Collen has also taken up the role of Executive Director at Future Managers in the past. Future Managers is a company geared towards utilising digital platforms to supplement traditional platforms in order to enhance teaching and learning for both students and lecturers. Most recently, Collen also founded the Copyright Coalition of South Africa (NPC).
On 15 July this year, MultiChoice SA played a pivotal role in the success of 20th Annual Top Empowerment Summit, coming in as a top sponsor, and qualifying as a finalist at the Top Empowerment Awards in the ‘Enterprise & Supplier Development’ category.
We sat down for an interview with Collen to discuss his appointment and MultiChoice SA’s ESD programmes.
As the Executive Head of Corporate Affairs for MultiChoice South Africa, I am responsible for protecting and enhancing the reputation and image of MultiChoice and its product brands in South Africa. I manage and oversee stakeholder relations, corporate communications, internal communications, corporate services, reputation management, CSI, transformation, and the company’s social impact agenda.
MultiChoice Group is a leader in video entertainment and is the parent company of the following brands: DStv, GOtv, SuperSport, M-Net,DStv Media Sales, Showmax and Irdeto.
Our ability to continue developing entrepreneurs in South Africa continues to be something we are extremely proud of.
During this past year with its COVID-related challenges, our Innovation Fund provided much-needed financial support to eight small businesses, which helped them to create 47 new jobs. Due to the exponential growth of online content, the Fund focused on empowering online content creators to scale up to meet the growing demand.
At MultiChoice, we believe in empowerment that makes a real impact in the lives of South Africans and take the first two letters of B-BBEE very seriously.
Broad-based is at the heart of our B-BBEE philosophy and we have made it our mission to implement and participate in inclusive initiatives that broaden empowerment as widely as possible – to as many South Africans as possible.
As part of our transformation initiative, we have developed a robust and integrated way of working that ensures that senior leadership who are responsible for making decisions are aware, involved and educated in the transformation work being done in the organisation.
In 2020, we developed a B-BBEE committee to develop strategies and monitor the progress of our B-BBEE initiatives. This committee is made of B-BBEE pillar champions and sponsors. The pillar owners are responsible and accountable for the execution of the B-BBEE strategies and policies in their respective functions. They are also responsible for the implementation of policies that govern the respective pillars.
This approach has allowed two-way communication so it is not just the committee filtering through information to staff but should any of our staff be part of any CSI projects, we can evaluate if there is potential for wider support and if such a project has impact on the scorecard.
Our B-BBEE committee is one of the catalysts that have helped with coordination, but we must also give credit to the leadership of MultiChoice Group – who see BEE as a business imperative and not just a compliance issue and thus have ensured that all initiatives are driven from the top.
We have an ESD system through the MultiChoice Enterprise Development Trust, recently branded as the Multichoice Innovation Fund, which focuses on funding innovation SMEs that operate in the broadcasting, innovation, technology, and the ICT sectors.
We also provide mentorship and the skills necessary to acquire assets and supply MultiChoice with various high-quality productions.
Our ESD programmes have helped to drive transformation in South Africa in the ICT industry by prioritising black, black women and youth owned initiatives. To be eligible to be a beneficiary of the MultiChoice Enterprise Development Trust, companies need to be in the ICT sector, be minimum 51% black-owned with a turnover that does not exceed R50m per annum.
Since inception, the fund has disbursed R252m in loans, grants and business development expenses to assist beneficiaries in acquiring skills and assets.
Our ESD programmes are truly effective as over the years they have been able to create jobs, impact the South African economy, are sustainable and ensure that our communities are viable. Since 2012, our beneficiaries have grown more than expected, where some have generated more than R100M per annum.
Our purpose is to enrich lives. We are committed to contributing to the economic and social development of our country. Our CSI initiatives focus on creating employment opportunities, developing up-and-coming filmmakers and sports stars through training and skills transfers, and supporting budding entrepreneurs and SMMEs.
The following are some of our CSI projects:
We partnered with the Youth Employment Service (YES) to assist with the recruitment and training of 300 learners. Seventy-five TVET college students will receive internships across a diversified portfolio that includes HR, Finance, Marketing, Law and IT, while the remaining 225 places are prioritised for learnerships in the ICT space for matriculants and others with qualifications but who are not working.
For FY21, The MultiChoice Group increased its 90-day active subscriber base by 1.4 million to reach 20.9 million households, split between 8.9 million in South Africa and 11.9 million in the Rest of Africa (RoA). This represents an accelerated 7% growth year-on-year (YoY).
The increase was driven by heightened consumer demand for video entertainment products, continued penetration of the mass market, and an easing of electricity shortages in southern Africa. We started the year confronted with severe disruptions to our programming schedules, bleak macroeconomic forecasts for many of our markets, and sharply weaker currencies. In the face of these challenges, our teams rallied together – this helped us deliver on all our key performance metrics.
Last year, we also made means to support our suppliers and beneficiaries through various initiatives.
Working every day to make a positive impact in the lives of other people makes life meaningful and purposeful. I find joy and fulfilment when I lift as I rise, when I help others turn their tragedies into triumphs and hopeless situations into achievements.
These are challenging times for everyone, and we believe that they are also providing us with an opportunity to address the plethora of social ills that have been brought to the fore because of the pandemic.
It may seem like it is all doom and gloom now, but it is up to us to have a positive lens on how we view the world. Our unemployment rate is skyrocketing, and with that comes an opportunity for businesses to work closely with the government to solve some of these problems in a more creative and sustainable way.
The MultiChoice Group continues to see a lot of opportunities in the media, technology and digital sectors and we have been and continue to support SMMEs that are coming up with innovative solutions that address unique African problems.