribution to society whether it be through business, charity, sports or the arts and deserve recognition for their achievements.’ With SAAA aiming to recognise the best South Africans in the UK have to offer and GCC working with elite candidates and organisations, the coming together of the two companies was almost inevitable. GCC’s level of excellence towards their brand and vision, couples well with the quality SAAA are seeking out. The partnership promises to be a diverse and mutually beneficial networking platform for the cream of the crop, opening up opportunities for nominees, attendees and all those with a vested interest in Africa.

"Africa will continue to thrive"

March 2012

Ten years since Rupert Adcock launched Global Career Company and the now world renowned Careers in Africa initiative, we interview him to find out where Careers in Africa has come from and where it's going.

Rupert, congratulations on the 10^th Anniversary of Global Career Company and the Careers in Africa initiative, let’s go back to the beginning. What inspired you to develop Careers in Africa?

I noticed a trend growing throughout African companies, a need for them to seek out internationally based African graduates and early career professionals, who could bring their skills back to the region. Careers in Africa allows our clients to utilise our growing network of internationally based talent, we then select these candidates specifically for them against their requirements and give them the tools and facilities to interview and recruit them over one weekend in key locations throughout Europe.

For the candidates, we note that with career opportunities increasing throughout the region, Africans are more than ever considering moving home to further their careers and contribute to their local economies. Indeed, the uplift in applications that we have experienced shows how the appetite for a move to Africa appears to be greater than ever.

Can you tell us about the first Careers in Africa event that you held and how it has changed to date?

The first Careers in Africa event was on a smaller scale with just 14 companies. As we have grown exponentially our clients have grown with us. We can expect up to 50 companies at our flagship event in London this year.  Graduates who we first contacted in 2002 have now become experienced managers. In many cases our candidates have become our clients and continue to act as our ambassadors across Africa.

What about your clients? Can you tell us about their requirements and what trends you have noticed over the last 10 years?

Despite the global economic downturn, we can see that Africa has remained strong. Companies are seeking experienced managers to run their African operations and drive them forward

Have you noticed a change in the candidate applications to GCC?

The candidates have always been extremely ambitious with excellent skills and experience. We recently conducted a survey with our database and when asked what drives the candidates to return to Africa, ‘opportunities to fast track my career’ was the leading response, ‘Africa’s growing economy’ was ranked second, whilst ‘returning home to family’ and ‘the ability to apply international knowledge to local markets’ came joint third. Incidentally, ‘financial incentives’ and ‘giving back’ were ranked last.

What can we expect from the emerging markets over the next 12 months?

Africa will continue to thrive and sustain economic growth. These are exciting times for the region and multiple opportunities abound.

Where do you see Global Career Company in the next 10 years?

We want to be ‘in’ our markets and we are looking to grow rapidly. We are seeking to open up regional African offices, starting with South Africa. Africa is the future of employment opportunities and GCC wants to be integral to its success.

A New Life in Nigeria

January 2012

John Avberhota was recruited by G4S at the Careers in Africa London Recruitment Summit in May 2010. We caught up with him to find out how his life is going back in Nigeria.

Nationality: Nigerian/British

Background: MRes degree in International Human Resource Management, Metropolitan University; MA degree in International Human Resource Management, University of North London; BSc degree in Biochemistry, University of North London

As HR Director for G4S Nigeria, I provide all HR services across the organisation. This includes providing the leadership framework and direction for the organisational change management; defining and delivering the management development programmes; expatriation and repatriation management; compensation and benefits; employee relations; coaching; performance management; learning & development; health & safety; salary review and recruitment & selection.

How did you find out about Careers in Africa?

Through a friend of mine who works for BP. I registered online and uploaded my employment details and CV on the Careers in Africa website.

What happened at the Summit in 2010? How many interviews did you have?

 The Summit was a great first experience for me. I met so many fellow Africans from countries stretching from up north to down south.

