People at the centre of the inaugural Merchants Summit

In October, Merchants held its inaugural Merchants Summit – as a chance for the various teams and business units to connect, celebrate the successes of 2021 and align on the future of BPO and the Merchants business.

In line with its ethos of ‘making digital human’, the BPO provider hosted a hybrid event – streamed live from both Johannesburg and Cape Town, as well as streamed over an innovative event platform for those at home or in-office.

“The incredible staff that power this business are the reason that Merchants has been able to successfully navigate through this unprecedented time, and have continued to push us to new heights this year,” says Mat Conn, Group CRO at Merchants.

The leadership team were joined by Thembiso Magajana, founder of Social Coding, in addressing the delegation. Thembiso told the Merchants staff more about the partnership between Social Coding & Merchants – and demonstrated the difference they have been able to make to the lives of South Africans in the first six months of their partnership.

Meanwhile, Merchants’ Transformation Director, Sydwell Shikweni, gave an inspiring look into the newly launched Merchants Academy – a program that looks to improve youth employability in South Africa by providing the youth with a gateway to the world of work and ensuring they are acquiring the most important skills for success. The first members of the academy were present in Cape Town, and received a warm welcome from the Merchants team.

Merchants’ Managing Director, Zain Patel, gave the audience an intriguing look into the legacy that Merchants has created, and how they plan to use their 40 years of experience to push the business to new heights in 2022 and beyond.

Meanwhile, Merchants’ Operation Executive, Ureshni Danilala-Morrison introduced the Merchants team to the new Rewards & Recognition program that will be launched in 2022 as a way to recognize and give back to top performers in the organization in a way that impacts their lives in a positive way.

The floor was then opened for questions from the crowd – both in the venue and at home – and questions were answered by the leadership team. To end off the day, Merchants’ Group CRO, Mat Conn, took the crowd through what drives his legacy and how he sees the business moving forward in a meaningful way.

“We are exceptionally proud of our team and what they have managed to achieve in 2021. We wanted to ensure that we celebrated their achievements, and our 40th birthday, in a way that felt engaging and fun – as our people are what matter most to us,” says Conn. “Here is to more success, driving our legacy forward and always putting our people first.”