The Seven Pillars Supporting Accenture’s Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (B-BBEE) Initiatives
1. Ownership
In September 2005 Accenture sold 30 percent of ordinary shares in its South African operations to a black-owned trust. The trust, known as the “Akha Trust” (Zulu: “to build”), combines the benefits of an owner-operator model with the advantages of Broad-Based BEE and differentiates Accenture from its competitors. In selling equity to a black-owned trust, Accenture’s South African leadership has demonstrated an ability to bring innovative thinking to align Accenture with the spirit and the letter of BEE guidelines. To date, an average of over 700 qualifying black employee beneficiaries have benefited in the dividends distribution by Akha Trust. A highlight for Akha Trust is that Milton Ntombela, a black employee beneficiary, was able to build a brick-house for his family for the first time in his life with the Akha dividend paid out to him.
2. Management Control
As a publicly listed ICT enterprise, Accenture is a leader in creating a more balanced racial composition in the management of the South African ICT sector. Currently, its board comprises 44 percent black South Africans and the directors have all been long-standing contributors to the success of the company; with responsibility for client service, finance, human resources, marketing and sales, technology, and other key business portfolios. Leaders who are truly representative of South Africa are prominent in Accenture’s heritage and outlook. Accenture’s extensive program of learnerships and management training initiatives forms part of its broader strategy to grow new black leaders from entry level. This strategy takes longer than short-term recruitment from outside, and the current, long‑standing echelon of black executive leadership is proof that this strategy ensures success in the longer term, and produces leaders who are committed to the organisation.
3. Employment Equity
Accenture has identified employment equity as a strategic value driver for its business. Employment equity initiatives are embedded in the mainstream activities of the company, including client engagements, market units and the various support units. The company’s accent on a barrier-free workplace, upliftment, access to opportunity and career development, leverages diversity & inclusion and enables Accenture to perform at its best. Accenture is working towards being truly demographically representative at all its organization levels. It continues to strive to meet ambitious targets, which are driven by business strategy, and exceed the requirements of the Employment Equity Act and BEE.
4. Skills Development
Accenture has an industry-wide reputation for the excellent quality of its skills’ building programs for its employee. It is Accenture’s vision to remain generous with time, talent and ideas, and thereby benefit its clients and people. Accenture spends more than 4 percent of its payroll budget on training every year. Its South African skills development and empowerment model has been to hire promising people without experience and give them a long-term career. Accenture’s skills practice is aligned with the Skills Development Act. The company is registered with the management consulting SETA (FASSET) and the Information Systems, Electronics and Telecommunications Technologies SETA (ISETT) and aligns to the Department of Trade & Industry’s (DTI) Code of Good Practice and the ICT Charter.
Global Skills
Accenture strives to provide its employees with challenging work assignments which are enhanced by world-class training (technical, leadership, etc), mentoring and coaching.
Learnerships & Internship
ICT training and skills development has provided opportunities to more than 200 previously disadvantaged people.
5. Enterprise Development
Enterprise development promises sustainable prosperity for South Africa. Accenture supports an entrepreneurial focus on ICT and within its value chain. It will continue to partner with black-owned and black women owned small, medium and micro enterprises (SMMEs) on market opportunities and client projects. Continuous reviews on investment and support to Enterprise Development beneficiaries are conducted.
6. Preferential Procurement
Accenture gives preference to building business partnerships that are innovative, competitive and which have a positive impact on South Africa. Through an affirmative procurement policy, Accenture is making a significant contribution to income generation, skills development and transfer, and job creation. The company is positioning itself to further deliver, to its clients and employees, from a proven base of black-owned, black women owned and BEE compliant companies. The company continues to build and improve on its affirmative procurement effort.
7. Socio-Economic Development
Accenture is deeply committed to socio‑economic development. The Accenture Foundation is responsible for the management and distribution of socio‑economic development funds generated by Accenture. It is governed by a Board of Trustees, the majority of who are not associated with the company, thereby ensuring the independence. Some highlights of the Accenture Foundation funding support include:
The Accenture Education Trust
The Trust provides scholarships to financially disadvantaged school-leavers who are high performers academically and wish to study for a degree in ICT related fields. To date, over 100 students have benefited from this program.
Siyathuthuka
This program was developed by Accenture staff. They started weekend classes at Accenture’s Johannesburg and Cape Town offices to teach matriculants basic Microsoft Office courses as well as key skills including how to develop an effective CV and handle interviews. To date, over 900 school-leavers have participated in this program.
Rally to Read
Rally to read is a CSI (Corporate Social Investment) corporate volunteering program where participating companies visit the most remote and needy schools in rural areas to deliver books, teaching aids, science kits, sports equipment, educational toys and other material. The Rally delivers hope to rural learners, their teachers and their parents for a better future.
More details on Accenture’s socio-economic development portfolio can be found in Accenture’s Corporate Citizenship web page.