With regards to interviews, I received an email from Careers in Africa that three companies wanted to interview me for a senior HR position and one of them happened to be G4S Nigeria. The details for the interviews, including information on the companies were then provided and from there, I started researching the companies via their websites, and getting prepared for the interviews.

What happened after the Summit?

After the Summit, I received feedback from two out of the three companies and it was a 50/50 (i.e. successful and not successful) outcome. The successful feedback was from G4S Nigeria and the rest was history. The other company said that I was over-qualified for the position, but would keep me in mind for the future.

How are you finding life back in Nigeria?

Life in Nigeria has been great. The culture and general attitude of the people has really enabled me to integrate into the working environment without feeling a sudden culture shock, having worked in the UK for over 15 years.

What would you say to anyone thinking of applying to Careers in Africa?

Go for it! I was really impressed with how helpful the team was. However, anyone who is thinking of relocating to Africa should consider the move carefully and discuss it with their family and friends. They must be willing to be extremely flexible in their working style upon arrival to Africa: you have to adjust to the traffic issues on the road, power cuts in the house or office, or the emails might be down and your supplier has run out of fuel. This can take some getting used to at first!

On the whole, it is a fantastic environment to work in and one cannot help but feel the buzz of direct impact you will be contributing towards the business as there is really a strong working ethic in Nigeria.

https://www.yousendit.com/download/WUJackhVQXBlM1JjR05Vag

Johannesburg as a diverse pool of talent

November 2011

More than 300 candidates came to the Recruitment Summit in Johannesburg, held on 11 – 13 November 2011. The 14 companies that attended were very impressed by the high quality of candidates in attendance: Halliburton, Baker Hughes, DOW, Worley Parsons, FMC Technologies, G4S, Safal, Oceaneering, IBM, Total, Rio Tinto, Cuango, Oracle, Catoca.

Our Careers in Africa team arrived from our headquarters in London on the Thursday, and associates from South Africa joined to prepare for the Summit. The Friday afternoon saw the candidates start to arrive at the venue, and one of our recruitment consultants ran an extensive training session. This consisted of a presentation, followed by an in-depth workshop on interview and networking technique, personal impact and CV writing skills. By Friday evening, the networking event was in full swing, with candidates meeting face to face with representatives from the company.

The Saturday was a busy day of interviews and presentations from the attending companies. They spoke for up to an hour on their operations, their recruitment practices, and why people should want to work for them. This gave invaluable advice to those that attended.

By Sunday, offers had been made to some lucky candidates, and more interviews took place, with the event finally wrapping up at Sunday lunchtime.

It was the third year in a row that we have hosted this event in Johannesburg; the next will take place 9 – 11 November 2012.

Visit our Careers in Africa Facebook page to view the pictures from the event.

New African "Recruiting in Africa Special Report"

July 2011

New African "Recruiting in Africa Special Report" published in association with Careers in Africa, July 2011

Read More

Tanzania’s banks expanding and seeking to recruit

10 June 2011

The International Monetary Fund has just upgraded its forecasts of growth in Tanzania’s economy, the second largest in East Africa, to 7.2% for 2012, up from 6% this year, while Standard Bank’s analysts are more optimistic and calculate GDP will rise by 7.6%.

East Africa’s second-biggest economy after Kenya still depends mainly on mining, tourism and agriculture but it is attracting considerable investor interest, especially in telecommunications, energy and financial services, while the banking sector is increasingly active and competitive.

Fast-growing banks desperately need talent. Like National Microfinance Bank (NMB), the largest bank in Tanzania by customer base and branch network, which was privatised in 2005 and listed in 2008 on the Dar es Salaam Stock Exchange. The biggest shareholder is Holland’s Rabobank Group with a 34.9% stake. “Post privatisation instead of closing branches we started growing our branch network and now we have 140, more than twice the number of any other bank,” says Mark Wiessing, Ceo of NMB. “Our customer base has jumped from 600,000 to 1.4m in the past few years and today we are the largest ATM issuer in Tanzania with over 1.1m active cards.”

