Victor Famuyibo, HR Director for Heineken gives his opinion on Africa

March 2012

'The future is here. I’m not just saying this because I am African, but because when I look around it looks to me like Africa is ready to take over from Asia in terms of growth.'

Heineken have worked with Careers in Africa since we first started, almost ten years ago. We spoke with Victor Famuyibo, HR Director for Heineken in Nigeria, to find out his view on how Africa has changed in the last decade, and how he expects the continent to develop in the future.

How have you seen Africa change in the last 10 years?

In my view it has come a long way. The last ten years have been significant in terms of growth. A decade ago, many countries were still dealing with some sort of civil conflict or another. There is now less turbulence which has created the ideal environment for business, and new investment has been flooding in from abroad. I have also seen more FDI from China into Africa. Again, the improved business climate has created the perfect environment for partnerships. The political atmosphere has also contributed, with the era of one-man dictatorships becoming history and democracy becoming the future. The collapse of apartheid has undoubtedly contributed to this. As a result, this has created access to foreign grants and loans. In turn, this has mobilised infrastructure across Africa.

Where do you see Africa in the next 10 years?

 I predict that as we start reaping the fruits of democracy and stability, we will see a decade of real GDP growth. The last ten years will look like child’s play in comparison, and I believe we will hit double digit growth. The reasons for this will be an on-going concerted effort to improve infrastructure, as well as tackling corruption head on. Right now, there are still corruption issues across politics and business. Ten years ago it was a way of life, but at least now it is becoming part of the discussion.

How have Heineken’s demands for human capital changed over the last 10 years?

They have been and are still growing dramatically! Lots of local acquisitions here in Nigeria have meant that we have a huge demand for highly skilled and well trained Nigerians. Our strategy is to find fresh young people from across the globe and invest a lot of training in them. Unfortunately, local schools are still not getting better so we have to have access to the Diaspora to find graduates with the education and international perspective. Global Career Company is our preferred provider when meeting these needs. We continue to be a strong force in the Heineken Group, establishing our footprint all over the world as the business continues to grow.

"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.

Francophone Talent impresses companies in Paris

November 2011

Following on from the success of the Careers in Africa Recruitment Summit in April 2011, a second Summit was held last weekend in the French capital.

The Careers in Africa Team travelled to the capital and hosted our final Recruitment Summit of 2011. More than 250 candidates came to the event, held near the centre of Paris. They met with delegates from the participating companies: Philip Morris International, Lafarge, HP, Baker Hughes, Orange, Stefanutti Stocks and Dangote.

Here’s what some of those who came said:

‘First let me say congratulations to the GCC team. I find the organisation and support you give to the candidates excellent. You help us in our search for a job. I was very impressed by the new companies, especially Stefanutti Stocks. Despite my having a good knowledge of the market, you have helped me discover a new company.’

‘The Careers in Africa Summit is an excellent opportunity for people of African origin, or those interested in a career in Africa, to become informed on the economic state of the continent, and the recruitment needs across the regions. ‘

So, that’s the end of the 2011 Summits! Next year’s Careers in Africa Summits are already up on our website, so start applying! And don’t forget to keep your profile and CV updated: we recruit throughout the year!

Careers in Africa, London October 2011

October 2011

The Careers in Africa London Recruitment Summit was a fantastic success! We would like to extend our warm thanks to all that attended. More than 400 candidates came through the venue doors to network with approximately 40 delegates from 10 multinational companies.

Traditionally, the October Summit is not as large as our flagship May Summit. However, this Summit was one of our most successful! Some candidates were even offered positions on the spot! We plan to follow up with these fortunate people in the coming weeks to find out how their Summit experience was.

The event started on the Friday, with the Careers in Africa Team setting up the event at the venue from early in the morning. By the middle of the afternoon, candidates had started arriving and checking-in for the Summit. We also ran a candidate training session, aimed at helping candidates improve their networking skills, interview and personal impact skills, as well as providing a valuable insight into what the hiring companies were looking for at the Summit.

At 17.30, the doors opened, and the networking reception began! Inevitably, there was an impressive influx of candidates, all vying for their moment to meet senior HR directors and executives from attending companies. This continued on to 19.30, which the company delegates impressed by the high quality of CVs handed to them by candidates.

