Western Cape Business 2018 edition

INTERVIEW Building

INTERVIEW Building shared value John Tshabalala, Managing Executive Western Cape, expands on the shared growth approach. John Tshabalala Tell us about your new premises. Absa has consolidated its 14 Western Cape offices into one centrally located regional office, which facilitates better collaboration between our various business units to improve client service and solutions development. The new office also offers a more professional environment for client meetings and even allows clients to use dedicated spaces for their own meetings. Bringing everything under one roof further helps to create a dynamic, agile environment that stimulates internal creativity and productivity. What is Absa’s take on the regional economy? Our Western Cape regional office, through the investment in our new premises in Century City, speaks to Absa’s continued commitment to the region. BIOGRAPHY John Tshabalala joined Absa in 2000 and has held a variety of roles from Branch Manager, Sales Manager and Regional Head for Retail to Regional Executive for Private Bank. In 2014, Tshabalala expanded his experience and joined the wealth, investment management and insurance division as a provincial General Manager in the Eastern Cape, later expanding to the other Cape regions. In October 2017 Tshabalala assumed the role of Managing Executive, Western Cape. Please explain the concept of “Shared Growth”. Absa is leading a shift away from traditional grant-making and corporate responsibility programmes towards an integrated approach that delivers both shareholder and social returns. By embracing a philosophy of shared value, the bank is seeking to apply its substantial resources more deliberately – both assets and expertise – to unlock solutions to social challenges through innovative products, services, and partnerships. This is Shared Growth. So you are looking for some solutions for social ills? Because so much of South Africa’s potential remains untapped and limited by social challenges, strategically tackling those challenges will unlock substantial new growth opportunities. Absa is committed to ensuring that every business decision made not only contributes to the bottom line but also improves the lives of the communities in which the bank operates. There is a link between society’s progress and our own success. We strive to be a good corporate citizen and contribute meaningfully to society How can the bank drive growth? Healthy economies need strong banks to drive economic growth and social progress, and as a business the bank has an opportunity to play a pivotal role in fostering innovation and facilitating inclusive Shared Growth for current and future generations. It’s this concept of Shared Growth that lies at the heart of our strategy in Africa. WESTERN CAPE BUSINESS 2018 106

Sharing. It’s the most powerful form of humanity. It is something we are taught before we can even walk. Because in sharing lies positive growth for all. The chance to prosper. To give and receive. It holds the promise of a strengthened society. It connects us and evolves us. From learning to getting people ready to work. From dreaming of careers to studying for them. From having fun to meetingresponsibilities. It stimulates the innovators and inspires future leaders. Sharing is something we practice everyday. We listen, we care, we design, we add value, to your life and that of others. We empower small businesses to think big and big businesses to remember the small. There is a beginning to Shared Growth. But there is no end. And each time we share we know that some day, in some way, it will be shared again. When we share, we grow. When we grow, we all prosper. Authorised Financial Services Provider Registered Credit Provider Reg No NCRCP7 Share. Grow. Prosper.