CEO Global Magazine Vol 22 Issue 2

Addressing the risk from cyber attacks in the Russia-Ukraine conflict PLUS: Log4Shell will have a lasting ripple effect

E X PA N D YO U R B U S I N E S S H O R I ZO N S

A

legacy

OF

INNOVATION Making oncology treatment more affordable Lynne Du Toit's journey in the medical sector

FEBRUARY Vol 22

R29.95 (INCL VAT)

R39.99

LETTER FROM EDITOR

ETERNAL HOPE WITH A POSITIVE MINDSET Today I would like to share a story I heard with you.

A man sat down at his desk and wrote the following story.

“In 2021 I had a gall bladder operation to remove gall stones. In the same year I had to retire from the company I loved after 35 years. Still in the same year I lost my dear mother and as if that was not enough my son who was in his final year of medical studies did not pass his studies due to a motor accident. The exorbitant costs to repair the vehicle was really the cherry on the cake for this bad year”.

As he was writing his wife walked into the room, looked over his shoulder and saw what he was writing. She turned around and walked out. After 20 minutes she came back into the room where her husband was sitting and sulking. She placed a piece of paper before him on which she had written the following story.

“Last year my husband at last got the gall bladder operation that relieved him of the pain he had to endure for so many years. I am so glad that my husband could retire in good health and I thank God for the 35 years that he could work and provide so well for us, his family. Now he can give much more time to his writing which has always been his passion and hobby. In the same year my 95-year-old mother in law passed on with no pain after a long fulfilling life. The same year my son was in a serious car accident with great damage to our car but through the grace of God he got out unhurt.”

Her last sentence was, “This last year was a year full of extraordinary blessings from God and we have embraced it in awe and gratitude”.

This made me realise that everything in life is about perspective. How do we look at attitude, work, people, different opinions and much more? Are we critical or do we allow other people to do things as they see fit? Are we negative or are we positive? Do we complain about the dark clouds but do not see the silver linings around them that bring hope? Are we sitting feeling sorry for ourselves or are we making the best use of every opportunity that arises around us?

Do we complain about everything or are we satisfied with what God has so graciously granted to us?

I end off with something Abraham Lincoln said. “We can complain because rose bushes have thorns or we can rejoice because thorn bushes have roses”.

I for one and I hope you too will look at this letter and take the decision to be a person who is forever optimistic and seek the good in our God-given creation.

Annelize Wepener Editor

CEO GLOBAL MAGAZINE.COM

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contents 15 INDEX OF THE MAGAZINE

VOL #22

07

Software development trends help improve the shopping experience

Log4Shell will have a lasting ripple effect

17

COVERstory Making oncology treatment more affordable 04 Letter from Editor

From diagnosis through to treatment

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07

ONpoint

Introducing Cybereason XDR powered by Google Chronicle 13 The greatest asset becomes the biggest risk 15 Software development trends help improve the shopping experience 17 Log4Shell will have a lasting ripple effect 19 Brands must respond faster to changes

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INtheKnow Opportunity for Africa’s youth in the Great Resignation 23 How smart are smart homes really 25 Trends to keep an eye on 27 On-demand economy booms as consumers expect even faster delivery

45

LIFEstyle

Mercedes Benz C-Class: Leading by example 53 Roadtest: Peugeot Landtrek extending a proud heritage 59 RHyundai Staria Multicab

Publisher CEO Global (Pty) Ltd Tel:+27 82 883 4901 info@ceoglobalgroup.com www.ceoglobalgroup.com Chief Executive

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Annelize Wepener PayUp app simplifies lay buys

59

Hyundai Staria Multicab

annelize@ceoglobalgroup.com Patron for CEO Global Foundation Lucy Quainoo

Addressing the risk from cyber attacks in the Russia-Ukraine conflict

31

Consultant: Financial Support Carl Wepener carl@ceoglobalgroup.com Head of Social Media Lynn Richards - Rubix Cube Digital lynn@rubixcubedigital.co.za Special Projects & Content Development Consultant

31 Addressing the risk from cyber attacks in the Russia-Ukraine conflict 33 Securing cloud environments at petabyte scale

Vishnu Singh Tel: +27 71 851 2066 Production Manager/Creative Director Enola Meyer - Mazeadilly design house

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FOCUSonEXCELLENCE Contributing to a sustainable future 39 Bluegrass Digital scoops prestigious SMARTIES Award 41 How successful African businesses leverage an entrepreneurial culture

enola@mazeadilly.com Tel: +27 61 048 0084 Printers Lexlines Press (Pty) Ltd Tel: +27 21 507 9030 Fax: 086 509 2749

* No article or part of an article may be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the prior written permission of the publisher. The information provided and opinions expressed in this publication are provided in good faith but do not necessarily represent the opinions of the publisher or editor. All reasonable efforts have been made to ensure the accuracy of the information contained in this publication. However, neither the publisher nor the editor can be held legally liable in any way for damages of any kind whatsoever arising directly or indirectly from any facts or information provided or omitted in these pages, or from any statements made in or withheld by this publication.

CEO GLOBAL MAGAZINE.COM

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MAKING ONCOLOGY TREATMENT MORE AFFORDABLE

BY CARL WEPENER

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O

Over the past decades, the medical fraternity has made giant leaps in treating cancer, leading to the nowfamous adage that cancer can be beaten. However, for most South Africans – and particularly those in remote areas and from lowincome groups – oncology treatment is simply unaffordable. And this disparity lies at the heart of what Lynne du Toit is tackling through her company, Eurolab.

OPPORTUNITIES AND INNOVATION Eurolab was first launched in 2011, but Du Toit’s journey in the medical sector began long before then.

“I have always had a passion for helping people, so I qualified as a nurse and midwife in 1981. Although I enjoyed this work tremendously, I also had a keen interest in business, so I soon found myself looking beyond direct patient care to establishing a business of my own.”

After working for both Bayer Pharmaceuticals and Hoechst AG (now part of the Sanofi-Aventis pharmaceuticals group), Du Toit finally succeeded in her goal in 1991 when she joined forces with Gabe Simaan to found and launch one of the first generic pharmaceutical companies in South Africa, Garec Pharmaceuticals. “Generic medicine has enormous cost-saving potential, but unfortunately there are misconceptions about what the word ‘generic’ means in the public space,” says Du Toit.

To develop and sell medicine, pharmaceutical companies go through a rigorous research, development, testing and clinical-trials process. If the medication proves effective, the pharmaceutical company registers a patent, which gives it exclusive right to manufacture and sell the medication for a period of time – so that it can recoup the expenses it has incurred. Du Toit adds that, “Once the patent lapses, other manufacturers are able to produce the exact same medicine, which mimics the originator, following the detailed specifications in the patent, at a fraction of the cost. These ‘generic’ medicines work in exactly the same way, and provide the same clinical benefits, as their brand-name counterparts.”

Garec was extremely successful, and was ultimately bought by the Malbak group. This was to become a trend in Du Toit’s career: her and Simaan’s ability to identify opportunities in the healthcare sector would lead to them launching new, and innovative businesses, which would then soon be acquired by larger (often listed) entities seeking to expand their portfolios.

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it is about offering a solution from diagnosis through to treatment TAKING ONCOLOGY BY STORM In 2011, Du Toit and Simaan founded Eurolab. “This was at a time when oncology products had just started coming off patent, so it was the perfect opportunity for us to focus our attention on oncology, and see what we could do to bring down the costs and create access to treatment for cancer patients,” explains Du Toit.

Eurolab soon secured licences for a number of generic medicines, but the road to market was not simple. “Like many sectors, the medical sector is a value chain, and there are role players positioned all along this chain. It might sound strange, but one of our first challenges was how to physically get our medication to healthcare providers! The market was initially dominated

by one oncology courier company, and we faced a lot of opposition getting our products into that part of the value chain. In the end, we decided to simply set up our own oncology courier company. Although the situation was very frustrating at the time, there was a real lesson in it for me: You need to consider the entire value chain if you want to deliver affordable, high-quality medical care to patients.”

This appreciation for the entirety of the value chain has led to what Eurolab calls its ‘whole-of-cancer’ approach.

What started out as a focus on generic medication has now expanded to include oncology-related manufacturing, specialised technology, innovative therapies and batch testing of products. “For us, it is about offering a solution from diagnosis through to treatment, and we have made this happen through a highly professional and experienced internal team, a focus on innovation, and strategic partnerships. Ultimately, I believe that if we all do what is best for the patient, then business success is sure to follow.”

PATIENTS COME FIRST Du Toit’s philosophy is paying dividends. Eurolab is the largest generic oncology company in South Africa, and is recognised as an innovator when it comes to cancer treatment, management and care. The company’s focus is on offering oncologists the best, most innovative, latest and most affordable options for their patients’ cancer treatment.

In addition to its wide range of generic oncology medicines, Eurolab has also established an Aseptic Services Unit (ASU) that offers a centralised mixing service for sterile oncology medicines, the preparation of advanced therapeutic medical products, and the preparation of sterile clinical trial medicines. “The ASU has a direct impact on the accessibility of chemotherapy treatment for patients,” explains Du Toit. “Chemotherapy infusions are not offered at all district hospitals or primary healthcare centres, especially in remote areas. This means that patients often need to travel long distances – and incur huge costs – to access treatment. At the ASU, we mix chemotherapy bags on site, and test them for sterility and stability, before transporting them absolutely anywhere in the country.”

Eurolab also has a state-of-the-art oncology and haematology testing facility, called Oncolab. Oncolab provides specialised diagnostics in haematological malignancies and solid tumours, which are often outside the

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IT TAKES A VILLAGE In recognition of her tremendous contribution to the pharmaceutical sector, Du Toit was awarded the prestigious CPhI Excellence in Pharma: CEO of the Year Award in 2021. However, Du Toit is quick to point out that her success is due in large part to her team – her business partner Gabe Simaan, their employees, partners, stakeholders, and other professionals in the sector. Her family and faith are the grounding pillars for her work.

“Increasing the accessibility and affordability of cancer treatment is a massive undertaking, and no single person can tackle it alone. I have been privileged to work with people and businesses that share my passion, and together we have managed to make a real difference to clinicians, and to cancer patients – most of whom are going through the most difficult time in their lives,” explains Du Toit.

scope of practice of other diagnostic laboratories. The tests are designed to provide clinically actionable and relevant results that can provide direct insights into patient management. Du Toit explains: “Oncolab has significantly reduced the cost of oncology and haematology testing, since many of these specialised tests were not previously available in South Africa. We have managed to reduce the cost from around R100 000 to R15 000 in some instances, and this is what our vision is all about.”

“One of the other innovations of which we are very proud is our introduction of the Gamma Knife into Netcare Milpark Hospital in 2017,” says Du Toit.

“Despite its name, the Gamma Knife actually replaces the need for surgery in many instances. It offers non-invasive and less harmful radiosurgery for patients suffering from diseases, tumours or abnormalities in the brain, head and neck. The treatment is easier and quicker, and has fewer side effects than older treatments. In the past, patients had to travel abroad for this type of treatment, and I am extremely proud that we were able to bring this lifechanging technology to the African continent.”

“I have always been a firm believer in strategic partnerships,” continues Du Toit, “and these partnerships lie at the heart of our latest initiative, called Biomab.” Biomab was launched in 2020 through collaborations with Roche Pharma South Africa and the Center for Molecular Immunology in Cuba. Its purpose is to offer clinicians in South Africa and their patients a consistent pipeline of new therapies that improve patient safety, clinical outcomes and quality of life. “Through this initiative we have already brought some worldclass cancer treatments into the country, and we are hoping to expand our list of solutions through additional innovation and partnerships with organisations on the rest of the continent, and further afield.”

CEO GLOBAL MAGAZINE.COM

Eurolab employs a host of top professionals – pharmacists, medical professionals, regulatory and finance experts – and Du Toit depends on their wisdom and experience to chart the course forward. “It is important for me, and for the business, that employees reach their full potential. We need to brainstorm together, learn together, and celebrate triumphs together. This is the only way we will realise the successful execution of our whole-of-cancer approach.

“And you obviously also need diversity in approaches.

My partner, Gabe, is very visionary, whereas I tend to focus on the operations and ‘making things happen’.

These different strengths have really moved the business forward. We are both driven, and are always seeking new business and product opportunities in order to grow the business. Having our children and other young professionals in our business, with different generational ideas, has been a true privilege.”

Du Toit also ascribes Eurolab’s success to the input she has received from oncologists, haematologists and their healthcare teams. “When we started Eurolab, we knew that we needed to be able to meet the ever-changing needs and requirements of our key customers and patients. We see patients and healthcare professionals as key stakeholders, and we actively engage with them to understand more about what they need, and how they make life-changing decisions.

Without them, we would not be where we are today.”

With a career spanning over 40 years, one might be forgiven for believing that Du Toit is thinking of slowing down. “Never!” she says. “This is my passion. Every cancer patient deserves access to affordable, highquality treatment and care. I will keep doing my part to ensure that this vision becomes a reality.”

