Houghton Hotel became the epicentre of fresh thinking on leadership and people management as Culture Summit Africa 2025 unfolded on September 10 and 11.

The first gathering of its kind on the continent, the event brought together more than 200 leaders and HR professionals determined to reimagine organisational culture as a driver of performance.

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Far from the usual consultant-heavy conference circuit, every speaker was a practitioner, and leaders from various businesses and industries shared practical, hard-won lessons from their workplaces.

From streamlining onboarding manuals to fostering everyday respect in mining, the examples underscored a shift: African businesses are no longer treating culture as a soft issue but as a foundation for growth and resilience.

Hosted by Happy Sandpit, the summit was described as an ‘intentional culture accelerator’ by organisers, offering delegates concrete plans and a workbook to take back to their teams.

CEO Colin Browne said the event showed just how far South African businesses have come: “This shift signifies a move towards businesses being more people-minded, human and empathetic, all good things.”

The summit now looks ahead to 2026 with plans already confirmed for Johannesburg and Nairobi, as culture takes centre stage in Africa’s boardrooms.

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