Kees Verbeek, chief commercial officer, says that “we are building an outward-looking, client-oriented bank and we need bright people, young enough to be energetic and enthusiastic, but ideally with at least three or four years’ experience working abroad. We need people in sales and operations as well as team and project management.”

Another bank seeking to expand is Exim Bank, founded in 1997, which has been growing fast and is now trying to establish itself as a regional player with a presence in the Comores and Djibouti.

“We are now waiting for approval from the Zambian authorities to establish a presence there as well,” says Dinesh Arora, general manager “We are the fastest-growing bank in Tanzania and have been the most innovative: we were the first to introduce credit cards, mobile ATMs and special financing schemes for women. Now we want to keep growing but we need people.”

Mr Arora is hoping to attract the Tanzanian diaspora: “We are keen to recruit people who have worked in the City, who come fully groomed and trained and with a high level of understanding. We offer exciting career prospects and a good quality of life. In Tanzania, the positives outweigh the negatives.” The bank, he says, needs 20 people in different areas, from risk management to operations and sales.

Both Verbeek and Arora have extended their search for talent to London through the Global Career Company network, hoping to attract some of the many expatriates working in the City. Strict visa regulations, they say, make it difficult to hire people who are not Tanzanian nationals.

Barclays and StanChart looking for African talent

20 May 2011

Africa is calling. As economic growth, foreign investments and trade links continue to grow, banks – both local and international – keep expanding and recruiting. The stumbling block is lack of local candidates with the relevant skills and some experience, so the banks come to London to try and lure African expatriates back with the offer of a job.

For this reason both Barclays and Standard Chartered had stalls at last weekend’s Careers in Africa summit at Canary Wharf in London, organised by the Global Careers Company (GCC), an international recruitment consultancy. “Due to the brain drain in the past finding good people in Africa has been a challenge, but now things are looking up,” says Shaun Limwatana, head of resources at Barclays Africa. “We are here to build up a talent pool, because we need people in all the ten African countries we are in. Bob Diamond has made Africa a focus so it is a big growth area for us.” Barclays interviewed over 60 candidates and is hoping to recruit at least fifteen.

Standard Chartered is on a similar quest: “We are here looking for talent, because in Africa it is very hard to get good people with international experience and exposure,” says Annie Kinuthia, area head of corporate affairs for East Africa at StanChart in Nairobi. “We are looking to recruit people in every country we are in across the Continent and in sectors across the board, from consumer banking to technology to corporate banking. We have 60 interviews lined up and we hope to hire at least four people.”

According to Rupert Adcock, managing director of GCC, “financial services are really taking off across the Continent, from retail to corporate banking to private equity to venture capital, so there is a strong pull for African expatriates with experience in the sector to go back and join these exciting markets where it’s all happening. They can secure a guaranteed job before they go back, and they leave the City knowing they might move to a smaller pond, but they’ll be big fishes.”

They do seem to be aware of this. A survey GCC conducted among the African diaspora at the London summit shows that the key reason for returning to the Continent is ‘opportunities to fast track my career’, followed by ‘Africa’s growing economy’. “Africa is not seen as just going back home but as a great opportunity for a better career in an exciting growth environment,” says Limwatana.

For more information please visit www.careersinafrica.com.

Barclays and StanChart looking for African talent

20 May 2011

Africa is calling. As economic growth, foreign investments and trade links continue to grow, banks – both local and international – keep expanding and recruiting. The stumbling block is lack of local candidates with the relevant skills and some experience, so the banks come to London to try and lure African expatriates back with the offer of a job.