Du Toit is currently exploring opportunities to take Eurolab’s whole-of-cancer approach and businesses into South Africa’s public healthcare sector and countries on the African continent.

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CYBEREASON INTRODUCING CYBEREASON XDR POWERED BY GOOGLE CHRONICLE

C

ybereason, the XDR company, and Google Cloud today announced the availability

of Cybereason XDR powered by Google Chronicle, giving Defenders the ability to predict, detect, and respond to cyberattacks at planetary scale and maximum speed across

true XDR platform. Other vendors have simply done an endpoint extension and called it XDR. That’s not good enough.

Defenders need to secure the entire continuum of how work gets done,” said Cybereason CEO and co-founder Lior Div.

the enterprise, including endpoints,

LIOR DIV

networks, identities, cloud, and

“Our AI-Driven XDR platform paints

workspaces.

one unified story of an attack, and it takes one coordinated set of actions

“Together, Cybereason and Google

to end attacks while predicting and

Cloud are delivering the industry’s first

preventing tomorrow’s threats.”

CYBEREASON DELIVERS

FIRST AI-DRIVEN XDR PLATFORM capable of ingesting and analysing threat data from across the entire IT environment on a planetary scale

AI-DRIVEN XDR

PLANETARYSCALE PROTECTION: analysing over 23 trillion security events per week

SCHEDULE A DEMO TODAY and benefit from an operation-centric approach

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Cybereason and Google Cloud are dedicated to teaming with Defenders to end cyber attacks from endpoints to the enterprise to everywhere.

Schedule a demo today to see how your organisation can benefit from an operation-centric approach to security.

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PREDICT, UNDERSTAND, AND END SOPHISTICATED ATTACKS

combines the Cybereason

a 10x faster time to response

are built for speed and efficacy

MalOp, which analyses over

than competing solutions.

at cloud scale. By combining

23 trillion security events

Chronicle also allows analysts

Chronicle’s powerful data

per week to deliver instant

to map incident intelligence

normalisation and rules

detection and incident

to retrospective data to find

response, with Google Cloud

engine with Cybereason’s

persistent threats across their

Chronicle’s unrivaled ability

MalOp engine, organisations

environments.

now have an extended

to ingest and normalise

In today’s environments, anything connected to the internet can be part of an organisational attack surface, yet Defenders are forced to use

petabytes of data from the

Predict Attacker Behavior:

entire IT environment for

Defenders can shift from

planetary-scale protection.

a labor-intensive, alertcentric posture to a predictive

detection and response defense platform to help prevent malicious operations with confidence,” says Sunil

multiple siloed solutions to try

Operation-Centric Detection and Response:

to find and end these complex

Instead of being alerted about

Through context-rich

malicious operations.

individual events, users can

correlations, Cybereason AI-

instantly understand the

Driven XDR identifies subtle

Now, Defenders can leverage

entire attack progression

signs of malicious behavior

Cybereason AI-Driven XDR to

across every device, user

and predicts an attacker’s

are dedicated to teaming

predict, understand, and end

identity, application and

next steps to anticipate and

with Defenders to end cyber

sophisticated attacks with the

cloud deployment to end them

proactively block attacks.

attacks from endpoints to the

only solution on the market

immediately. The Cybereason

that delivers:

MalOp provides automated

“Cybereason and Google

Schedule a demo today to see

and guided response actions

Cloud are partnering to

how your organisation can

Planetary-Scale Protection:

to reduce human error, ​​

bring enterprises joint

benefit from an operation-

Cybereason AI-Driven XDR

upskill analysts, and achieve

operation-centric model.

Potti, general manager and vice president of cloud security at Google Cloud.

Cybereason and Google Cloud

enterprise to everywhere.

“

cybersecurity solutions that

centric approach to security.

CYBERSECURITY SOLUTIONS THAT ARE BUILT FOR SPEED AND EFFICACY

AI-DRIVEN XDR

OPERATIONCENTRIC DETECTION: instantly understand the entire attack progression

CEO GLOBAL MAGAZINE.COM

AI-DRIVEN XDR

PREDICT ATTACKER BEHA­VIOR: shift to a predictive operation-centric model

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ONpoint

Dtex offers the world’s first and only Workforce Cyber Intelligence Platform

JOHN MC LOUGHLIN

THE GREATEST ASSET BECOMES THE BIGGEST RISK IT’S NEVER BEEN MORE IMPORTANT TO PROTECT EMPLOYEES FROM CYBER-ATTACKS WHILE ALSO MITIGATING THE RISK THEY POSE AS TRUSTED INSIDERS. THE EROSION OF THE CYBER-PERIMETER AS A RESULT OF NEW VIRTUAL WORKFORCE MODELS NECESSITATES A NEW APPROACH, ONE THAT BASELINES ACTIVITIES AND BEHAVIOURS AND PROTECTS EMPLOYEES BY HIGHLIGHTING ANOMALIES.

Workforce Cyber Intelligence is a new approach to enterprise data collection and analysis that focuses on understanding how, when, why, where and for how long employees and third parties interact with data, machines, applications and their peers as they perform their job responsibilities to create a safer, smarter and more secure enterprise.

People are the heartbeat of every organ-

Workforce Cyber Intelligence is designed for today’s modern, distributed workforce model. It provides complete visibility into user and account activity, keeping all data anonymous to protect privacy and only shining a light on abnormal or inefficient behaviours that indicate risks and areas for operational improvement.

mandates are met.

The ideas of employee monitoring, insider

protect the workforce, wherever they may

It is critical to ensure employees know that personal activities and behaviours that don’t directly increase organisational risk, cause cultural conflict, or limit successful

be.

operations remain private and anonymous.

greatest challenge is improving security

C

ompanies deploy multiple security, intelligence and productivity monitoring tools in the hopes of

working smarter and safer. However, none of these solutions focus on the humans driving day-to-day operations.

Dtex offers the world’s first and only Workforce Cyber Intelligence Platform, capturing hundreds of elements of behavioural telemetry to produce dynamic “Indicators of Intent” and deliver holistic, real-time awareness about the workforce’s activities – without invading personal privacy.

It also empowers business owners to easily see, understand and act on contextual intelligence using scoring frameworks proven to stop insider threats, prevent data loss, maximise software investments and

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isation so the human factor is the most important element of a business’s ability to operate effectively and safely. The enterprise workforce’s behaviour, habits and interactions ultimately determine opportunities and threats, the investments that contribute to efficiency or waste, how and where risks emerge and if compliance

Dtex’s Workforce Cyber Intelligence Platform enables organisations to better understand their workforce, protect their data and make human-centric operational investments.

threat detection, data loss prevention (DLP), User Activity Monitoring (UAM), and human risk management aren’t new. The

CEO GLOBAL MAGAZINE.COM

CYBERSECURITY EXPERT AND J2 CEO

“

see, understand and act on contextual intelligence

challenge to overcome. Information on individual employees should be anonymised and unmasked only on a strict “need to know” basis.

Data minimisation is a critical prerequisite to privacy. Invasive surveillance such as keystroke logging and screen capture, as well as the collection of user content

and operational performance in a way that

of data misuse and privacy infringement,

such as emails and instant messages, isn’t

benefits both the company and the em-

not to mention wasted resources on false

required to detect insider risks and protect

ployee. The best solution protects sensitive

positives and “noise”. Noise is information

organisational data. Employees don’t want

information and employee privacy.

that calls attention to insignificant find-

corporate IP leaked on purpose or by ac-

ings that present little or no risk. Noise can

cident.

PRIVACY Employees are increasingly aware of and diligent in understanding how employers monitor work activities and behaviours.

Employees want to know that personal activities and behaviours remain private and anonymous unless those activities directly increase organisational risk, cause cultural conflict, or limit successful operations. This is a fair ask of employees and becoming a major factor in compliance regulations and mandates.

overwhelm and mask true threats and is a distraction for scarce security resources.

MANAGING ACCESS AND PERCEPTION Arguably one of the tougher challenges of collecting user data and monitoring the workforce is the workforce’s perception of an organisation’s motivation. When employees hear about monitoring, their initial impression is negative. Changing those perceptions requires openness and

PROTECTION FOR THE EMPLOYEE Workforce Cyber Intelligence protects employees in many ways, including increased security awareness, smarter engagement, and fewer violations or incidents and the corresponding interruptions. Having a clear and unalterable audit trail provides nonrepudiation and defence for the employee.

But perhaps the biggest benefit is simply protection against external threats.

GATHERING AND ANALYSING DATA

assurance that any data being collected is data, and the organisation, and is handled

exploitation attempts. People by their

One may think that it is easy to gather a lot

in the most secure, private, and respectful

nature want to be helpful and trusting,

of data for analysis, discover some findings,

way possible.

and these are the underlying human traits

intended to protect individuals, sensitive

and report on them. Unfortunately it’s not;

Employees are an appealing target of malicious actors and are subject to constant

enabling social engineering.

the process is straightforward, but the

Privacy will be the primary concern to

mechanics present challenges. Collecting

alleviate. In addition to regulatory require-

Businesses need to shift their focus and

user data often involves overtaxing end-

ments, protecting employees’ privacy

learn from the workforce by observing

points and the network and consequently

is crucial if you want to have employee

employees’ interactions with data, systems

impeding end-user productivity.

engagement and partnership. Managing

and machines, and using that intelligence

Analysis of the captured data carries fears

access to the collected data is another

to improve performance.

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SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT TRENDS HELP IMPROVE THE SHOPPING EXPERIENCE TRENDS IN SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT ARE EVER CHANGING, SO BY INTEGRATING MODERN TECHNOLOGIES AND USING NEW DEVELOPMENT METHODOLOGIES, BUSINESSES EASILY CAN PINPOINT WHERE THEIR EFFORTS SHOULD BE DIRECTED. DISCOVERING EMERGING TRENDS IN ECOMMERCE AND SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT WILL HELP IMPROVE SHOPPING EXPERIENCES FOR CONSUMERS.

O

nline shopping is expected to

flexible digital experiences. Due to health

reach $1 trillion by 2022; this is

and safety concerns, businesses are now

according to a report by Adobe’s

turning to contactless payment solutions

eCommerce division. To gain a competitive advantage and to exceed customer expectations, businesses need to discover the emerging trends in eCommerce and adopt current trending technologies in software.

and other digital tools.

According to the Visa Back to Business study, more than 60% of consumers would switch to a business that offers contactless payment options. In contrast, nearly 50% of the respondents said they would stop

CRYPTO PAYMENTS

shopping at stores that only offered pay-

Crypto payments will be trending this

cashier or shared machine.

ment methods that relied on contact with a

year and we will see support rise across eCommerce platforms in the coming year, leading to broader acceptance. Crypto is

CHATBOTS

a cheaper, more convenient and secured

According to Gartner, chatbot eCommerce

payment option for eCommerce.

transactions are expected to reach $112

The biggest advantage is that there is no

billion by 2023. Most businesses will man-

need to pay any commission to intermedi-

age customer interactions without human

aries and payment gateways because the

assistance, an era where personalised

transaction happens directly between the

shopping assistant bots will become the

buyer and the merchant. Already, eCom-

norm. Considering the rapid chatbot adop-

merce providers like Shopify and Magento are supporting payment options such as

tion rate by eCommerce companies, it is evident that conversational chatbots will be

Coingate, GoCoin and BitPay.

assisting customers in their buying journey.

Adoption of the blockchain technology

Modern AI technologies used to create

has quietly reached a tipping point across multiple industries, and this year will see several eCommerce companies offering

chatbots will continue to improve and innovate, leading to improved conversion rates and higher retention.

bitcoin as a payment option. The cryptocurrency market will reach $60 billion by

T-COMMERCE

steadily and is set to surpass 50% of homes

annual spending by different companies on

Television Commerce or t-commerce is

Analytics, shipments are expected to ex-

blockchain solutions will reach around $16

a growing trend across the globe where

ceed 200 million units per year in 2022.

billion by 2023.

consumers can instantly purchase prod-

2025 and according to CB Insights, the

ucts that appear on TV. Interactive live TV

CONTACTLESS PAYMENTS

shopping is easy; simply point and click the remote to purchase a product.

globally by 2026. According to Strategy

T-commerce offers consumers a ‘OneClick’ purchasing opportunity, thereby enhancing the shopping experience through digital TV channels and regular TV ads.

The adoption of contactless payment

eCommerce businesses should take notice

Marketers are integrating eCommerce op-

technologies is on the rise as a result of the

of t-commerce and how it will impact the

portunities into TV content that allows in-

growing consumer appetite for fast and

industry. Smart TV ownership is growing

teractive live TV shopping. It’s just another

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exciting way to connect with consumers through a multi-sensory touchpoint.

CUSTOMISED PRODUCTS eCommerce businesses will be offering

CX DIGITAL PLATFORMS CX digital platforms and digital experience platforms (DXP) have taken centre stage, and they empower digital teams to be more intentional in their customer engagements as well as more agile in adapting to

customised personalisation options to increase brand loyalty and make shopping more interactive. For example, Nike has introduced “Nike by You” to enable customers to customise any shoe according to their preferences. Automotive companies are now also allowing customers to choose

changing behaviours and markets. More

the design, colour, lighting, styling and

importantly, they deliver a unique system

other elements according to their choice.

of differentiation to inspire product and experience innovation using real customer insights.

