Two women take the helm at the Franchise Association of Southern Africa

After celebrating 26 successful years as the leading franchise association on the African continent, the Franchise Association of Southern Africa (FASA), is poised to tackle future challenges under the direction of these three new appointments.

Brenda Macqueen, a director of franchise and business consultants Franchize Directions, takes up the chairmanship of FASA. Brenda has the distinction of being the first woman to hold the position of Chairman of FASA as well as being the first affiliate member to hold the post. Considered the doyenne of franchise training in South Africa, having spearheaded specialized franchise training in the country over the past seven years, Brenda brings to the table a wealth of franchise experience both abroad and in South Africa, having worked for the Pepsico Group in the UK and for Pleasure Foods and BP in South Africa. She has advised many of the top franchisors, trained thousands of franchisees and helped develop a strong staff training ethic for the franchising sector.

Says Brenda Macqueen on the future of FASA, "Having turned the corner on 25 years as the representative association for franchising in South Africa, we need to make sure that in the coming years we reposition FASA to embrace change to meet the challenges of franchise legislation, BEE and expansion. The economies of some of the most successful countries in the world have been built on the contribution of SMME's and the franchising sector in South Africa can play a crucial role in this respect. We need to focus more intensely on giving opportunities to both the entrepreneurs who have the potential to start new business concepts and to those who ultimately make up the workforce of the franchising industry."

Vera Valasis, FASA's new Executive Director, holds the distinction of being the first woman to hold the position in FASA's 26 year existence. Her experience in franchising spans over twenty years - from her early days managing restaurants and in retailing to holding the position of Managing Director for leading brands Milky Lane and Juicy Lucy under the Pleasure Foods banner and more recently as MD of Debonairs for Famous Brands. Her experience in all aspects of franchising - from strategic planning and brand building to franchisee selection and human resources - will stand her in good stead in steering FASA towards greater growth and stronger representation of all players in the sector.

Vera Valasis believes that franchising will come into its own in the coming years and play an even bigger role in building the SMME sector. "With the buoyancy of the economy and government support, there are huge opportunities to elevate and expose franchising on many different levels in South Africa as well as in Africa. Business underestimates the success of franchising in the economy where at present franchising contributes 10.7% to total GDP or R129.1 billion (including petroleum sales). I would like to see FASA brought in line with international franchise associations in representing a broader member base that includes suppliers and offers greater inter-active support and guidance to our members and to new entrants into the franchising sector. FASA should, in fact, be the first port of call for anyone wanting information on franchising."

Kobus Oosthuizen, who takes up the Vice-Chairman's post at FASA, is tasked with bringing FASA into the 21st Century with initiatives ranging from updating FASA's technology to adopting the principles of corporate governance as recommended by the King 11 Commission. As a director and founder member of Butterfield Holdings and Managing Director of FBS Consulting (Pty) Ltd, Kobus Oosthuizen is considered a leader in the empowerment of emerging entrepreneurs in franchising, providing positive recruitment programmes for black franchisees, training and the advancement of staff, in facilitating loan agreements for black franchisees as well as offering management development courses for aspiring black managers. His other forté is in the development of web-based business systems designed specifically for the franchising sector.

Kobus Oosthuizen believes that franchising is entering a new phase of development in South Africa. "With legislation in the pipeline to regulate the sector and with strong support from government, the dti and SEDA, as well as some exciting funding initiatives and BEE proposals, FASA is well on its way to becoming a strong catalyst for entrepreneurship and small business development and will play a more pivotal role as a representative association."

With a new Council in place, a new Executive Committee to steer FASA and with three dynamic personalities heading up the association, FASA is poised to play a significant role in spearheading franchise growth in our burgeoning economy.