The following day, the exhibition area was open all day, and the interviews began! There were also company presentations from GE, Total, FMC Technologies and TWP Projects. For us, it was incredibly rewarding to see the candidates that many of us have spoken to on the phone, helped improve their CVs and then shortlist them for interviews. We look forward to hearing the success stories over the coming days and weeks!

If you missed out on the October Summit, don't panic! Next year, we are already looking forward to the May Summit! Keep checking our website and Facebook page for more information on the upcoming events.

For further information on the Careers in Africa summits and to apply please go to www.careersinafrica.com

2011 Careers in Africa Summits are launched with record success

June 2011

Global Career Company started its 2011 campaign of Careers in Africa Summits with four extremely successful events over the last month. Starting off in Nairobi, the event then moved to Paris then Lisbon and finally the flagship event in London.

Rupert Adcock, Managing Director of GCC, observes 'We are extremely proud of the success of our 2011 campaign so far.  Our Careers in Africa Com World Summit in Nairobi was held in conjunction with our partner Informa, who were holding their EastAfricaCom event.  We were pleased to welcome candidates and clients such as Airtel to experience the event, which will hopefully be the first of many in our joint venture with Informa.'

12 companies and over 500 Francophone African graduates and professionals were in attendance at theCareers in Africa Recruitment Summit in Paris. Companies included Addax Petroleum, Alios Finance, IBM, Philip Morris and Total and was supported by Global Career Company's media partners Jeune Afrique, Marches and Afrik.com.

Clients described this event as 'An excellent opportunity to engage with a highly talented population' whilst others commented that 'The strength of the summit was the quality and diversit of candidates from all backgrounds and nationalities.  It was also well planned and exceptionally organised'

The feedback received so far confirms that a number of offers have been made to the high-calibre candidates that were in attendance.

The next event in the GCC calendar was held in Lisbon in May. The Careers in Africa Recruitment Summitin Lisbon event is targeted at high-calibre graduates and professionals looking to return to Angola andMozambique. Over 250 candidates attended as well as companies such as GE, Schlumberger, Movicel, Catoca, Coca Cola Bottling Luanda, Multichoice, Rio Tinto, Vale and Obdebrecht , both candidate and client feedback have shown that the summit was a great success with offers to candidates already being made.

Clients that have attended this event have described it as 'The original and still the best source of internationally based Angolans' and have told GCC that it is 'A unique opportunity to target, identify and attract qualified Africans with a real desire and motivation to return home.'

Finally, Global Career Company launched its flagship summit.  Careers in Africa, London now in its tenth year was held at a five star hotel in Canary Wharf, London.  The event was attended by over 30 companies looking to recruit across Africa for candidates with exceptional skills to become the future business leaders and taking Africa to the top of the employment region of choice for the emerging markets.

The event was attended by a fantastic mix of both multinationals and African businesses including Barclays, Coca Cola Sabco, Diageo, Eskom, Exim Bank, GE, GlaxoSmithKline, Heineken, Henkel, Lafarge, Multichoice, Nielsen, NMB, Pan Ocean Oil, Safal, Standard Chartered, Total, Tullow Oil, Unicem, Unilever and Vale.

Running over two days and starting off with a networking reception and press launch, the event then went onto hold over a thousand candidate interviews, workshops, seminars and assessment centres.

Candidates have described it as 'An amazing opportunity to meet other likeminded Africans and interview with high profile companies.  The best way for me to get to know how the African markets are developing.  I am thrilled to have been invited to participate!'

Another candidate has commented 'The Careers in Africa Summit helped me to realise my ambitions. It was a fantastic event and at the end of the two days I received great job offers.  I was amazed by the range and quality of the opportunities available; a truly unique and must attend event'.

Rupert Adcock comments, 'We are so pleased with the success of these past four summits, it was a great way to start 2011.  Careers in Africa will be running in additional summits throughout the year and I would urge candidates to apply as soon as possible.'

For further information on the Careers in Africa summits and to apply please go to www.careersinafrica.com

Asian Recruitment Summit in London

January 2011

As the Asian economy continues to show signs of strength, many companies are looking to support their expansion with top-class Asian candidates who have studied in Europe and are now looking to take their careers back home. 

The weekend of 21-23 January 2011 saw the latest unique event in London; the Careers in Asia Recruitment Summit brought together high-calibre, European-based Asian graduates and professionals with leading employers from across Asia. The last few years have undoubtedly seen uncertainty and difficulty when it comes to finding a successful career. Careers in Asia, an initiative by Global Career Company (GCC), is therefore a very welcome development.