There are a myriad of tools and advanced

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI)

data analytics to improve the customer

AI is disrupting all industries and forcing

experience. Platforms like Optimizely

business to adapt and embrace these new

(formerly Episerver) enable eCommerce

technologies. AI is growing exponentially;

businesses to compete and win in the

businesses can no longer ignore its under-

digital-first economy using experimentation

lying potential. According to PwC, AI will

and evidence-based outcomes.

contribute up to $15.7 trillion to the global

They increase agility to test and deliver

economy in 2030.

impactful experiences and speed time to

AI-powered applications can create new

market; and improve outcomes through

opportunities for company growth and can

unique digital experiences for each cus-

deliver a substantial qualitative change. It

tomer, at scale.

can solve three important business challenges, AI can automate business process-

OMNICHANNEL

es, gain insight through data analytics, and

Omnichannel should be a top priority for

and employees.

eCommerce businesses. Online shoppers are no longer satisfied with just a single shopping channel, and are more willing to explore different types of retail touch-

adopting these technologies, but many start-ups and small enterprises have been slow to act due to their own business

on their preferred marketplaces and apps

priorities and the general prohibitive invest-

seamlessly, regardless of whether they

ment in these technologies.

or in-store. The integration of all these channels makes omnichannel extremely powerful.

The key to successful eCommerce is understanding consumers by unifying all CRM data and achieving that “single view of the customer”. Omnichannel must cater to all their needs, and there needs to be a true integration between all the different channels to achieve a true omnichannel experience.

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Larger organisations have already started

points. It should allow consumers to shop

are shopping on a mobile phone, desktop

BY NICK DURRANT, BLUEGRASS DIGITAL CEO

help businesses engage with customers

“

Businesses need to discover the emerging trends in eCommerce ISSUE 2

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LOG4SHELL WILL HAVE A LASTING RIPPLE EFFECT S

ecurity teams must stay vigilant in the days and weeks ahead because state-sponsored actors such as China and Iran and other bad actors are lurking, just waiting to exploit Log4j to launch broader attacks.

What’s the big deal, some may ask? Log4j operates as an open-source Java logging library that’s widely used in a range of software applications and services around the world. The vulnerability in Log4j can allow threat actors the opportunity to take control of any Java-based, internetfacing server and engage in remote code execution (RCE) attacks.

The problem with Log4j is how the Java Naming and Directory Interface (JNDI) can “lookup” commands and how they are

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“

Security teams must stay vigilant

to patch and update. As hackers continue to find new exploits, this vaccine has become even more critical. It disables the entire JNDI mechanism, preventing every scenario we have seen so far, and buys time for security teams to assess, test, and patch.

RIPPLE EFFECT FROM LOG4SHELL Unfortunately, this vulnerability will likely have lasting repercussions. There are reports of more than 1,000 attacks per second on the internet, and Cloudflare revealed that attackers are rapidly adapting from simple attack strings to actively trying to evade blocking by web applications firewalls.

THE TECH WORLD HAS BEEN SHAKEN. A VULNERABILITY AFFECTING APACHE LOG4J VERSIONS 2.0 TO 2.14.1 WAS DISCLOSED ON THE PROJECT’S GITHUB PAGE. APACHE COMPRISES ABOUT ONE-THIRD OF ALL WEB SERVERS IN THE WORLD—MAKING THIS FLAW, DUBBED LOG4SHELL, HIGHLY CRITICAL AND AN URGENT PRIORITY FOR IT TEAMS. wrapped in the data structure. There isn’t necessarily something unique or special about Log4j logs that make this a more critical flaw. Other logging databases, such as Splunk, use different data structures, and have different APIs and tools, so it’s still possible for a similar type of vulnerability to exist on other logging platforms. They just aren’t affected by this flaw.

THE FALLOUT FROM LOG4SHELL The impact from this vulnerability has been widespread. Within 24 hours of the flaw being disclosed on GitHub, there were already reports of threat actors actively engaging in mass internet scanning to identify potential targets. Soon afterwards, a second vulnerability was discovered.

And there are additional reports that threat actors, including nation-states such as China, Iran and others, are now leveraging the vulnerability in ransomware attacks.

We can expect this trend to continue as hackers will take full advantage of it to conduct more ransomware attacks.

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Organisations are scrambling to patch and update their Apache implementations.

Vendors have shared various mitigations, but attackers are quickly finding ways to bypass or subvert them. A researcher discovered a bypass for the built-in security feature that prevents exploitation of the Log4j vulnerability in newer Java versions—so it seems like nobody is safe.

Developers quickly created Log4j version 2.16.0, which completely disables JNDI by default. Organisations need to assess the update, though, and it takes time to patch systems. It may not be possible to patch some systems easily—or at all. In the meantime, we must consider every system running a version of Log4j earlier than 2.16.0 vulnerable.

Cybereason researchers developed a temporary workaround “vaccine” called LogOut4Shell. It uses the flaw itself to set the flag that turns it off. More importantly, it works and prevents exploits of Log4Shell to buy time for organisations

One of the big questions haunting security teams right now: “What, exactly, are threat actors doing when they exploit Log4Shell?”

A successful exploit grants the attacker control of the affected system, but smart attackers won’t necessarily show their hand right away. Many of the attacks out there may simply set up backdoors and quietly maintaining persistence on compromised systems for a future attack. It’s a land grab for now.

HOW TO PROTECT YOUR COMPANY Security teams should update their Apache Log4j implementations to version 2.16.0 or later as quickly as possible. If the company can’t patch immediately, there’s the option to vaccinate the systems with LogOut4Shell to prevent the vulnerability from being exploited in the meantime.

Focus on the basics: Test to see if the company is vulnerable; the vaccine works for that as well. Then update all systems while proactively hunting for indicators of behaviour (IOBs) that reveal potential or ongoing malicious activity. Most important: Stay vigilant because the attackers are lurking, staying patient for a more targeted attack in the weeks and months ahead.

BY BRANDON ROCHAT, CYBEREASON SALES DIRECTOR, AFRICA

ISSUE 2

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18

BRANDS NEED TO BE MORE CREATIVE AND MUST RESPOND FASTER TO CHANGES. THIS IS ACCORDING TO A 2021 SURVEY CONDUCTED BY OPINIUM AND COMMISSIONED BY SHAPED BY THAT SHOWS THAT COVID-19 HAS BROUGHT A RENEWED FOCUS ON CREATIVITY AND BRAVERY AMONGST SENIOR TECH MARKETERS IN THE US AND UK.

BRANDS MUST RESPOND FASTER TO CHANGES

he research states that design and creativity has become the top priority for nearly two-thirds of US and UK marketers. More than 60% of the 200 respondents identified design and creativity as a key priority for their marketing efforts, and 75% say that the pandemic has already enabled them to become more imaginative in their work.

T

This inspiration has translated to a greater willingness to try something new — a phenomenal 98% said they have begun experimenting with and expanding the capability of their marketing channel activities.

As a result, nearly 60% of senior tech marketers have seen an increase in customer engagement with fresh content and messaging, while 55% saw an uptick in the ability to acquire new leads.

There’s been a dramatic shift in the way modern businesses interact and engage with customers. Digital technologies have levelled the marketing playing field. Digital customer experience management is the key differentiator shaping the market.

Technologies like Optimizely can help companies get new messages and products to market with speed, and it also enables brands to adapt to rapidly changing customer demands. It gives autonomy to marketing where they can make direct changes to the live website, reducing campaign cycles from months to minutes.

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CEO GLOBAL MAGAZINE.COM

More importantly, they can publish live

the best technologies to support the pro-

landing pages, target promotions, and

cess. The solution must provide intelligent

launch new products all from the same

analytics, customer data, experimentation

simple interface, with full control over

features and streamlined content delivery.

every aspect of the user experience, and

This is the best way for marketers to realise

without the need for IT support.​

customer expectations.

CREATIVITY These solutions ensure content creation is simplified using streamlined interfaces for each scenario. Full page layouts as well as simple blocks of text can be presented for

CAMPAIGN MANAGEMENT

The choice of technology should enable marketers to work collaboratively while engaging with customers and extracting

editing. It also allows for more on-brand

valuable insights simultaneously. For them

content to be created as content creators

to maximise their investment in CXM , they

get options that are consistent with a brand

need to choose a platform that provides

image, style and message.

them with all the tools they need to unlock your digital potential and increase cus-

In today’s omnichannel marketing land-

Ultimately, it provides more power and

scape, campaign management is indis-

creativity for marketers. Various drag-and-

pensable for marketers when reaching out

drop methods and the ability to preview

to customers and prospects through dif-

content in different environments make

ferent channels and with different content.

content creation accessible to market-

With respect to campaign management,

ers, and anyone who prefers working with

Digital Agility starts with very basic mes-

visual assets.

saging, then moves to marketing automa-

CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE

tion campaigns.

their strategy and continue to optimise

tomer loyalty.

REINVENT HOW MARKETERS WORK Marketing workflows for delivering relevant content and personalised customers experiences have become more compli-

More than 65% of customers make buying

cated. Most marketers spend most of their time attending to stakeholder feedback

It ends with campaigns that automati-

decisions based on the customer experi-

and trying to navigate through fragmented

cally address the right person with the

ence (CX). Failing them once could mean

marketing tools and other bulky workflow

losing the customer and not having an-

processes.

right message at the right time – using AIbased technology and predictive means for the entire customer lifecycle.

SPEED Optimizely offers improved quality control, allowing marketing leaders to easily configure roles, permissions and publishing approval workflows to ensure only the

“

other opportunity to win them back.

With the drastic increase of digital chan-

design and creativity are top priorities for marketers

best experiences are delivered to customers. They can now

Customer experi-

nels, marketers require a more efficient

ence management

way to keep up with the ever-changing

(CXM) is the con-

needs of their digital customers. It’s chal-

tinuous process

lenging for marketers to keep up on the

of optimising

status of campaigns, how to best iterate

every interaction between a brand and the customer.

It largely depends on utilising the latest marketing strategies and digital technologies to create personalised experiences.

motional changes into one project, preview

USING THE RIGHT TECHNOLOGIES

before publishing, and schedule to go-live

To bring everything together and deploy

all with the click of a button.​

changes quickly, marketers must choose

organise group product content and pro-

CEO GLOBAL MAGAZINE.COM

and collaborate on content, and how to track performance.

Speed and creativity has never been more important for marketers and so they need to explore new ways to promote products and services. Creativity will ensure their marketing efforts stand out from their competitors and might capture the attention of their ideal customer. This, in turn, will help the business increase sales and profits.

BY NICK DURRANT, BLUEGRASS DIGITAL CEO

ISSUE 2

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20

INtheKNOW

OPPORTUNITY FOR AFRICA’S YOUTH IN THE GREAT RESIGNATION YOU CAN HARDLY OPEN A MAGAZINE, A NEWSPAPER OR A WEB PAGE RIGHT NOW WITHOUT A HEADLINE LEAPING OUT AT YOU ABOUT THE GREAT RESIGNATION. IT’S LIKE A MASS STAMPEDE OF PEOPLE LEAVING THEIR JOBS, ALL AT THE SAME TIME.

T

he experts say people ‘are

I could argue that the data says we could

rethinking their relationship

rule the world by 2100 – and the Great

with work’, or looking to work

Resignation can help us to fast-track this

remotely, or simply looking for something

process, and rethink our future position.

better.

But we have to catch it now.

How big is the Great Resignation? The

A fundamental truth that many people

Boston Consulting Group estimates up

miss in the broader discussion around

to 75% of digital workers are looking

the Great Resignation, digital nomadism

to change their jobs in the next couple

and untethered workers is this: Jobs that

of years. Some are looking for new opportunities abroad. Others want to become ‘digital nomads’. Bottom line: there are lots of jobs out there looking for people to fill them. I just see one thing: Opportunity. With a Capital O.

LEE NAIK TRANSUNION AFRICA CEO

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can be done remotely can also be done offshore. The significance of a nomadic workforce isn’t middle-class workers moving to Estonia or Hawaii for a year. It’s a sign of a broader global redistribution of work following the pandemic. The Boston Consulting Group says creating

In fact, I’d go so far as to say the Great

an ecosystem of contractors, gig workers,

Resignation is an opportunity for Africa like

and agencies is an additional valuable tool

few before it. And here’s why.

for sourcing talent in a highly competitive

According to the UN’s World Population Prospects, sub-Saharan Africa’s workingage population is growing faster than other age groups. Way faster. In fact, the

market. Its report suggests that 80% of African digital talent would be willing to work for a remote employer. I’d suggest that number could be even higher.

average age of an African in 2020 was 18.7

The question is: are we as African

years. How old do you think the average

businesses leveraging outsourcing as

European is right now? Get this: 42.5 years

much as we can? Last year, the company

old. The average age in the world right now

I have the privilege of working for,

is 30.9 years of age.

