With an Accounting degree under his belt, John Watling worked as a strategy consultant both in South Africa and in the United Kingdom for several years. His work on transformational deals across various industries regularly involved leveraging outsourcing to drive value. During this period, he also obtained a master of business administration from the University of Cape Town and the Anderson Business School in Los Angeles, California. He joined Accenture in 2006 when he returned to South Africa.
Watling’s current role is business development and delivery within the South African practice, working with clients to explore how Accenture can team with them to increase shareholder value. His most recent role was deal-maker on an innovative consulting, technology and outsourcing deal with the South African division of a major global mining house. In terms of this 10-year deal. Accenture has taken over the company’s entire procurement and part of its accounting functions. Because of the complexity of this deal, and the fact that it broke new ground, he assumed responsibility for leading a large team through the transition and stabilisation phase.
“South African resources companies are now very much players on the global stage,” Watling argues. “As a result, there is a big drive for sustainable cost saving in order to be competitive, and a desire to focus on core business. Internationally, one of the key strategies to achieve both these goals is outsourcing underpinned by consulting and technology—many global leaders are using service providers like Accenture as a way to access scarce skills and global scale while moving to a more attractive cost model.
“My experience is that South African companies are behind the curve when it comes to using outsourcing strategically, although this mindset is changing as the realities of global competition strike home. Accenture can play a vital role in helping them because we combine our deep understanding of the South African context with our global experience. With our help, they can avoid the mistakes that companies in other countries made in the past, so acheiving their business goals more quickly and with less risk. Accenture is truly global, with the people and processes in place to leverage global scale while always remaining locally relevant.”
Married with two children—and a third on the way—Watling is very focused on his family. His hobbies include wildlife photography, fishing, and playing tennis and cricket.