Global M, with its roots in the UK, has always been driven by a passion for innovation, creativity, and embracing a diversity of talent. Our journey of growth and transformation led us to extend our borders. We established a dynamic team and office within the rich and diverse landscapes of Africa, specifically in South Africa and Ghana. Now, we’re not just looking back on this decision, but celebrating the strong team and partnerships we’ve built. In this post, we’ll share why we chose to grow in Africa and how this choice has been great for our business.
Founder’s Story: It’s All Linked
Our founder, Nick Waller, was born in Kenya and lived there until he was 7. His father and mother were working for a multinational company and his grandparents had a business in Tangir in Morocco. After moving to England, he then first visited South Africa on a Rugby Tour when he was young and enjoyed the hospitality of the people there. Being born in Kenya and having a family history has made Nick feel a connection with the continent.
There are many South Africans in the UK and Nick quickly learned that we share a lot of common values. After some research, he had seen many businesses create hubs in South Africa. Furthermore, cities like Cape Town and Johannesburg have a rapidly growing technology scene, attracting the attention of Amazon to build hubs there.
Building And Establishing Our Team
We were lucky with our first steps. When we met a great candidate from South Africa who was planning to move to the UK, unfortunately, her partner could not get a visa so we hired her remotely – this was the start of our remote journey as a business. After hiring our first employee there we soon realized that South Africa has a lot of commonalities with the UK in terms of company set-up, accounting, and employment laws – this made it a pretty seamless process to create our South African business.
Apart from the commercial opportunities, there is a huge cultural impact of having a team in Africa. With our team in SA and Ghana, we have an indomitable spirit and add a lot of vibrancy to the company.
Superstar Colleagues
We have achieved amazing results collaborating with our team in South Africa and Ghana, working with international businesses and providing top level recruitment services. For example, our long term collaboration with Eko, where our South African Talent Partner and Global M team have made more than 20 hires. We are also very proud of our collaboration with Forescout. During this project our Talent Partners form South Africa, Ashwin Leckram and Showmona Juggernath, and Talent Partner from Ghana, Stephen Sange, have made 95 hires across USA, Eindhoven, Saudi Arabia, Ireland, Australia and India markets.
Moreover, our employees actively support our initiatives to promote the importance of hiring candidates from the African continent, investing in businesses there and expanding to African countries. They were speaking and participating in several events and webinars hosted by Global M, icluding our recent one “Seizing the Opportunity to Hire Top Tech Talent in Africa”. By the way, you can watch a recording of our webinar and dive deeper into this topic.
As we reflect on our journey with our African teams in South Africa and Ghana, the benefits of this decision are crystal clear. Having colleagues from these vibrant African countries has brought a wealth of diverse perspectives and innovative ideas to Global M. Their unique insights and local market knowledge have been invaluable in navigating new challenges and seizing opportunities. The cultural diversity has enriched our company culture, fostering a more inclusive and dynamic work environment. We’ve seen firsthand how this diversity drives creativity and better decision-making, leading to more effective strategies and solutions. Our African teams have not only contributed to our global success but have also strengthened our connections within the African market. We are incredibly proud and grateful for the positive impact and growth that our African colleagues have brought to Global M. This decision to expand into Africa has been one of our most rewarding and impactful moves, reaffirming our commitment to global diversity and innovation.
If you are planning to expand your team, Global M can help you with the Recruitment Process. Contact us and learn more about our Embedded Talent Partner Model!