TransUnion, launched a Global Capability

By 2100, the average age in Africa will be

clients around the world. What’s different

just over 34. Slap bang in the middle of the

about this GCC is that it’s 100% virtual.

ideal working-age population. So while

Every single employee works from home

the rest of the world is getting older, Africa

– but the experience that the company’s

is young and ready to work. The UN calls

clients get is no different to what they

this opportunity for accelerated economic

would have got from a conventional

growth the ‘demographic dividend’. I call it

contact centre... and their service portfolio

time for the continent to rock and roll.

is significant and growing!

Centre (GCC) in South Africa to service

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READ MORE UP TO 75% OF DIGITAL WORKERS ARE LOOKING TO CHANGE JOBS WITHIN TWO TO THREE YEARS

THE 2019 REVISION OF WORLD POPULATION PROSPECTS IS THE TWENTY-SIXTH ROUND OF OFFICIAL UNITED NATIONS POPULATION ESTIMATES AND PROJECTIONS THAT HAVE BEEN PREPARED BY THE POPULATION DIVISION OF THE DEPARTMENT OF ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL AFFAIRS OF THE UNITED NATIONS SECRETARIAT

In South Africa, government sees BPO as

Four years ago, The Africa Competitiveness

a priority sector to help grow the economy

Report 2017, released by the World

and alleviate the country’s unemployment

Economic Forum, the African Development

crisis. The sector has a target of creating

Bank, and the World Bank Group, kicked

100,000 additional jobs by 2023 and

off with these words: “Looking ahead,

500,000 by 2030.

the continent’s young and increasing

And that’s just in one country, and one

opportunity to spur rapid development

sector. Imagine if we could position Africa

… a growing labour force and a large

as the skills hub of the world, providing

and emerging consumer market hold

a series of increasingly valuable services

the promise of significant growth

to companies across the globe, and

opportunities.”

We’ve got the people. We own the future.

The Great Resignation has given us the chance to accelerate this. We, as African leaders and business people, must move fast to grab the opportunity. It may not come by again soon.

population presents an unprecedented

BY LEE NAIK, TRANSUNION AFRICA CEO

creating jobs for millions of young Africans in the process. So how do we, as African businesses, organise better to be alive to this opportunity?

We should be asking ourselves: ARE WE MAKING THE TOUGH CHOICES to make our businesses more resilient? Are we leveraging the gig economy and other specialist third parties to deliver services?

Are we exploiting our business limitations by partnering in the sharing economy?

ARE WE SEEKING OUT NEW REVENUE STREAMS linked to the fast-tracked demographic dividend we talked about earlier, and finding ways to bring the demographic window forward?

WHAT KIND OF LEADERSHIP IS NEEDED in this new world? How does it change the way we run our businesses?

HOW DO WE EVOLVE THE EMPLOYEE value proposition to attract and retain hot young talent? And figure-proof our revenues in the process?

CEO GLOBAL MAGAZINE.COM

“

Africa could rule the world by 2100 Lee Naik, CEO

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HOW SMART ARE SMART HOMES REALLY T

he plethora of connected gadgets introduced to homes over the past decade have opened new doors for cybercriminals. Every connected gadget increases the risk of being hacked, and not having a firewall is the same as leaving the house door wide open.

Higher levels of security are a necessity in a connected age, where our cars, homes, and money are all connected and controlled by computers and IoT devices.

The stakes are also much higher now, with hackers attacking not only our bank accounts but our cars and homes too.

Consumers need to figure out how to secure these connected things.

JOHN MC LOUGHLIN

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MORE ABOUT J2 (WWW.J2.CO.ZA)

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“

Higher levels of security are a necessity

CONNECTED CONSUMER AND BUSINESS PRODUCTS HAVE BEGUN FLOODING THE MARKET, BUT SECURITY REMAINS AN AFTERTHOUGHT. CYBERCRIMINALS ARE ALWAYS ON THE PROWL TO ACCESS SMART DEVICES LIKE WIRELESS SECURITY CAMERAS, SMART TVS, BABY CAMERAS, SMART SPEAKERS, SMART PHONES OR TABLETS.

FIREWALLS

DEEP INSIGHT

Firewalls could be daunting to operate, but smart firewalls like Firewalla are easy to use and can be the new front door of your digital home. It provides visibility and control of all digital things in one place.

Firewalla automatically alerts and protects you from all of these cyber threats, providing peace of mind in the digital world.

Home networks are growing exponentially,

PARENTAL CONTROL Solutions like Firewalla also let parents see what their children are doing on their phones, laptops and tablets. You’ll know whether they’re playing games, doing their homework, or going somewhere they shouldn’t. You won’t have to pull the power cord on that dusty router to limit access.

both in the number of devices and the complexity of connecting them. The first step to securing these devices is to understand and get insight into what each device is doing. Firewalla can closely observe all the traffic entering or exiting the network.

TRUST BUT VERIFY When you bring a new device into your home it can be difficult to know if it is trustworthy. Nice packaging does not guarantee trustworthiness. Many of us love the convenience of cameras, home assistants, and other IoT devices because they can make our lives a lot easier.

These devices have unparalleled access to

PROTECTION Firewalla will actively detect problems and automatically block them if necessary. It has a built-in VPN server to automatically protect your privacy when you’re on the road, at a coffee shop, or wherever you go.

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our personal data, so it is important to use them safely. Without being a programmer and having access to the code in every

INTRUSION PREVENTION Firewalla has a unique cloud-based behaviour analytics engine that utilises deep insight at the network flow level, and actively monitors and detects suspicious connections. Suspicious connections are categorised into different levels. For the ones that are very sure to be “bad”, Firewalla will automatically block the connection. Otherwise, an alert is raised and the user is given the choice to decide whether to block or not.

Active protect is not just happening at home. When you are on the road or in coffee shops, if you surf by connecting to the Firewalla VPN server at home, you will be automatically protected as well.

SAFETY FIRST If you have concerns about network security at your home or small business office, Firewalla is an excellent solution to put those fears to rest. It is easy to set up and monitor, it’s relatively inexpensive, and it provides a wide range of functions to keep your network safe. Firewalla just works; plug it in and away it goes.

app we use, we can only use observation to determine how cautious to be about an app or IoT device.

BY JOHN MC LOUGHLIN, CYBERSECURITY EXPERT AND J2 CEO

ISSUE 2

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24

TRENDS TO KEEP AN EYE ON

FROM CASH TO DIGITAL

NASA INGENUITY MAR HELICOPTER: AFTER DUSTY FLIGHT 19, TEAM PREPARES FOR FLIGHT 20

HARNESSING THE POWER OF AGRITECH TO HELP SA’S SMALLHOLDER FARMERS

“Tap to Pay” experience to Africa’s Informal

Flight 19 was successfully completed on

Microsoft South Africa has selected The

Sector with its software solution that

February 7, 2022, at 20:21 PST (Sol 345 of

Awareness Company as the beneficiary of

enables merchants to accept contactless

the Perseverance mission, 12:00 LMST Lo-

its AgriTech Programme. The Awareness

payments directly from a mobile phone.

cal Mean Solar Time), and placed Ingenuity

Company will develop and roll out three

The Lipa Payment’s duo plans to roll-out

safely within the designated landing ellipse

their Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) solution

just above the eastern ridge of the “South

high-impact solutions in the agriculture

across South Africa and Nigeria in 2022.

Séítah” basin. Flight 19 was a reminder of

Owning just a low-end smartphone, even if

the challenges and unpredictability of the

it does not have near-field communication

Martian environment, after being delayed

(NFC) capabilities means that merchants

by an unexpected dust storm that caused

can accept either phone-to-phone pay-

a significant drop in air density and solar

tive is to drive digital transformation in the

ments (using Bluetooth technology) or a

array output. The team is now preparing for

agriculture sector by collaborating with a

bank-card payment directly on their smart-

Flight 20, which will continue Ingenuity’s

technology company that will develop high

phones (using NFC technology).

march alongside Perseverance back to

impact solutions and empower smallholder

Perseverance’s landing location — the Oc-

farmers.

tavia E. Butler Landing Site. From there, the two robotic partners will begin traveling to the Jezero Crater river delta. During Flight 20, Ingenuity is planned to traverse 1,280 feet (390 meters), at an altitude of 32.8 feet (10 meters) and a maximum ground speed of 10.1 mph (4.5 meters per second).

sector within the next year – positively impacting one of the country’s critical sectors, helping to drive growth and job creation.

The AgriTech Programme’s main objec-

AI SUPPLEMENTS - TECH TRENDS TO WATCH OUT

GREAT GREEN WALL

MEDICAL UPGRADE THE RISE OF 3D PRINTING

Artificial technology or AI is not a new term

The GGW is an African-led initiative,

A much-anticipated tech trend in 2022

in the IT-sphere, but now there are further

launched by the African Union in 2007

will be the sophistication of technology

verticals of AI that are shaping the indus-

and designed to transform the lives of

upgrades in the medical field. 3D print-

tries globally and this is eventually making

100 million people by growing an 8,000

ing will open a new business of advanced

the technology features in the top IT trends

km long and 15 km wide mosaic of trees,

prosthetics, Nano medicines and pharma-

today. AI technology trends, including

grasslands, vegetation and plants, stretch-

ceuticals as many universities are expand-

products like AlterEgo, a mind-reading

ing across the entire Sahel, that can restore

ing their research in 3D printing of bionic

wearable, Autonomous Vehicles, Google’s AlphaGo and citizen robots like Sophia, are promos on how big AI technology will get in 2022. Companies like Domino’s and Doordash are already experimenting with drones and robot delivery. Although at present, these latest emerging technologies are still riddled with glitches threatening human safety, looking at their enormous prospects, AI supplements are

the degraded lands and help the region’s inhabitants produce adequate food, create jobs and promote peace. The project is a response to the combined effect of natural resources degradation and drought in rural areas. It seeks to help communities mitigate and adapt to climate change as well as improve food security. By 2030, the ambition of the GGW Initiative is to restore 100

body parts and medical consumer products. South Africa - can potentially leapfrog other manufacturing-focused economies by focusing more on mass 3D printing manufacturing in the future - especially as it has the potential to revolutionise the healthcare sector with fast, cost-effective solutions. 3D Printing market is growing at an exponential rate in South Africa owing to increasing investment in additive manufac-

bound to become a technology trend in

Mha of degraded land, sequester 250 MtC

turing of titanium in the region, technologi-

2022.

and create 10 million green jobs. The GGW

cal advancement and moreover, rising use

activities brought a range of environmental

of 3D printing technology by small and

and socio-economic co-benefits, including

medium scale industry.

carbon sequestration and GHG emissions savings and revenue from income generating activities and job creation.

CEO GLOBAL MAGAZINE.COM

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ON-DEMAND ECONOMY BOOMS AS CONSUMERS EXPECT EVEN FASTER DELIVERY THERE’S NO DOUBT THAT COVID-19 EXPEDITED THE RISE IN ECOMMERCE AND LEAD TO THE NOW-NEAR INSTITUTION OF THE HOME ECONOMY. AND WHILE THE PANDEMIC COMES UNDER CONTROL WITH AN ALMOST COMPLETE RELAXATION OF RESTRICTIONS, THE ON-DEMAND DELIVERY TREND IS FIRMLY FIXED INTO CONSUMERS’ LIVES, SO MUCH SO THAT BIG AND SMALL BUSINESSES NEED TO ADAPT THEIR LAST-MILE LOGISTICS SYSTEMS TO CATER FOR SOUTH AFRICANS’ INCREASING APPETITE FOR AT-HOME OR WORK DELIVERIES.

T

o underline this point, in 2021

and unsatisfactory delivery options are the

South Africa’s eCommerce mar-

two primary contributors to a brand losing

ket was valued at USD 4.5 billion,

a sale at the virtual check-out. As such it is

and digital platforms have been widely

essential that businesses get that last-mile

adopted by customers across various sec-

experience right, and that means upping

tors including health, food and retail.

their ante in the type of intelligent logistics

So aggressive is this uptake that it is esti-

solution software they use.

mated that by 2027 the local eCommerce

Fortunately, there is significant develop-

market will reach a value of USD 7,9 billion.

ment happening in this space, with the

That’s close to double where it stands

local Picup among the leaders in delivery

now, within just six years. It’s not unrealistic either given the market increased in size by 100% in the past two years alone.

WWW.PICUP.IO 27

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ISSUE 2

software technology. With digitisation in the sector happening at a rapid pace, and certainly likely to come into being within

But all this growth comes with increased

the next two years, players like Picup are

customer expectation: Research by the

enhancing their experiences so that end-

South African Digital Customer Experience

customers get their goods quicker and

Report 2021 shows that high shipping costs

more affordably.

