On the journey together
STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT
INVESTORS
VALUE PROPOSITION:
- Thought leadership
- Support for emerging South African businesses and innovators for shared promotion of economic growth
- Contribution to an integrated South African technology value chain for shared business success
WHY ARE THEY IMPORTANT:
Investors provide the necessary financial capital, which is essential to fund our strategic acquisitions, support and scale our subsidiaries and drive business growth. We appreciate the trust our shareholders have put in us and consider it our privilege and duty to protect and grow their financial assets.
HOW WE ENGAGED WITH THEM:
- Annual and interim reports
- Annual General Meeting
- SENS announcements
- Media updates on performance and important milestones
THEIR KEY NEEDS AND EXPECTATIONS:
- Disciplined and responsible management of financial assets
- Understanding our investment strategy
- Portfolio performance and prospects
- Transparent and compliant governance
SUBSIDIARIES
VALUE PROPOSITION:
- Scalability of operations
- Strategic and operational support
- Access to new markets, industries and clients
- Symbiotic inter-Group partnerships
WHY ARE THEY IMPORTANT:
Our subsidiaries give us the operational leverage to optimise the value chain, enhance our market positioning and drive cross-industry innovation and shared growth. Supporting and scaling our underlying subsidiaries allows us to maximise value creation for all our stakeholders.
HOW WE ENGAGED WITH THEM:
- Strategic direction through Board participation
- Operational assistance via the Group Executives Team
- Consistent unstructured engagement throughout the year for assistance with pertinent challenges
THEIR KEY NEEDS AND EXPECTATIONS:
- Balanced approach to operational support and autonomy
- Financial backing for growth strategies
- Collaboration opportunities within the Group
- Strong parent brand
INDUSTRY PEERS
VALUE PROPOSITION:
- Thought leadership
- Support for emerging South African businesses and innovators for shared promotion of economic growth
- Contribution to an integrated South African technology value chain for shared business success
WHY ARE THEY IMPORTANT:
Technology plays a vital role in economic growth and has the potential to accelerate job creation and social upliftment in South Africa. A cohesive and supportive technology industry that backs entrepreneurs and inventors can thus propel our country into a globally competitive economic powerhouse.
HOW WE ENGAGED WITH THEM:
- Industry events such as Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies Awards, SA Innovation Summit and Africa Tech festival
- Thought leadership, inspiration and constructive debate through social and mainstream media
- Investment allocation through Technology Innovation Fund
THEIR KEY NEEDS AND EXPECTATIONS:
- Access to capital due to rigid and risk averse financial sector
- Collaborative platforms for industry-wide partnerships, innovation and support
EMPLOYEES
VALUE PROPOSITION:
- Empowering, stimulating and rewarding working
environment that enables the personal and career
development of talented individuals
WHY ARE THEY IMPORTANT:
Our employees are critical to our sustained business success. Their knowledge, skills and commitment are instrumental to the implementation of our strategy. Nurturing a happy and productive team is therefore a paramount AYO business principle.
HOW WE ENGAGED WITH THEM:
- Prioritising employee health and safety above all in the
face of the COVID-19 pandemic with free access to physical
and mental health support and resources - Robust formal and informal internal communication
channels, enabling clear expectations, enhanced
productivity and teamwork and trust - Regular formal and informal social engagements to celebrate personal, team and organisational achievements
THEIR KEY NEEDS AND EXPECTATIONS:
- Job security in a turbulent economic environment
- Fair, industry, compatible remuneration
- Career development and personal growth opportunities
- Inclusive and empowering culture
COMMUNITY
VALUE PROPOSITION:
- Sustainable community and economic transformation
through investment in and promotion of quality education
for meaningful and measurable outcomes to the country’s
biggest challenges
WHY ARE THEY IMPORTANT:
Nurturing thriving and prosperous communities is the ultimate mandate for all participants in the economic ecosystem, as investing in and supporting our communities is the best way to ensure sustainable growth for our society. This is particularly important in the African context where issues of inequality, poverty and hunger can only be addressed through the intentional, unified efforts of all stakeholders.
HOW WE ENGAGED WITH THEM:
Our philosophy in terms of community engagement is “actions speak louder than words”. Thus, we aim for meaningful interventions at the time and in the manner in which our community needs support the most:
- Donations of food vouchers and parcels to the most vulnerable in the face of COVID-19 crisis
- Donation of PPE and tools to the taxi industry for swift and safe return to economic activity
- Systematic and deliberate investment in education with eight completed strategically targeted projects
THEIR KEY NEEDS AND EXPECTATIONS:
- Real impact programmes for lasting community transformation, rather than publicity-led initiatives
- Innovation that promotes life, business and economics in all communities and enables inclusive sustainable growth
REGULATORS
VALUE PROPOSITION:
- Setting up industry standard for good corporate
citizenship and continuously refining corporate
governance practices and transparency
WHY ARE THEY IMPORTANT:
AYO acknowledges and respects the role of regulatory bodies, particularly government and the JSE, in contributing to the integrity of South Africa’s economy and promoting investor confidence. We believe that trust and respect are critical factors for a sustainable economy and strive to develop a healthy relationship with regulators founded on compliance and proactive engagement.
HOW WE ENGAGED WITH THEM:
- Timeous and accurate communication of business activities via formal channels such as JSE SENS service
- Proactive disclosure of intent as well as completion of regulated transactions
- Active co-operation and engagement to address regulators’ queries or suggestions
- Full compliance with regulatory decisions concerning the business
THEIR KEY NEEDS AND EXPECTATIONS:
- Responsible corporate citizenship
- Compliance with all legal, regulatory and certification requirements
- Accurate and timely disclosure of business performance
- Responsible taxpayer behaviour
MEDIA
VALUE PROPOSITION:
- Engaging, informative and inspiring thought leadership
content that promotes innovation, economic growth and
technological advancement of South African businesses
and communities
WHY ARE THEY IMPORTANT:
Media is an important platform to reach out to society, share our industry knowledge and insights and inspire emerging entrepreneurs and innovators to develop local solutions to global problems. It is also a central enabler to our communication strategy, allowing our brand to engage with industry peers, communities and stakeholders to collectively address our common challenges.
HOW WE ENGAGED WITH THEM:
AYO has a strong, amicable and professional relationship with local business and technology media and regularly contributes interesting and pertinent thought leadership content, which is prominently featured in many respected publications. We have proactively engaged with the media to correct their mis-perceptions and have now reached a consensus with a number of publishers on the accurate representation and reference to AYO.
THEIR KEY NEEDS AND EXPECTATIONS:
- Informative, relevant and engaging content on global technological developments that can inspire local application of latest international trends to solve pertinent African problems
- Consistent, proactive, professional engagement and dialogue
- Economic support through high advertising “share of voice”
