The 2019 Brand Summit South Africa introduces Auditor-General as keynote speaker

Following a moving keynote address by South Africa’s Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng at last year’s inaugural Brand Summit South Africa, this year attendees can look forward to Thembekile Kimi Makwetu.

Summit organisers heeded the many calls made during and after the 2018 event to host the 2019 Brand Summit South Africa “somewhere up-country”, for easy access.

Following a competitive ‘host city’ bidding process facilitated by the National Convention Bureau, the City of Johannesburg presented a winning bid that will see the summit being hosted on June 6-7 at The Forum in Bryanston.

About the Brand Summit South Africa

The annual Brand Summit South Africa is a “think tank” on positioning options and requirements for country brands, with South Africa at the centre of our deliberations. It explores ways in which South Africa can best position itself to compete favourably against its regional and global peers for FDI, (Business) Tourism, lucrative multilaterally funded Research Projects, fee paying foreign tertiary students, consideration to serve as a preferred regional base for global corporations and other organisations that bring foreign exchange, skills, expertise, etc.

The Brand Summit offers a non-governmental, politically unaligned and unscripted platform for participants (South African, other Africans, and people from other parts of the world) to analyse the evolving image of South Africa.

ALSO READ: Second Brand Summit SA to take place in June

Our aim is to facilitate open, frank, but constructive discussions about what is working, what is not working, and what has to be done in order to improve the global appeal of South Africa.

We believe that the country and the continent’s domestic and global appeal and, eventually, economic performance, are tightly influenced by image, reputation, economic and political policy stability, as well as performance in areas such as health systems, education systems, sports, other social services, etc.

“New to the 2019 Brand Summit South Africa”, explains Solly Moeng, convener of the summit, “is a dedicated discussion focusing on the audit profession.

The quality and integrity of the auditing profession play important roles in shaping the domestic and global image of South Africa. Fund Managers and investors of all kinds will look at the ethics that drive this profession in their determination of whether or not to trust South Africa as a credible destination for their money.

It is for this reason that professional bodies and practitioners of this profession are being encouraged to attend and take part in these discussions. Also new is a panel discussion by a diverse group of “Leaders of the Future”, dynamic South Africans under the age of 35, to discuss the 4IR (Fourth Industrial Revolution) and what, in their views, it really means for South Africa”.

Here are the featured speakers and panellists:

Auditor-General Makwetu’s keynote address will touch on the importance of values-driven and ethical leadership in managing public funds, as well as the role of the auditing profession in shaping the domestic and global image of South Africa.

“As an organisation that encourages personal and institutional brands that are driven by ethical and value-driven leadership, we look forward to sharing our experiences at the summit, as well as learning from others who have fascinating brand journeys that will empower us and our long-term strategies as we start navigating the Fourth Industrial Revolution and its challenges,” says Makwetu.

“Country brands are complex brands to manage. The private sector, particularly the business and broader investor community, plays an important part in informing and shaping perceptions about the country; any country. If they do not believe in its economic and political policy directions, they will not invest. The conduct of corporate South Africa also shapes perceptions by foreign business. If it demonstrates confidence, so will others. Our discussions would be incomplete without the participation of corporate South Africa,” Moeng said.

ALSO READ: Deputy president joins Cosatu May Day march