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“

making the home economy grow even bigger

BY ANTONIO BRUNI, PICUP CEO

Here Picup founder Antonio Bruni unpacks

AI has revolutionised the experience in

smartphone they can be engaged while en

the leading logistics technology trends that

ways such as creating more efficient route

route. They also send invaluable data back

will soon influence the local on-demand

deliveries, streamlining business processes

to the system instantly, while validating

sector – and make the home economy

and enabling better customer satisfaction.

addresses while on-the-go. Smartphones

When considering the former, AI solu-

are also paperless so the humble waybill is

tions that use algorithms can provide an

a thing of the past as details are captured

EMERGENCE OF 5G TECHNOLOGY

optimum number of fleets that can make a

automatically, while the intelligent devices

delivery using the shortest route possible.

can also optimise routes meaning the

What’s more, it can also learn the routes

delivery happens quicker.

While 5G is still relatively new in South Af-

through input of historical data, which then

rica, it offers data speeds that are 20-times

can maximise the delivery window while

faster than existing 4G long-term evolution

also analysing the cost-benefit to provide

grow even bigger.

(LTE) networks. What this means for ondemand deliveries is that service providers can enhance their ability to use analytics-

the most efficient way to deliver a package to a consumer.

The cost of the hardware used by drivers has also come down drastically and a unit is now in the region of R1000; this used to be a barrier to entry but the lower prices make it more affordable for businesses

based solutions to more effectively man-

Consumers can also use tracking solutions

to switch to more integrated technology.

age inventory and supply chains.

to trace their deliveries throughout the last-

Further, the high cost of printing waybills

mile delivery process. This creates greater

and its admin vs. using a smartphone to

transparency and trust.

capture data considerably brings down

This yields better accuracy rates and speed in reaching the end customer. 5G

hard costs.

also has the potential to enable almost real-time data analytics, which allows businesses to make faster and more informed

IoT

decisions such as circumstances related to

The Internet of Things (IoT) has impacted

weather or traffic. Further, 5G improves sig-

all areas of our lives, and so too has it

nal quality and connection enabling drivers

affected the logistics industry. Through

to work faster on the road.

intelligent data analysis it helps to manage assets remotely, predicts risk, ensures

AI AND MACHINE LEARNING Artificial Intelligence and machine learning

proper cargo handling and can forecast traffic congestion. In short, IoT creates the connection among goods, packaging, transportation hubs and vehicles.

CHANGING TO OPTIMISE DELIVERY Lastly, any brand that is adopting smart logistics technology will require a degree of change management across their business units as training will be needed to understand how to switch to technologyenabled systems.

It is a 360 degree shift from traditional pro-

have played a major role in the logistics

SMARTPHONE LOGISTICS

cesses which are time-consuming, paper

last-mile logistics analysis and optimisa-

In days gone by, logistics firms would have

enabled service that puts the customer

tion, supplier selection and workforce

had a hard time communicating in real-

first and delivers on-demand without any

planning. In the case of last-mile delivery,

time with their drivers; now thanks to the

cumbersome processes to slow it down.

sector for years now, so this is not something new. But its use is helpful at providing

CEO GLOBAL MAGAZINE.COM

heavy and slow to a more efficient, tech-

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NEWS

PAYUP APP SIMPLIFIES LAY BUYS FINTECH FIRM PAYJUSTNOW HAS INTRODUCED AN APP THAT ENABLES INSTORE RETAILERS TO PROCESS SPLIT PAYMENTS WITH NO POINT OF SALE (POS) INTEGRATION. PAYUP ENABLES RETAILERS TO OFFER A BUY NOW PAY LATER (BNPL) SOLUTION ALMOST INSTANTANEOUSLY WITHOUT INTEGRATION DELAYS.

B

luegrass Digital were brought in

customers without significant investment

“The brief was to close out an agile project

to augment the team with their

in web development or POS integration.

and build a native application on Android,

mobile app skillset and support-

It gives the merchant an end-to-end view

IOS and Harmony OS on the React Native

of the transaction flow – from onboarding

platform. Once the brief was delivered,

ed the delivery of the new mobile app for iOS and Android.

PayUp has given PayJustNow a competitive advantage, which is critical in the fintech space. It allows merchants to offer PayJustNow at check out with no POS integration.

It offers shoppers split payments at

“

they patiently stood by until we could de-

processing a sale

liver the API endpoints and wireframes with

to daily cash ups

our design considerations,” he adds.

and executing a

offer BNPL solutions almost instantly

checkout while

new consumers,

refund.

Bluegrass Digital was integral in highlighting some features and opportunities

PayJustNow CIO

PayJustNow had missed. They delivered

Mark Mchlery says

a sandbox version for User Acceptance

Bluegrass Digital

Testing purposes across all the OS’s within

was selected as its

agreed timeframes.

mobile partner because of its reputa-

“They have a broad-spectrum team, each

tion for diligence

with complementary skills at the top of

and extraordinary

their game in their field. The start to finish

attention to detail

process was made all that much easier as

getting their goods upfront. The purchase

on projects. “They made sure everyone

they took the time to understand our goals

is split into three interest-free instalments.

was always on the same page, they sent

and openly shared contrasting opinions

updates and feedback regularly. The team

on some of our initial assumptions,” he

also impressed with their broad expertise.”

concludes.

The app also offers a broader spectrum of merchants the ability to offer BNPL to their

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BY NICK DURRANT, BLUEGRASS DIGITAL CEO

CEO GLOBAL MAGAZINE.COM

Bluegrass Digital is a leading provider of digital solutions for business. We simplify tech. We help you architect and build digital products and services, ensuring you transform and succeed in a digital world. With over 20 years of engineering experience and a proven track record, Bluegrass Digital offers expert knowledge and its unique offering that is centred on service delivery excellence. www.bluegrassdigital.com

ADDRESSING THE RISK FROM

C Y B E R

THE SITUATION IN UKRAINE CONTINUES TO FLUCTUATE. CYBERATTACKS HAVE ALREADY BEEN OBSERVED IN THE CONFLICT, AND I EXPECT DIVERSIONS, DISTRACTIONS, AND FALSE FLAGS AS TENSIONS ESCALATE. THERE IS ALSO THE POTENTIAL RISK OF OTHER THREAT ACTORS BEING OPPORTUNISTIC UNDER THE COVER OF RUSSIAN AGGRESSION.

countries. As the conflict

may be symbolic or host ‘mes-

evolves, any nations impact-

saging material’ (e.g. market-

ed by cyberattacks could con-

ing, newspapers, etc.)

yberattacks are cer-

factor means that just a few

strue the activity as an act of

•Government agencies and re-

tain to play a central

keystrokes could significantly

war, and then things could get

lated organisations.

role in combination

raise the stakes.

much more serious.

While cyberwarfare operations

forms, some where the threat

are expected to be leveraged

actors are clearly connected

causing issues for organisa-

The risk from cyberattacks in the Russia-Ukraine conflict

in order to distract, disrupt,

to Russia, and some more cov-

tions, it could be an indication

The threat is fluid, and will de-

and destroy systems critical to

ert actions where obfuscation

that Russia is digging into its

pend on the situation on the

Ukraine’s defence capabilities

is employed to make direct at-

stockpile of zero-day delivery

ground. In the earliest stag-

locally, there is a high proba-

tribution difficult if not impos-

mechanisms, payloads, and

es of the conflict, Ukraine ob-

bility that Russian operatives

sible.

compromised assets.

viously has the most to worry

might also target a wide range

c

with any traditional military action on the ground. So if never-before-seen exploits start

Cyberattacks could take many

about, as well as those doing

of organisations beyond the

For example, over the last few

Cyber is critical here. Russia

business in and with Ukraine

region, including:

months there has been a new

needs to default to asymmet-

given possible collateral dam-

•Financial services organisa-

wave of cyber-attacks target-

ric options because they are

age from stray cyber muni-

tions

ing Ukrainian entities involv-

clearly struggling with other

tions.

•Energy producers and utilities

ing attacks on the Ukrainian

•Telecommunication and in-

Defence Ministry website and

means of achieving their nationalistic aims. This is brink-

There is also risk for any al-

ternet infrastructure organi-

regional banks, website de-

manship at a level that is un-

lied nations in the G7, NATO,

sations

facements, DDOS attacks, and

precedented, and the cyber

and other largely non-involved

•Public-facing entities that

a sophisticated multi-stage

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OVER THE LAST FEW MONTHS THERE HAS BEEN A NEW WAVE OF CYBERATTACKS TARGETING UKRAINIAN ENTITIES INVOLVING ATTACKS ON THE UKRAINIAN DEFENCE MINISTRY WEBSITE AND REGIONAL BANKS, WEBSITE DEFACEMENTS, DDOS ATTACKS, AND A SOPHISTICATED MULTI-STAGE ATTACK THAT DELIVERED A HIGHLY DESTRUCTIVE WIPER DUBBED WHISPERGATE DISGUISED AS RANSOMWARE THAT PARALYSED NUMEROUS UKRAINIAN ORGANISATIONS

IN THE RUSSIA-UKRAINE CONFLICT attack that delivered a high-

threat actors like China and

of the world’s brightest minds

deep contradiction in our ap-

ly destructive wiper dubbed

North Korea could take advan-

from the military, government

proach to security. To be tru-

WhisperGate disguised as ran-

tage of the situation to conduct

somware that paralysed nu-

cyberattacks to further their

merous Ukrainian organisa-

own geopolitical objectives.

intelligence and enterprise security–is providing specific

ly resilient means eliminating single points of failure and ensuring you have options, but

guidance to our partner organ-

organisations often sacrifice

The side that can maintain

isations on how to address the

security for cost or efficiency.

Ransomware is typically a tool

logistics, command structure

heightened risk.

of cybercriminals. Design-

and data flows faster and with

ing an attack that mimics a cy-

less disruption has a huge ad-

bercrime operation obfus-

vantage over their opponent.

Cybereason customers are al-

cates the underlying motive

It is equivalent to having ex-

ready protected against the

The question for everyone to

and works to the advantage

tra divisions and fleets of tra-

most common, publicly known

ponder as we make our way

of the attacker, especially in a

ditional units. If an adversary

situation where geopolitical

can disrupt physical command

TTPs employed by Russian

conflicts on this level are con-

systems or get inside an oppo-

tions.

cerned.

What to expect in the Russia-Ukraine conflict

The challenge is to find the balance between resilience and efficiency.

in these uncertain times, is whether we are really ready for

state-sponsored APT actors,

this new iteration of conflict.

nent’s decision loop through

and Cybereason recommends

If the answer is no, then we will

information warfare tactics,

all organisations to follow the

collectively have a lot of adapt-

then their advantage improves

guidance issued from CISA, the

significantly.

FBI, and NSA. Organisations

generate. If the answer is yes, then we have even more work

should maintain a heightened

to do because we have been

state of awareness, and con-

lulled into a false sense of security.

flux of cyberattacks focused

How to prepare for the Russia-Ukraine conflict

primarily in and around the re-

As the United States and Euro-

duct proactive threat hunting–

gion, with the potential for ad-

pean allies continue to seek a

especially those organisations

ditional cyberattacks spread-

diplomatic resolution to the

related to critical infrastruc-

ing to the European Union,

situation, organisations that

NATO member nations, and the

are at risk of getting caught

United States specifically.

up in a wider conflict need to

There is also the additional risk

be prepared. The Cybereason

Nonetheless, there’s a larger

that other state-sponsored

team–which includes some

issue at play that exposes a

We most likely will see an in-

ing to do and new doctrines to

ture.

BY LIOR DIV, CYBEREASON CEO AND FOUNDER

CEO GLOBAL MAGAZINE.COM

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SECURING CLOUD ENVIRONMENTS AT PETABYTE SCALE

C

availability of its next-generation Cybereason XDR

Delivering Visibility that Bridges DevOps and SecOps

for Cloud Workloads, leveraging AI-driven behaviour-

Cybereason XDR for Cloud Workloads provides SecOps and

al analysis to deliver unparalleled runtime protection, de-

DevOps teams with visibility, automation and customisation

tection and response to protect cloud workloads and con-

capabilities in an intuitive platform. Breaking down silos be-

tainers across both native and hybrid cloud environments at

tween SecOps and DevOps teams increases operational effi-

petabyte scale.

ciency and decreases response times. Built from the ground

ybereason, the XDR company, has announced the

up to bridge the gap between DevOps and SecOps teams, CyComprehensive visibility across an organisation’s entire network infrastructure is the

bereason XDR for Cloud Workloads delivers frictionless operations scale, and improves

key to detecting malicious activity

understanding of an organisa-

targeting cloud workloads and con-

tion’s security posture with

tainers. Competing offerings are

minimal operational costs.

forced to filter crucial threat telemetry, where the Cybereason MalOp Detection Engine is capable of processing all relevant telemetry at

Providing Correlated Detections and Automated Response at Petabyte Scale

petabyte scale, enabling security analysts to understand the full scope of cyberattacks in real time.

Cybereason XDR for Cloud Workloads leverages the proprietary MalOp Detection Engine to transform petabytes of data

KEY COMPONENTS OF THE SOLUTION INCLUDE:

from the public cloud, on-premises data centres and hybrid environments into a single attack story for a comprehensive view of threats across the network, cloud workloads and the Kubernetes control plane for a comprehensive threat profile.