For this reason both Barclays and Standard Chartered had stalls at last weekend’s Careers in Africa summit at Canary Wharf in London, organised by the Global Careers Company (GCC), an international recruitment consultancy. “Due to the brain drain in the past finding good people in Africa has been a challenge, but now things are looking up,” says Shaun Limwatana, head of resources at Barclays Africa. “We are here to build up a talent pool, because we need people in all the ten African countries we are in. Bob Diamond has made Africa a focus so it is a big growth area for us.” Barclays interviewed over 60 candidates and is hoping to recruit at least fifteen.

Standard Chartered is on a similar quest: “We are here looking for talent, because in Africa it is very hard to get good people with international experience and exposure,” says Annie Kinuthia, area head of corporate affairs for East Africa at StanChart in Nairobi. “We are looking to recruit people in every country we are in across the Continent and in sectors across the board, from consumer banking to technology to corporate banking. We have 60 interviews lined up and we hope to hire at least four people.”

According to Rupert Adcock, managing director of GCC, “financial services are really taking off across the Continent, from retail to corporate banking to private equity to venture capital, so there is a strong pull for African expatriates with experience in the sector to go back and join these exciting markets where it’s all happening. They can secure a guaranteed job before they go back, and they leave the City knowing they might move to a smaller pond, but they’ll be big fishes.”

They do seem to be aware of this. A survey GCC conducted among the African diaspora at the London summit shows that the key reason for returning to the Continent is ‘opportunities to fast track my career’, followed by ‘Africa’s growing economy’. “Africa is not seen as just going back home but as a great opportunity for a better career in an exciting growth environment,” says Limwatana.

AFRICA EMERGES AS LEADING CAREER DESTINATION

May 2011

• 20% increase in the number of roles and companies recruiting for Africa in Q1 2011
• 35% of respondents from the African Diaspora looking to move back home in 2011

With the global competitive landscape changing dramatically, Africa is now emerging as a leading employment centre location. Many firms operating across Africa are recruiting aggressively and the African job market in 2011 is looking robust with a significant increase in the number of jobs compared with the same time last year.

Global Career Company, a leading London–based international recruitment consultancy best known for the Careers in Africa initiative, has reported a 20% increase in the number of roles and companies recruiting for Africa in Q1 2011 when contrasted with similar data from the beginning of 2010. Demand for highly skilled professionals with a background in engineering, pharmaceuticals, mining, technology and manufacturing continues to be strong. Rupert Adcock, Managing Director of Global Career Company observes, ‘The African Renaissance is firmly afoot as displayed by the high economic growth across the continent. We have increased our client portfolio exponentially as companies seek talented graduates and professionals with the skills and expertise to enable them take advantage of these growth opportunities.’

The African Diaspora have taken note of this trend are voting with their feet. A recent survey conducted by the Careers in Africa team reveals that 35% of respondents were looking to move back home in 2011 and a further 29% were looking to move within one to two years.  When asked about the key drivers for looking to work in Africa, ‘opportunities to fast track my career’ was the leading response. ‘Africa’s growing economy’ was ranked second whilst ‘returning home to family’ and ‘the ability to apply international knowledge to local markets’ came joint third. Incidentally, ‘financial incentives’ and ‘giving back’ were ranked last.

The Careers in Africa Recruitment Summit hosted in London, the world’s largest African recruitment event, has had a record number of applications from candidates looking to return to Africa and start building their careers in what has proved to be the most resilient of regions during the global financial crisis.  Rupert continues, ‘Careers in Africa continues to grow at an astonishing rate, we now have over 180,000 graduates and professionals in our global database, our website statistics are at an all time high with over 200,000 visits and over 1,000,000 page views per month.’  Participation at the Careers in Africa Recruitment Summit has been confirmed by leading employers from across Africa and there is a good mix of multinationals and African businesses. Barclays, Coca Cola Sabco, Diageo, GE, GlaxoSmithKline, Heineken, Henkel, Lafarge, Safal, Standard Chartered, Total, Unilever and Vale will be present. This list continues to grow.

The next Careers in Africa Recruitment Summit will be taking place on 13 – 15 May 2011. For more information please visit www.careersinafrica.com.