Roze Phillips heads Accenture's Consumer Goods & Services industry group in South Africa, West Africa and East Africa. “Our team of professionals helps Accenture’s local clients improve their businesses by tailoring offerings from strategy to outsourcing and bringing to bear all that Accenture has to offer,” Phillips says. “No matter what the economic circumstances—when it comes to helping companies achieve high performance there is always enormous potential.” Consumer goods and services companies face significant challenges as competition intensifies, socio-economic shifts occur and consumer buying behaviour changes.
Phillips believes that local companies need to find new avenues of growth—and that expansion into new local and regional consumer segments offers great opportunities. Says Phillips: “The untapped African markets offer a whole range of new consumer segments—provided one has the right products and business models. Innovation is key. Our experience tells us that duplicating a South African business model in other African countries is not always successful.”
Phillips is enthusiastic about the potential that Africa offers to her clients. “Having travelled and worked with clients in Africa, I can attest to the immense potential that exists. I am very excited about the future of our continent,” she says.
That said, Phillips does not underestimate the challenges facing the continent or those wanting to do business there. Finding and retaining skills is a major hurdle—in fact, Accenture research indicates that competition for skills will define global markets in the future. “No matter what the business, the challenge is finding and then retaining talent,” Phillips says.
In her view, Accenture has a significant role in helping clients rise to the talent challenge. “We can provide the subject or market specialists to help identify innovations that drive growth and reduce costs. In addition, our extensive outsourcing organization can assume responsibility for a range of business processes, thus freeing the client’s talent to focus on strategic tasks.”
Phillips is a qualified medical doctor who also has a master’s degree in business administration. She says the diagnostic and problem-solving skills acquired in her medical training have served her well in the business world. The cornerstone of her success is the belief that “little gets achieved from the ordinary—you have to challenge yourself continuously and be prepared to change the lens with which you view the world constantly. That is how I keep learning.”
In line with this philosophy, Phillips remains a champion for transformation strategies that foster empowerment in the workplace and beyond. “The diversity of our people is part of what makes Accenture exceptional. Individuals of diverse talents and backgrounds, unified by our core values and common methodologies, position Accenture to deliver high performance for our clients,” she explains.
Phillips serves on the Accenture board of directors in South Africa, as well as the boards of Enablis East Africa (an organization working to support and enable entrepreneurship) and the Akha Black Economic Empowerment Trust.
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