Protecting Workloads Everywhere with Minimal Impact

“This solution was built by security teams who understand

Organisations today operate in a complex world with data

the DevOps mentality and the critical intersection with Se-

and workloads on-premises, in the public cloud at the edge

cOps while allowing for growth, testing and constant refine-

and in hybrid configurations. Cybereason XDR for Cloud

ment,” says Yonatan Striem-Amit, Cybereason Chief Technol-

Workloads is designed to protect workloads and containers

ogy Officer and Co-founder.

wherever they reside or move across infrastructure. The offering extends Kubernetes integration and powerful sensors across the environment, providing effective threat detection and prevention with minimal performance impact and workflow disruption.

WWW.CYBEREASON.COM 33

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CONTRIBUTING TO A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE THE WORLD’S EWASTE IS A HUGE PROBLEM. 50 MILLION TONS OF EWASTE IS PRODUCED EACH YEAR, AND LEFT UNCHECKED THIS COULD MORE THAN DOUBLE TO 120 MILLION TONS BY 2050.

THIS IS ACCORDING TO A STUDY BY THE WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM.

decommissioning and retiring end-of-life IT equipment, a solution that manages all aspects of the IT lifecycle; including transportation, identification, testing, repair, data

T

he insatiable demand for new electronic devices is cre-

sanitisation and value recovery.

ating the world’s fastest-growing waste stream, and the United Nations calls it a tsunami of ewaste. It is therefore

The solution should include collection, data erasure and reporting

crucial for organisations to adopt a more circular vision when it

so that customers can dispose of their equipment knowing that

comes to ITAD.

they have

complied with relevant legislation and

CIRCULAR ECONOMY Service providers like Xperien participate in projects that supply computers to IT refresh programs, delivering on functionality and also low on cost. Its refurbished products are especially popular in South Africa’s call centre environment, largely because they match the specification and functionally required by this industry. have received the best value for their redundant IT equipment.

Refurbished electronics are also ideal for schools, learning centres and CSI programmes. Annually, Xperien‘s ISO accredited IT

They need to offer fair market value for end-of-life and redundant

refurbishment factory CRS WORX processes more than 30 000

IT equipment by implementing a tailor made value recovery plan

tier 1 laptops, desktops and servers manufactured by Dell, HP and

for the IT assets, by purchasing the hardware to balance value and

Lenovo. In addition, it distributes CRS equipment to the retail trade

velocity, and by promoting reuse while helping recoup value.

with a 12-month warranty.

VALUE RECOVERY

DATA DESTRUCTION Disk drives, flash memory and backup tapes are a major security

ITAD is about more than recycling ewaste; a good sustainability

threat for any business; they store a massive amount of confiden-

plan should include the resell of tested, working IT assets and

tial data that can easily be compromised.

parts.

Destroying data is only half the challenge; one needs to deliver Disjointed ITAD increases your risks and hurts your bottom line.

solutions that allow businesses to remain POPIA and GDPR com-

ITAD service providers need to provide a one-stop solution for

pliant at any stage of the data or asset lifecycle - whether it’s in a

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main centre or remote location.

Service providers must obtain ISO 9001, 14001 and 45001 accreditations specifically for ITAD. More importantly, it is critical that

ITAD service providers need to provide cost-effective solutions to

compliance meets the NIST 800-88, DoD 5220.22-M and CEGS

combat the challenges associated with data loss and to mitigate

criteria, particularly in terms of data-destruction processes, while

reputational risk. Their compliance must meet the CEGS and NIST

adherence to the Protection of Personal Information Act of 2013

SP 800-88 standards, particularly in terms of data-destruction

(POPIA) and General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is core to

processes.

many businesses.

Data erasure solutions like DestroyData are NIST 800-80 com-

SUSTAINABILITY

plaint and allow customers to reduce cost without compromising

Always ensure that the lifespan and functionality of IT equipment

safety. It can be done

is optimised for effective service - many years beyond its original

from any location where

intention - before being considered for recycling.

This will ensure that our planet’s resources are not squandered by consumerism and apathetic use.

ITAD services enable organisations to achieve maximum return on investment by utilising their IT infrastructure in a sustainable manner, ensuring that IT hardware (that is retired from current use) is sanitised, refurbished and redeployed into the circular economy - in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 12: Ensure sustainable consumption one can guarantee a safe chain of custody for

and production patterns.

data transfers between the premises and the processing facilities.

This is also the most sustainable solution, allowing the drive to be

With sustainability at its core, Xperien is redefining the way corpo-

reused.

rations manage their technology in a more ethical, sustainable and socially responsible way. At the same time, its IT Asset Disposal

Xperien boasts a DestroyData truck that crushes hard drives

(ITAD) programme will help business leaders deliver against a

onsite, ideal for clients that need to comply with older physical

growing sustainability agenda by introducing eco-friendly initia-

destruction standards. This usually includes drives that have failed

tives to reduce ewaste.

sanitisation and the destruction of data backup tapes.

The company has a passionate team of professionals who care

COMPLIANCE

about the planet, its people and its resources. It strives to make a

ITAD service providers need to protect the clients’ personal infor-

contribution by redefining the way corporations use IT hardware.

mation and intellectual property that resides on their computers during technology changes and at end-of-service. They need to

BY WALE AREWA, XPERIEN CEO

provide secure cost-effective ITAD solutions to combat the challenges associated with data loss and to mitigate reputational risk.

W W W. X P E R I E N . C O . Z A CEO GLOBAL MAGAZINE.COM

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BLUEGRASS DIGITAL SCOOPS PRESTIGIOUS SMARTIES AWARD BLUEGRASS DIGITAL HAS BEEN AWARDED A PRESTIGIOUS SMARTIES AWARD IN THE ‘MOBILE APP’ CATEGORY FOR ITS BIO-OIL INTERNAL BRAND COMMUNICATION APP. THIS AWARD RECOGNISES LEADERS, BRANDS, AGENCIES, AND TECH PROVIDERS THAT USE TECHNOLOGY TO PIONEER NEW APPROACHES IN MODERN MARKETING.

T

o win a SMARTIES Award is an

the key objectives. Together, we have

outward sign of mobile market-

developed a robust mobile app that en-

ing expertise, mastery of the

compasses and successfully portrays the

medium and the ability to drive results.

professionalism and styling of the Union

Winners are chosen by some of the best

Swiss-owned Bio-Oil brand,” he explains.

marketing minds across the globe.

A SMARTIES Award winner has demon-

With over 20 years of international experi-

strated power over the medium, effectively

ence, Bluegrass Digital designed and

weaving together a great idea, compelling

developed a new Instagram-style mobile

creative and air-tight execution, to deliver

app to provide Bio-Oil distributors across

significant business impact.

154 countries the ability to access brand content, news and information to support their marketing and sales initiatives.

“We certainly recognise the challenge of balancing high quality app development with the growing needs of modern

The new B2B marketing app enables the

businesses. We build applications and

Union Swiss team to communicate with

experiences using the latest technologies

and share information with its distributors,

and platforms, provide game changing

but it also creates a sense of community among distributors by giving them a platform to show what they are doing in their respective markets.

Bluegrass Digital CEO Nick Durrant is overwhelmed by this accolade. “This is an annual competition that honours outstanding innovation and creativity, resulting in significant business impact.”

software engineering, app development, and other critical development services,” he adds.

“Our main objective was to build a Bio-Oil community, to seamlessly connect everyone in a more contemporary, real-time way, which wouldn’t have been possible using more traditional communication.

Whether it’s a web app, mobile app or

“We worked closely with Union Swiss team

custom solution development, we know

members to address the key challenges

exactly how to set your company apart

and ensure the solution successfully met

from the competition,” he concludes.

BY NICK DURRANT, BLUEGRASS DIGITAL CEO

WWW.BLUEGRASSDIGITAL .COM

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CEO GLOBAL 2022 AWARDS

SUBMISSION & NOMINATIONS

These awards are about you, your contribution, your influence and not about the organisation you represent COMPLETE ONLINE AT: WWW.CEOGLOBALGROUP.COM • Please complete ALL questions in the Entry Form to speed up your route to the list of finalists.

• All documentation needs to be submitted in order for the entry to be considered.

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HOW SUCCESSFUL AFRICAN BUSINESSES leverage an entrepreneurial culture MANY LARGE, ENTRENCHED CORPORATES IN AFRICA AREN’T SUCCESSFUL BECAUSE OF THEMSELVES. THEY’RE SUCCESSFUL DESPITE THEMSELVES. BUT THAT’S CHANGING AS A NEW BREED OF CHALLENGERS ARE TAKING ADVANTAGE OF GAPS IN THE MARKET TO GRAB SIGNIFICANT MARKET SHARE.

l

ook at banks. We’ve all had bad experiences. Social media is filled with horror stories about their poor

service. And yet, we remain their clients.

‘They’re all the same,’ we say. ‘We may as well stick with what we know.’

It’s the same in almost every industry where there are a handful of dominant players. Until a disruptive challenger comes along, and builds a value proposition that eliminates customer frustrations.

The incumbents start losing market share.

Only then do they leap into action. They create ad campaigns and catchy phrases to convince you, the client-base, that things are changing for the better. That they really care about you and your frustrations. And yet, nothing really changes – except you feel duped by these new promises.

It’s not that the incumbents don’t want to change the customer experience, or adapt to new technologies or trends. They do.

But their organisations are so rigid that they can’t change quickly.

An emerging disruptive competitor is a system shock, but one that is to be expected. Every CEO or board worth their salt is constantly on the lookout for these emerging competitors. They either try to stall their growth, buy them out or make them insignificant by adapting their organisations to reduce their differentiator in the market.

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ABOUT

ALLON RAIZ IS THE CEO OF RAIZCORP, WHICH HAS INCUBATED MORE THAN 13,500 BUSINESSES. A TWO-TIME PHD DROPOUT, RAIZ IS A BEST-SELLING AUTHOR, RADIO AND TV HOST, AND HAS EVEN CREATED AND PUBLISHED AN ENTREPRENEURIAL CARTOON STRIP. IN 2008, HE WAS SELECTED AS A YOUNG GLOBAL LEADER BY THE WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM, AND IN 2011 HE WAS APPOINTED FOR THE FIRST TIME AS A MEMBER OF THE GLOBAL AGENDA COUNCIL ON FOSTERING ENTREPRENEURSHIP. FOLLOWING A SERIES OF ENTREPRENEURSHIP MASTER CLASSES DELIVERED AT OXFORD UNIVERSITY IN 2014, 2015 AND 2016, RAIZ HAS BEEN RECOGNISED AS THE ENTREPRENEUR-IN-RESIDENCE AT THE UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD’S SAÏD BUSINESS SCHOOL.

ALLON RAIZ, RAIZCORP CEO

FOLLOW

ALLON @ALLONRAIZ

However, there are certain system shocks

ing and managing internal turf battles,

which you can’t anticipate. Two planes

entrepreneurial businesses are eating their

flying into the Twin Towers in New York

lunch.

changed the global luggage industry, the

ON TWITTER , INSTAGRAM AND LINKEDIN.

implementation plan.

Then Covid-19 came along, and made corporates realise just how important agility is

Take Skype, for example. Before Covid-19,

in a world of VUCA (volatility, uncertainty,

we had all heard of Skype. Many of us used

complexity, and ambiguity). Suddenly, the

it from time to time. Yet two relatively un-

same boards are contacting me again.

known brands, Zoom and Microsoft Teams,

They’re asking an important question: ‘We

became the dominant players globally in

know why we should be thinking entrepre-

just 12 months. Microsoft, a large corporate,

neurially. But how does a large organisa-

was entrepreneurial, agile, incredibly fast

tion with thousands of policies and rules

companies that didn’t start bottling their

to market, and cleverly utilised its existing

even begin to actually become agile?’

products in 100 ml or smaller bottles.

channels to gobble market share. Zoom

Here’s the bottom line. The only African

was a relatively small entrepreneurial

businesses that will survive in the medium

bottling industry and the security industry, among many others. Entire industries were destroyed, and new ones emerged. If you were a luggage company and didn’t adapt your carry-on luggage to meet newly created carry-on size specifications, you were left behind. The same applied to cosmetics

What happened? Small and agile entrepreneurial players saw the sluggishness of the incumbents to adapt to the new requirements, took the gap and grabbed massive market share.

The fact is that the gap would not have existed if it wasn’t for the tragedy – or if the incumbents had adapted quickly.

