Event Agenda

Welcome from the Chair

Mandy Thatcher, Head of Content
Melcrum

08:50

KEYNOTE ADDRESS: Top traits of successful communicators - taking employee communication into the 21st century

Drawing on extensive experience gained as a communication leader in some of the world's largest and fastest-changing companies, Darren Briggs will build the case for strategic internal communication and its role in helping your leaders gain competitive advantage in a challenging business environment. This session will provide you with a greater understanding of what leadership needs from communication professionals today, and a plan of action to take your career to the next level by shifting perceptions of your role and raising expectations of what you can do to help the business. Attend this session and learn:

• Why communication is now a business imperative
• How you as a professional communicator can play a more strategic role
• Recommendations to raise your game based on in-depth research with CEOs
• How best to respond to the need for more authentic communication in the workplace
• How to mobilise the management team to take a more prominent communication role

Darren Briggs, Director
Flametree Communication

09:40

State of play: A research-based view of communication's role in business today

Hear the fascinating findings gleaned from research carried out to investigate the role of corporate communication in 26 top South African companies. Based on the insights from A Benchmark Study on Corporate Communication in South Africa 2007/08 conducted by the Department of Marketing, School of Business and Economics, Monash South Africa, in association with Corporate Communication International (CCI) at Baruch College/CUNY (New York, USA), this session will give you a clearer understanding of:

• How South African practitioners perceive their role as corporate communicators
• The level of knowledge and practical abilities of communication practitioners
• The view of the strategic application of communication in organisations
• Research data on the status of corporate communication internationally

Dr Ilse Niemann-Struweg, Senior Lecturer
School of Business and Economics, Monash, South Africa

Corne Meintjies, Lecturer
School of Business and Economics, Monash, South Africa

11:00

Using creative marketing techniques to engage and inspire the workforce

With research-based evidence proving that effective internal communication can make a real difference to business performance, more creative communication techniques and methodologies inside the organisation are increasingly being used to capture attention and influence performance. Drawing on the case study example Engaging and mobilising employees to support MTNs new SME Business Division, this session will demonstrate how innovative marketing techniques can help shape the opinions, attitudes and actions of employees. Hear about:

• The latest tools, techniques and approaches being used to engage employees
• How to bring the brand alive internally and make the values meaningful to employees
• How to involve employees through creative brand experiences
• How to measure the impact of internal communication campaigns

Grace Harding, Managing Director
Actuate, South Africa

Terri Brown, Partner and Strategic Director
Actuate, South Africa

Natasha Basson, Senior Manager, SME Division
MTN, South Africa

11:50

TBC

14:00

Developing internal communication as a strategic function at Standard Bank

In a move to better understand if internal communication channels were getting the message out and having the desired impact, Standard Bank recently conducted a comprehensive communication audit in the organisation's Personal and Business Banking environment. This presentation will provide insight into how the audit was approached, developed and implemented. You will hear:

• The key findings of the audit
• The correlation between assumed understanding and actual responses
• How the findings were communicated back to management - and their response
• How the results have been used to better serve the communication interests and needs of employees

Vukani Magubane, Director, Group Communications and Events
Standard Bank, South Africa

14:50

Communicating to build engagement and embed a new code of ethics at Sappi

In 2007, Sappi Limited undertook an extensive employee engagement survey to determine the critical issues employees felt needed attention. This was coupled with a storytelling competition to help determine the employee value proposition as the company moves towards embedding a high-performance culture. In addition, the company's new Code of Ethics was communicated across the organisation. Hear how Sappi undertook its first global engagement survey, what lessons were learned and how value was derived. This case study will share how HR and communication worked together to:

• Create an inspiring and well understood employee engagement campaign
• Motivate employees to share their achievements, recognise their contribution and acknowledge their value to the company
• Capitalise on survey outcomes to communicate what matters
• Inform recruitment and retention strategies
• Build the ethics value proposition to enhance the company's sustainability goals

Andre Oberholzer, Group Head Corporate Affairs
Sappi Limited, South Africa

Roundtable discussions

• Strategy and planning for communicators
• Managing communication to support change
• Measuring the impact of internal communication
• Building internal brand loyalty
• Building a healthy communication culture

Closing remarks from the Chair

followed by:

Networking drinks reception
Held at The Rosebank, the evening will start at the close of day one of the conference, and is a fantastic opportunity for you to network with your peers in a friendly, informal environment.