Approximately 600 candidates were invited to the event, from nearly 5000 who applied. They were brought to meet senior HR managers and directors from 11 companies including HSBC, RBS, Maybank, Daimler, and others. These companies were looking to fill a variety of roles across all sectors to support their operations across Asia.

Asia has become a hotspot of international business, a fact which has become more apparent since the financial crisis. There is strong demand for candidates possessing knowledge of Asian markets, yet also have an international vision. GCC’s Managing Director Rupert Adcock says: “Our Careers in Asia Recruitment Summit is a unique opportunity for clients to recruit some of the world’s brightest talent, and for candidates provides a great opportunity to get themselves in front of key decision makers within some of the region’s biggest and most highly regarded companies.”

Careers in Asia forms the bridge between companies and candidates. GCC takes the talent needs of the firms into consideration and brings the job seekers together. This allows the company delegates, who have often flown from Asia, to see as many excellent candidates as possible over 3 days. Some are already invited for interviews beforehand, whilst others network with the companies to try and get an interview.

One of the companies, Sanofi-aventis, said: “Careers in Asia was a superbly organised event, providing the ideal platform for us to promote our brand to a highly targeted group of Asian graduates and professionals.”

The delegates that the candidates met with were often senior HR managers and directors. One candidate, Xianfen, commented: “I had not realised my interview was with the vice president of the company’s human capital division. He was really approachable so I feel hopeful the news will be good!” 

To find out more about Careers in Asia, visit www.careersinasia.com

Careers in Africa London: Ten Summits On...

October 2010

When Global Career Company (GCC) launched its first Careers in Africa Summit in London 2003, the world was a slightly different place.  South Africa had just successfully hosted the first Cricket World Cup on African soil, the global economy was just starting to recover from the slowdown caused by 9/11 and multinationals were just starting to look at the African Diaspora as an additional talent pool for their African operations.  Seven years and ten London Summits later, South Africa now celebrates hosting the World Cup smoothly, the global economy is recovering from another downturn and African graduates and professionals residing outside of the continent are now firmly recognised as a quality source of talent for employers across Africa.

The Careers in Africa series of Recruitment Summits evolved from an idea to create a platform which enabled multinational and regional companies to connect with the finest internationally based African talent available.  The inaugural Summit was held in May 2003 where 14 companies including Coca-Cola, Lafarge and Shell congregated in London to interview and network with African graduates and professionals.  Since then, the Summits have spread to Brussels, Houston, Johannesburg, Lisbon, New York, Paris, Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo and Washington D.C. Now, as GCC prepares to host the tenth London Summit in October, the Summits are regularly attended by 30 companies including Barclays, Chevron, Ericsson, GE and Siemens. The cohort of companies attending the Summits has also transformed. Whilst the early editions of these events were frequented by multinationals, at least 50% of the companies currently participating are indigenous African firms. The candidate pool has grown exponentially and there are now over 100,000 African professionals within the Careers in Africa global network.

What has changed over these last ten London Summits?  Rupert Adcock, Managing Director of Global Career Company, explains how the age and experience of the average candidate has matured.  “Graduates who we first contacted in 2002, have now become experienced managers and professionals and have already become leaders in their field.  Global Career Company was with them at the beginning of their careers, and we’re still with them as they enter their mid-careers.  In many cases our candidates become our clients and continue to act as our ambassadors across Africa.”

HR Directors agree that looking to London provides solutions to their staffing challenges. “The Summit is a tapestry of finely woven activities culminating in 2 days of interviews. It reflects excellence borne out of experience and continuous improvement,” says the Chief HR Officer at Etisalat. The Head of Human Capital at the United Bank of Africa describes Careers in Africa London as “a must-attend event for any organisation interested in recruiting top African talent”.

The next Careers in Africa Recruitment Summit will be taking place on 29 to 31 October 2010. For more information please visit www.careersinafrica.com.

Original Article http://www.careersinafrica.com/en/news/careers-in-africa-london-ten-summits-on

Johannesburg Hailed as Hub for African Talent

August 2010

As the vuvuzelas are put away and stadiums have all cleared, South Africa’s successful hosting of the 2010 World Cup now passes into recent memory. The event was a spectacular success. Everything went according to plan; critics and naysayers were proved wrong and South Africa was favourably rebranded. Now that fans and footballers have returned home, what are the eyes of the world still seeing in South Africa?