“

The only African businesses that will survive are those that build an entrepreneurial culture that is led from the top

The same is true for Covid-19. Across Africa, the pandemic

company that read

term are those that build an entrepre-

the opportunity

neurial culture that is led from the top.

perfectly. Its dis-

Any corporate that realises they need to

tribution strategy

become agile, but is not being led by a

was genius, and

team that knows how to transform and

the speed at which it fixed bugs was

lead entrepreneurially, is doomed to drift in purgatory.

a textbook case

So, what should corporates be doing right

study. What hap-

now? The most important thing to do is to

pened to Skype?

train their leadership teams on how to think

In just 12 months, it disappeared into relative obscurity.

differently, how to see opportunities, and how to adapt their resources quickly to be more relevant to the evolving context. If the company leadership cannot learn to be

Before Covid-19,

entrepreneurially minded, then it makes no

entrepreneurial

difference if their teams are.

agility was a nice

Agile and entrepreneurial thinking needs

has created gaps for highly adaptable and

topic for an executive offsite. I talked to

to be spread widely and evenly throughout

agile small players to enter - and potential-

many boards about how to bring entre-

the corporate for it to survive. This is the

ly dominate - markets. And while the large

preneurial thinking into their organisation.

way of the future.

organisations are debating and Zoom-

None of them followed through with an

CEO GLOBAL MAGAZINE.COM

BY ALLON RAIZ, RAIZCORP CEO

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LEADING BY EXAMPLE

LIFEstyle

MERCEDES BENZ C-CLASS

Price C 200

Fuel l/100 km

R849 000

7.2-6.3

Price C 220 d

R908 500

Power 150 KW

Fuel l/100 km 5.2-4.4

ROAD TEST

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P

Q

Torque

0-100 7.3 SECONDS

300 NM

Power 147 KW

Torque 440 NM

Top Speed 246 KM/H

0-100 7.3 SECONDS

Q

Top Speed 245 KM/H

300NM

440NM

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I

I do not often get the opportunity to attend vehicle launches, since my male colleagues grab at these

chances without even considering that I too would like to experience such an event!

Carl asked me to attend the C-Class launch, as he knows that I am and have always been a Mercedes-Benz lover – I still have my 17-year-old Mercedes E320 CDI, which I thoroughly enjoy.

I must confess that although I like driving, and I love the ambiance and luxury of a vehicle – and I know that the Mercedes brands have a long history of excellence – I decided not to actually drive the C-Class.

Instead, I had Dirk Gallowitz as my capable driver. I can already hear some of you laughing and thinking that I must be crazy, since Dirk has a reputation for being an ‘extreme driver’… but I am staying out of that argument. Suffice it to say that Dirk is

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well known in the industry, and if Carl can drive with him, so can I. The reason I decided to ask Dirk to drive was so that I could experience the road qualities of the C-Class in the hands of an expert, while at the same time enjoying the premium-class luxury features that every woman wants in a car. It is a well-known fact that when I get into a car, I check both the driver-side and passenger-side vanity mirrors, and whether they light up. Then, I check whether I can charge my phone, connect it within three steps, and still have adequate space to place it. I love having coffee while I drive, so it is essential that I have a cup holder – both as a driver and passenger. Even when I travel as a passenger in the back, these factors are important to me. And I am still of the opinion that no car manufacturer is doing enough for women regarding a way to securely store their handbags.

Getting back to the driving, and the reason for asking Dirk to come along. Since he is the expert, I had the pleasure of experiencing the capabilities of the C-Class, as well as other gems such as the infotainment system and safety aspects. I need to feel safe when I am in a vehicle, and to know what the vehicle is capable of – the safety margins, and how to use the safety features to their utmost.

KEY FACTS With more than 10.5 million vehicles sold in more than 100 markets globally, the C-Class is the most successful sedan in the Mercedes-Benz range.

The next-level digitisation, comfort and design of the new C-Class are derived from the flagship S-Class.

The new C-Class boasts an impressive and modern central display, and when

CEO GLOBAL MAGAZINE.COM

combined with the latest second-generation MBUX, it delivers a user experience and vehicle interior that are more digital and intelligent than ever before.

The new C-Class ‘turns night into day’ with its LED high-performance headlamps, which come standard. A new DIGITAL LIGHT system with a resolution of 2.6 million pixels is available as an optional extra.

Improved agility and stability are available via the optional rear-axle steering, and the accompanying more direct steering ratio at the front axle.

The sixth-generation C-Class boasts luxurious comfort, minimalist design, and innovative assistance systems.

The new C-Class is manufactured in Mercedes-Benz Cars production plants in Bremen, Beijing and East London.

R13 billion has already been invested in

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numerous upgrades at the East London plant in preparation for producing the new model, providing a major boost to the local automotive industry. Mark Raine, President of Mercedes-Benz Cars and Co-CEO of Mercedes-Benz South Africa, says the fact that East London is one of three global manufacturing plants for the new C-Class is an unparalleled success story for the local industry.

BIGGER, BETTER, SLEEKER “The new C-Class is a sporty interpretation of modern luxury. I am entirely confident that the new C-Class will excite existing customers and future fans with its wide range of high-tech and superior features derived from the flagship S-Class”, says Raine.

The features of the new C-Class take inspiration from the flagship S-Class, and set new standards in efficiency. “The new

C-Class will be launched into the South African market initially with the C200 and C220d engine derivatives, both sporting four-cylinder units from the current modular FAME (Family of Modular Engines) Mercedes-Benz engine family,” says Selvin Govender, Vice President of Marketing and Sales for Mercedes-Benz Cars. The C200 boasts power delivery of 150 kw and 300 Nm of torque, while the C220d delivers 147 kw and 440 Nm of torque. The C220d achieves combined fuel consumption of 4.4 ℓ – 5.2 ℓ/100 km, and the C200 achieves combined fuel consumption of 6.3ℓ – 7.2 ℓ/100 km.

The new C-Class is considerably larger than its predecessor, with a length of 4,751 mm and a width of 1,820 mm. It is equipped with LED high-performance headlamps as standard. DIGITAL LIGHT has a light module with three extremely powerful LEDs in each headlamp, whose

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light is refracted and directed by 1.3 million micro-mirrors. The resolution is, therefore, more than 2.6 million pixels per vehicle.

The result: an optimal vision for the driver without dazzling other road users, as well as innovative functions with added safety.

DIGITAL LIGHT is not chasing world-distance records, but rather aims to achieve excellent visibility and maximum, dazzle-

ULTRA RANGE Highbeam with permitted maximum headlamp range.

Topographical compensation.

Cornering light with roundabout and cross-traffic functions.

Active light function with anticipatory control.

DIGITAL LIGHT with projection function is

Enhanced fog light function, city light, country road mode, motorway mode, motorway high beam, and adverse weather light.

available as an option. This system can

AN INTERIOR TO WRITE HOME ABOUT

free brilliance through an innovative overall concept.

make driving safer with the following features: HD system with projection module and MULTIBEAM LED background module.

Adaptive Highbeam Assist Plus (antidazzle continuous high beam).

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The interior of the C-Class is where I have been pleasantly surprised, as it adopts many highlights from the new S-Class. One of the features I enjoyed most is the highresolution LCD screen. It is free-standing, and appears to float in front of the wing profile and the expanse of trim. This sets

the driver display apart from traditional cockpits with classic round dials. Vehicle functions can be controlled using the high-quality touchscreen, and its portrait orientation is particularly advantageous for navigation. The touchscreen likewise appears to float above the expanse of trim.

Like the dashboard, the screen is slightly tilted towards the driver.

AGILITY AND STABILITY The new C-Class is especially agile and stable, with the optional rear-axle steering and the accompanying, more direct steering ratio at the front axle. The turning circle is only 10.64 m.

At speeds below 60 km/h, the rear wheels steer in the opposite direction to the front wheels – and up to 2.5° opposite to the front-axle angle during parking. At speeds above 60 km/h, the rear wheels steer up

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to 2.5° in the same direction as the front wheels. This virtual increase in wheelbase has noticeable advantages in the form of improved handling stability and safety at high speeds, during fast lane changes, and during sudden evasive manoeuvres.

THE LATEST GENERATION OF MBUX: INTUITIVELY OPERATED

In Classic style, the driver is welcomed with a familiar display environment. The proven display with two tubes and changing content between them provides all the information relevant to the driver.

The Sporty style is dominated by the colour red, with dynamic design for the central rev counter.

The C-Class is equipped with the second generation of MBUX (Mercedes-Benz User Experience). The vehicle interior becomes even more digital and intelligent. Brilliant images on the LCD screens make it easy to control vehicle and comfort functions.

The driver display and media display offer a holistic, aesthetic experience. The look of the screens can be individualised with three display styles (Discreet, Sporty and Classic) and three modes (Navigation, Assistance and Service).

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In the Discreet style, content is reduced to what is essential. In addition, both screens can be shown in seven colour schemes with ambient lighting. This makes for an impressive colour experience in the interior.

In the new Assistance mode, the traffic situation is shown in real-time, and is supplemented with the important displayed information.

HEY MERCEDES: THE INCREASINGLY SHARP VOICE ASSISTANT The voice assistant ‘Hey Mercedes’ becomes more interactive and capable of learning by activating online services in the Mercedes me App. Moreover, certain actions can be performed even without the activation keyword ‘Hey Mercedes’, such as taking a telephone call. ‘Hey Mercedes’ also explains vehicle functions, and, for example, can help when asked how to connect a smartphone by Bluetooth, or where the first-aid kit can be found. ‘Hey Mercedes’ is also able to recognise the vehicle occupants by their voices.

DRIVING ASSISTANCE: SUPPORT IN HAZARDOUS SITUATIONS When danger threatens, the assistance systems can respond to impending collisions as the situation demands.

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THE FOUR-CYLINDER PETROL ENGINE ALSO WITH A SECONDGENERATION ISG The four-cylinder M 254 petrol engine with a second-generation

TRANSMISSION

starter-generator and an additional output

The 9G-TRONIC transmission was devel-

The engine range has only four-cylinder

of up to 15 kW and 200 Nm more torque

oped further for adapting the ISG, and is

units. In addition to turbocharging, both the

is also celebrating its premiere in the C-

installed in all C-Class models. The electric

diesel and the petrol engines now have

Class. Thanks to energy recovery and the

motor, power electronics and transmis-

an integrated starter-generator (ISG) for

ability to ‘glide’ with the engine switched

sion cooler have now moved into or to the

intelligent assistance at low engine speeds

off, the petrol engine is highly efficient. In

transmission. Previously required lines are

as a mild hybrid of the second generation.

the M 254, Mercedes-Benz has for the

eliminated, which offers advantages when

This ensures outstanding power delivery.

first time combined all the innovations of

it comes to installation space and weight.

The ISG uses a 48-volt on-board electri-

the modular engine family of four- and

I believe that the new Mercedes-Benz C-

cal system that ensures functions such as

six-cylinder petrol and diesel units in a

Class is going to excel, since all the journal-

gliding, boosting or energy recovery, and

single-engine. They include NANOSLIDE®

ists who attended the launch were blown

makes significant fuel savings possible.

cylinder coating, CONICSHAPE® cylinder

away by it. As a matter of fact, the C-Class

When idling, the intelligent interaction be-

honing (trumpet honing), and the exhaust

is also a finalist in the South African Guild

tween the ISG and the combustion engine

after-treatment system positioned directly

of Mobility Journalists Car of The Year 2022

ensures outstandingly smooth running.

at the engine.

(COTY) awards. It will be a favourite.

BY ANNELIZE WEPENER, CEO GLOBAL CHIEF EXECUTIVE

CEO GLOBAL 2022 AWARDS SUBMISSION & NOMINATIONS

These awards are about you, your contribution, your influence and not about the organisation you represent COMPLETE ONLINE AT: WWW.CEOGLOBALGROUP.COM • Please complete ALL questions in the Entry Form to speed up your route to the list of finalists.

• All documentation needs to be submitted in order for the entry to be considered.

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LIFEstyle

PEUGEOT

ROAD TEST

LANDTREK Price R 579 900 ALLURE DOUBLE CAB 4X2 R 669 900 4ACTION DOUBLE CAB 4X4

Engine 1.9-LITRE V6 TURBOCHARGED DIESEL ENGINE

Power 110 KW

350 NM

LET’S FIRST LOOK AT PEUGEOT’S HERITAGE. PEUGEOT HAS BEEN IN EXISTENCE FOR 212 YEARS, WHICH IS NO MEAN FEAT. OUT OF THE STABLE HAS COME MANY A FINE VEHICLE AND WINNERS IN ALL SECTORS OF MOTORING. LET’S NOT FORGET THAT THE LANDTREK IS THE 5TH GENERATION OF “BAKKIES” FROM PEUGEOT, AND ALL ITS PREDECESSORS HAVE BEEN PROUD CONQUERORS OF THE TOUGHEST CONDITIONS, ESPECIALLY IN AFRICA.

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Q

Torque 350NM

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Ground Clearance 235mm

Drive 2- AND 4-WHEEL DRIVE

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t

o prove the point that the new Landtrek is as tough and capable, three PEUGEOT LANDTREK

pick-ups first travelled more than 4,500 km in Central America, and three others more than 12,500 km in South America, often in extreme conditions. These last three vehicles, like their predecessors in the “New PEUGEOT LANDTREK Conectando las Américas” expedition, arrived at their destination in Tierra del Fuego, Argentina: Ushuaia, the mythical southernmost city in the world. Now if that is not something to celebrate and proof of their robustness, reliability, functionality and suitability for just anything, nothing will.

