Objectivity reaches BEE goal

In terms of the deal, 25% of the company is now in black hands, of which 10% is held by black women, with an additional 10% owned by white women

"We are delighted to at last be in a position to announce the finalisation of our BEE deal. The process has dominated much of my agenda for the past two years and the conclusion thereof is a real coup for us," commented founder and Managing Director, Clive Webster.

"Importantly, this deal not only includes some new faces but also puts shares in the hands of several people who have been with Objectivity for many years and have contributed significantly to our success in this time. They are Kantha Govender, Shirley Maniram and Sally Drysdale. We also welcome Thebe Magapa, Kenneth Mgqampo, Lizwe Nkala and Derek Botha to the board of Objectivity in their new capacities as directors."

The company has a staff complement that is 70% female and 50% black.

"Finding the right BEE recipe is a challenging task for any organisation and particularly owner-run companies such as Objectivity," said Webster. "Still, it is an essential part of achieving redress and maintaining corporate health in South Africa, and we are very pleased to have found the right solution for ourselves. We now look forward to continued growth and success as a BEE player."

Objectivity was established in 1982 by Clive Webster. Following the recent collapse of the MFSA, he is one of the individuals actively working to find a solution to the successful resurrection of a professional body to represent individual marketers in South Africa.