08:50

Managing communication during major change at Liberty Group

Liberty Group has undertaken a major new business strategy to shift its focus from a life insurance company to a wealth investment company. To make this transition, the company has placed considerable emphasis on innovation to achieve future growth and development. This session will share some of the communication issues faced during this change process, and the strategy applied to overcome them. Find out:

• How Liberty Group is reassessing its values to transform the culture of the organisation
• How employees are being encouraged to create a more forward-thinking company
• How communication is tackling the significant legacy that exists and working to change the culture
• How a relevant transformation strategy has been developed
• The interventions that will help create a new set of values and progressive culture

Mandy Denton, Divisional Director
Liberty Group, South Africa

Lisa Hovgaard, Head, Channel Communication and Activation
Liberty Group, South Africa

09:40

Managing communication with a dispersed and diverse workforce at Mercedes-Benz

As part of a global multinational company, Mercedes-Benz South Africa has a vastly heterogeneous workforce. With senior leaders and decision-makers at executive level, white-collar workers in the commercial and middle-management environment, and blue-collar workers on the factory floor, diversity management has been a constant socio-economic imperative for the company. In South Africa specifically, there’s a need to build cohesion within a workforce that covers an eclectic mix of nationalities, cultures and languages. In this session you’ll hear how sound internal and leadership communication strategies and initiatives have shaped the perception employees have of the company, and the impact this has on employee brand affinity and loyalty, even during current challenging economic times. Learn how Mercedes-Benz South Africa:

• Ensures employees remain informed, motivated and valued
• Uses clear, consistent and continuous communication to reinforce brand values
• Has harnessed the value of diversity to strengthen the organisation and enhance its competitiveness

Lulu Letlape, Executive Director & Head of Group Corporate Affairs
Mercedes-Benz South Africa (Pty) Ltd

11:00

How Pick n Pay engages employees by being a good corporate citizen

Pick n Pay - one of Africa's largest and most consistently successful retailers - defines itself as a "Good Corporate Citizen". This presentation will provide insight into the Pick n Pay philosophy, how it has become synonymous with employees and corporate culture, and how it translates into adding value to the business and all communities connected with it. Attend this session and hear about:

• Pick n Pay's corporate responsibility focus and programmes
• Key interventions undertaken to deliver on the corporate responsibility philosophy
• How communication has involved employees
• How corporate responsibility has built engagement and developed stronger affinity with the brand internally
• How the company's philosophy of doing good has boosted productivity and performance

Tintswalo Khosa, Senior Manager, Strategic Communications
Pick n Pay, South Africa

13:15

Lunchtime briefing
The role of social media in your communication strategy

The Internet and social media such as Facebook, Wikipedia and YouTube, have forever changed the face of communication as we know it. But how are these developments being adapted and adopted by organisations and used as part of the overall communication strategy? If getting to grips with social media and Web 2.0 is on your agenda right now, attend this stimulating lunch
session and find out how web-based platforms are being adopted by organisations to support internal communication and enable employees to connect with each other, irrespective of location and time zone. Learn more about the risks and the benefits associated with these exciting new technologies.

Kate Elphick
Director
Digital Bridges, South Africa

14:00

Reorganising corporate communication to develop the function and transform employee culture at MultiChoice

MultiChoice South Africa, part of the MultiChoice Africa Group, is the leading provider of compelling digital media content. With a need to streamline and integrate its internal environment, the company has embarked on a focused strategy to consolidate, modernise and significantly develop its corporate communication function across the entire organisation. With executive support and the necessary investment and mandate, the function has introduced new communication channels and content management to involve all employees in the digital media environment. Attend this session and learn how corporate communication has:

• Developed internal communication channels to provide greater access, interaction and connectivity for employees to communicate and interact
• Developed its content management and production to enrich information and experience of the corporate brand for all employees
• Introduced new structures and mechanisms for employee dialogue and feedback across the entire organisation
• Measured the effectiveness and value of improved communication for employees and business
• Achieved greater transparency, better communication and a significantly improved organisational culture

Mbali Ndlovu, Employee Communications Manager
Multichoice South Africa

14:50

Using innovative communication to embed safety, health and environmental compliance at Murray and Roberts

In South Africa, safety, health and environmental compliance is a legislative requirement. Yet safety vigilance is uniquely challenging within the South African labour environment. At Murray and Roberts, a leading engineering, contracting and construction services company, safety is an operational and employment code of conduct. But with a large labour-based workforce of some 30,000 employees located across the Southern African region, this largely industrialised environment presents specific challenges and requires a unique approach to communication. In this session you’ll hear how Murray and Roberts has:

• Taken a creative and innovative approach to communicating with its diverse and dispersed workforce
• Has dealt with unique communication challenges encountered in tackling industrial compliance issues
• Has used unconventional non-verbal communication – such as a simple cartoon-based publication – to improve safety practice on the job

Ed Jardim, Group Communications Executive
Murray and Roberts Ltd