For PEUGEOT, the launch of the LANDTREK is a major event: the “one-ton” pick-up truck segment has the largest coverage outside Europe and represents almost half of the light commercial vehicle

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market in Latin America. This alone accounts for 2.4 million vehicles worldwide, of which nearly 400,000 were sold in South America in 2020.

Landtrek is a pick-up, but this isn’t Peugeot’s first foray into that market – in fact, the brand has an enviable and successful legacy, especially in Africa.

Peugeot is tackling three challenges with the new LANDTREK pick-up truck, being:

Over nearly a century, Peugeot has been a formidable force in Africa. The new Landtrek enables Peugeot to make a strong comeback in a market where it has a very strong heritage, fuelled by numerous racing victories. It personifies the DNA of legendary models such as the 404 wagon and the 504 pick-up.

To continue its growth outside Europe thanks to the most international pick-up truck offer possible.

To increase its sales volumes by relying on a complete range of light commercial vehicles, 77% of which are pick-up trucks in Latin America.

To strengthen its international reputation by attracting new customers.

Peugeot’s latest model introduction may take many by surprise, being – perhaps – unexpected from the brand’s typical French flare of late. The new Peugeot

Peugeot is becoming increasingly global with the new Peugeot Landtrek, which enters the One-Ton Pick-Up segment with the goal of becoming a new benchmark in a market that represents around 300,000 annual sales units in the Middle East and Africa region. Light Commercial Vehicles (LCVs) account for more than 25% of the South African new vehicle market, making

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Landtrek a key launch for Peugeot in a key market.

South Africa certainly is an important market for Peugeot. The brand has opened 15 new dealerships in the past 18 months and boasts one of the freshest product ranges on the market today, with 80% of the passenger car range refreshed in the last year alone. Peugeot launched the new 2008 in February (the 2021 South African Car of the Year), 3008 facelift in April, new 208 in May, and now Landtrek.

When designing the new Peugeot Landtrek, particular attention was paid to reliability, robustness and ease of repair, which are among the main expectations of pick-up customers.

The Landtrek features robustness, loading capacity, and a design to set the benchmark for the One-Ton Pick-Up market.

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The new Landtrek is available in 4x2 and 4x4 diesel double cab, meeting both professional and family needs, with one of the most accommodating bodies in its category and meeting the most discerning demands of the South African bakkie market.

It offers up to three tons of towing capacity and a payload that exceeds one ton.

What’s more, the new Landtrek has the most accommodating cargo bed in the segment.

In terms of comfort, the Landtrek comes with state-of-the-art on-board technology, advanced adaptability and SUV-like driving pleasure.

The Peugeot brand worked closely with the best international suppliers from Europe, Japan, and the USA, amongst others, to design this vehicle. As a result,

LANDTREK targets the best standards on the market. More than 2 million test kilometres were covered, across all terrains and in all conditions, particularly on African roads: the teams at the Africa Technical Centre made a major contribution to the test and development programme, confirming the robustness and adaptation of the new Landtrek to the uses and needs of customers in the Middle East and Africa region.

A complete range of customised accessories for the new Landtrek will be available in the Peugeot network, a key feature in the pick-up segment. In total, more than 28 dedicated accessories will be available.

The modern pick-up and especially the double cab sector has recently seen robust and modern-looking vehicles with attractive styling and identities. The Landtrek qualifies in all the above fields as exactly

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that, and is one of the forerunners in exterior styling. Of course, other brand lovers may differ, but then beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

The exterior design is outstanding with a strong personality that perfectly integrates into the brand’s current range, incorporating all its codes: vertical grille with the Lion in the centre and vertical LED light signatures.

The interior of the Landtrek is where it is really one of the best, not only in looks but also practicality.

The interior gives superb adaptability as passengers are treated with comfort and functionality. Special attention is paid to the three rear passengers, with backrests tilted to 23° for even greater comfort. The modularity of the rear bench seat in the LANDTREK double cab adds enormous versatility to the cabin, with the possibility of folding the backrest in 60/40 or 100%.

In addition, the rear seat cushions can also tip-up in a 60/40 split to allow for numerous and flexible loading configurations.

When folded down, the backrests can support a load of up to 100 kg. In addition, two ISOFIX fasteners ensure the safety and

The interior features a 10’’ HD screen at the top of the dashboard, setting the tone for an interior that has been meticulously designed to include many of the features found on the other Peugeot models, including “toggle switches” that provide access to all the functions.

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docking of child seats. There is more than enough legroom for tall passengers in the rear.

At the front, stylish and comfortable independent seats offer a central armrest. The passenger compartment is spacious and

comfortable, with 1,550 mm wide shoulder room in row two and a knee space of at least 50 mm, ensuring the comfort of all occupants.

Another feature (often lacking in similar vehicles) is the seven well-placed grab handles when climbing on board in the passenger compartment.

Cutting-edge on-board technology is normally expected in superior class sedans. Most of the leading-brand double cab manufacturers have caught on to the real need for cutting-edge technology, and the Peugeot Landtrek features the latest generation comfort equipment from the brand’s SUVs: advanced connectivity, automatic dual zone air conditioning, 10’’ HD touch screen compatible Apple CarPlay™ / Android Auto™ and 10 GB hard drive. This seamless integration with your personal devices allows LANDTREK to

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4x4 INFO

APPROACH ANGLE: 29° OR 30° (DEPENDING ON VERSION) DEPARTURE ANGLE: 27° OR 26° (DEPENDING ON VERSION) BREAK-OVER ANGLE: 25° become an extension of your connected world, storing individual music playlists, pictures and more.

In short: Landtrek features every conceivable comfort of typical passenger cars, making Landtrek as suitable for the daily commute as enabling lifestyle adventures.

effort. We travelled for nearly 3 000 kms on tar, city, gravel, sand and mountains without ever feeling that the Landtrek may not have what it takes.

I had my doubts about the smaller engine and yes, with a fierce headwind it does affect the fuel consumption.

The 1.9-litre turbodiesel develops 110kW

Safety is ensured by six airbags and an Electronic Stability Programme that includes Hill Descent Control that keeps the vehicle at a very controlled speed, allowing the driver to concentrate solely on steering, Hill Start Assist helps with uphill pull-offs, and Trailer Swing Control acts automatically as soon as the trailer veers out of line. Drivers can also count on the Lane Departure Warning on the range-topping 4Action.

thanks to a variable turbine geometry

The headlamps are equipped with LED light signatures on both the front and rear.

The Peugeot Landtrek is fitted with rear

drive with its tyres down to 1.5 bar does not

reverse cameras and parking sensors.

The off-road camera (in the passenger rear-view mirror) and 360° panoramic vision support the driver when negotiating obstacles or narrow lanes on the 4Action 4x4, further aided by additional front obstacle sensors. This camera is one of the factors that makes the Landtrek an exceptional off-road contender as you do not have to make use of an external person showing you the track to choose. We tested this feature and found it to be of great value when traversing an off-road course.

For 4x4 versions, the rear differential is

Whether driving in the city, road, motorway or hilly terrain, the new Landtrek is ready and able, and will conquer it all with no real

and will take Peugeot’s word for it that the

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GROUND CLEARANCE: UP TO 235 MM (17’’/18’’ WHEELS)

with 16 valves. With a generous torque of 350Nm LANDTREK adapts to the prevail-

MANAGED RUNNING COSTS FOR THE PEUGEOT LANDTREK ARE COVERED BY A FIVE YEAR/100,000 KM WARRANTY AND SERVICE PLAN WITH MAINTENANCE INTERVALS EVERY 10,000 KM WITH A VIEW TO OPTIMISING RELIABILITY AND RUNNING COSTS, KEY ELEMENTS FOR PROFESSIONALS AND BUYERS OF PICK-UPS

ing terrain through Manual, Sport, or Eco modes.

Up to 235 mm of ground clearance equips the new Peugeot Landtrek with all the necessary assets of the double cab market, be it two- or four-wheel drive. This is excellent for sand as well, and even the two-wheel

THE PEUGEOT IS NOT THE LOWEST PRICED IN ITS CATEGORY, AND AS IT MUST STILL PROVE ITSELF IN A TOYOTA AND FORD MARKET IT MAY MEET SOME RESISTANCE. PRICING: ALLURE DOUBLE CAB 4X2: R 579 900 4ACTION DOUBLE CAB 4X4: R 669 900

find deep sand to be an obstacle.

equipped with a mechanical rear differential lock, providing extra traction when one-wheel slips. The Borg-Warner Transfer case allows for easy transfer between 2-high, 4-high and 4-low modes with the simple turn of the rotary switch. The new PEUGEOT LANDTREK 4x4 allows you to be at ease anywhere and in any weather, thanks to its crossing capabilities.

I have not encountered any deep water

GETTING BACK TO OUR EXPERIENCE OVER THE SUMMER HOLIDAYS I CAN ONLY SAY THAT THE PEUGEOT LANDTREK WAS A VERY CAPABLE AND ENJOYABLE VEHICLE. I HAVE FOUND IT TO BE EXCELLENT FOR TOWN DRIVING AND OUR FUEL CONSUMPTION WAS 8.7 LITRES PER 100 KM. OPEN ROAD TRAVEL, FULLY LOADED, AT CONSTANT SPEEDS OF 120 KPH GAVE A CONSUMPTION OF 9.4 LITRES PER 100 KM.

fording depth is 600 mm. The other important 4x4 information is the following.....

BY CARL WEPENER

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CRUISING WITH THE

LIFEstyle

HYUNDAI STARIA MULTICAB

Price FROM R 789 000 FOR ENTRY LEVEL MODEL

Engine 2.2-LITRE 4-CYLINDER DIESEL

Power 130KW

ROAD TEST

430NM

IT IS FUTURISTICALLY SUBLIME AND LEAVES THE CASUAL OBSERVER WITH EITHER A SENSE OF AWE OR DISTASTE. ADD A POST MODERNISTIC FLAVOUR THAT COULD PERHAPS KEEP ANDY WARHOL WONDERING IF THE FUTURE IS INDEED THAT PREDICTABLE. IT REPLACES THE AGING, RELIABLE AND STALWART H1 AND, WITH ALL THE TECHNOLOGICAL UPDATES, PROMISES A HOST OF ACCOUTREMENTS THAT OUGHT TO KEEP THE YOUNGER CROWD ENTERTAINED. THIS SORT OF BACK TO THE FUTURE DESIGN HAS BEEN PROMISED INTO OUR CAR MARKET FOR YEARS, AND IT’S SOMEHOW ICONIC OR IRONIC THAT IT POPS UP LIKE A PRODIGAL SON RETURNING IN THE FORM OF A “BUS”. WITH HYUNDAI BEING THE 3RD LARGEST BRAND IN SOUTH AFRICA, THE KOREAN FRANCHISE HAS CREATED AMAZING INROADS INTO THE INDUSTRY OVER THE LAST DECADE WITH CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENTS, VERSATILITY, RIGID QUALITY, AND IMPOSSIBLY LONG AFTERMARKET SUPPORT.

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Q

Torque 430NM

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0-100 IT IS A BUS, WHO CARES

Top Speed > 120 KM/H

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EXTERIOR

T

here’s a flowing sense of vastness that follows the frontal view of the Staria that encompasses hints

of planet friendly ideas and design. It accomplishes that with aplomb when it pulls up behind you and does it with a glitzy attitude. The side and rear of the vehicle are ergonomically agile and although not as fancy, are classical clean and practical.

INTERIOR

F

rom the overtures of a marginalized Star Trek from the 80’s, not Jean Luc but glassy eyed William

salon. The centre cluster could have been

air time, the seating coped with my lanky

more pronounced. With all the vastness

frame with breezy air-room and ease. The

and panoramic scope of the Staria, there

steering wheel is less heavy duty and more

could have been more effort placed on

SUV, and skirts the boundary between the

the displays and gadget access. There is a generational improvement of finishes and solidity within the cabin, and the evolutionary nature of engineering is evident in many areas.

PERFORMANCE

I

two genres well.

SUMMARY

T

he one thing that Hyundai guaranteed with this platform is that all other manufacturers will be

n sport mode and unladen, it’s

chasing the stars, pun intended, with what-

predictably responsive for a bus, but

ever buses or hybrid MPVs they create,

will not be winning any drag races

at least in terms of design. It ticks all the

against Merc’s V300 D, but at double the price, it’s an acceptable compromise. It’s

boxes with starry eyed clarity and presents a well versed and economical option with

Shatner, the interior offers enough room

smoothly car like, the suspension is stable

to store a hyperdrive and then some. It’s

in all heavy rain and mild cornering. It is

large with enough viewing ports to observe

elementary to drive and has a blind spot

enemies approaching from all sides. With

monitor bulky enough to detect two lanes

stop before kids are collected, and there is

our scorching African sun, a proper dark

leave alone one. We were on a launch thus

enough loadspace for the local tri-athlete,

tint is recommended unless you want your

its long comfort tenacity will still need to be

her bicycle, kicker and baby seat without

futuristic bus to double as a mobile tanning

assessed, but for three odd hours of total

breaking a sweat.

the entry level model. School mums will still get curious attention at the local latte

BY VISHNU SINGH 61

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