The answer is talent! Europe and North America have always been traditional markets that attract talent away from the continent but South Africa’s relative economic prosperity and political stability have made it a new hub for African talent. South Africa is now established as a regional player in the international student marketplace by attracting as many as 20% of international students from Africa. This has been attributed to a strong marketing campaign, an abundance of highly regarded institutions like UCT, Wits and Stellenbosch, close proximity to home and low costs of living. These trends are the motivation for Global Career Company which decided to institute the Careers in Africa Recruitment Summits in Johannesburg, the commercial capital of South Africa.

Careers in Africa Recruitment Summits are normally held across Europe and North and South America with the aim of bringing the best internationally based African talent back to the continent. So why Johannesburg? The logic was simple. “We saw an opportunity to provide a South African based platform for multinational and regional companies who are struggling to find highly skilled workers for their operations in Africa,” explains Global Career Company Managing Director Rupert Adcock who founded the company in 2002. “Clients sometimes find it difficult to travel to our events in Europe even though they need to access a wider talent pool. So, we decided to provide them with access to a separate talent pool right here in South Africa. This is the first initiative of its kind in South Africa and our second event in Africa.”

Global Career Company, a London-based international recruitment consultancy, has been at the forefront of recruiting the cream of Africa’s professionals working abroad with an enviable track record spanning eight years of working with over 200 of Africa’s leading employers. This will be the second edition of the Careers in Africa Summit in Johannesburg. It takes place on 17 to 19 September 2010 and will be attended by up to 15 companies including Bateman Engineering, East African Breweries Limited, ENSA, Exim Bank, GE, Maersk, Rio Tinto and Vale.

To find out more about Careers in Africa visit www.careersinafrica.com

Original Article http://www.careersinafrica.com/en/news/johannesburg-hailed-as-hub-for-african-talent

New Recruitment Summit for Francophone African Talents in Paris

June 2010

The place to be for any Francophone African talents last month was the Careers in Africa Summit in Paris, which took place 16-18 April. The reputation and success of the Careers in Africa Recruitment Summits throughout the world is unparalleled, however the launch of a new Summit was always a risky enterprise, especially in the current climate. However, the gamble taken by Global Career Company quickly paid off:

Rupert Adcock, Managing Director at Global Career Company says: “With companies starting to confirm their presence as early as last November, we knew immediately that the event would be a success. Multinationals and African companies alike were eager to meet with the talented pool of African candidates present at the Summit, to recruit and add value to their operations in Africa. They didn’t hesitate to bring in large delegations, involving Country Managers, HR Directors and Line Managers to prove they were serious about recruiting.”

Over the course of the week-end, there was no time for sightseeing, as delegates and candidates were busy attending company presentations, networking, exchanging CVs and business cards, and more importantly proceeding to scheduled and spontaneous interviews.

Over 20 companies recruited at the event, including the likes of G.E, Lafarge, Total, Schneider Electric, Siemens, Citibank, MTN, BGFI and many more. Over formal 500 interviews took place, all for opportunities in Francophone and North Africa.

The ECOWAS delegation, who interviewed over 85 candidates, was impressed by the level of expertise brought by the candidates and planned to take over 50% of them through to second stage interviews. Another great player in the African market, Orange, managed to interview candidates for 6 Francophone countries and multiple functional areas. Their HR Business Partner for Africa was very positive about the whole event: “I really enjoyed the Summit. Everything from organisation, welcome, contacts to interviews was managed professionally, efficiently and in a friendly manner. I would like to thank the Global Career Company team for such a great event!”

Sana Chakir, Recruitment Lead for Global Career Company explained: “Some candidates travelled a long way to attend the event… We were impressed by the motivation of some of them, who had to catch several flights and use various transportation modes to be there, despite the tough travel conditions that week-end. They visibly took this opportunity very seriously, which proves they are extremely determined to find their new career opportunity back in Africa.”

The Careers in Africa team is now getting ready for the next stops on its busy calendar of events: in London, New York, Johannesburg, Sao Paolo and Houston. They are also planning to renew the Paris experience next year, to help many more candidates find their dream job in Africa...

Original Article http://www.careersinafrica.com/en/news/new-recruitment-summit-for-francophone-african-talents-in-paris