Diversified digital technology group Ansys has been recognised as the Most Empowered Listed Company in South Africa.
The group took top honours in economic ratings agency Empowerdex’s annual Most Empowered Company Survey. Ansys was also named the second most empowered black-owned company in the country.
During the course of the year, the group was certified as a Level 1 B-B BEE provider in terms of the ICT BEE Charter, released late last year, and as per the amended B-B BEE Codes of Good Practice.
“We are both humbled and proud to have received these awards from Empowerdex,” says group CEO, Teddy Daka. “Ansys is deeply committed to meaningful transformation, both within the group and in South Africa as a whole. From a business perspective, we see empowerment not only as a requirement for long-term success and sustainability, but also as the duty of a good corporate citizen.”
Boiled down to the numbers, 60% of the group’s staff is black and, at executive level 63% are black, and board is 63% black with black women at 50%. The group’s focus on transformation and empowerment is supported by internal skills development and training, as well as an active learnership programme, which funds development initiatives for unemployed black youth.
On a broader canvas, Ansys invests significantly in supplier development and supports 10 social development initiatives through its corporate social investment programme.
Treasurer-general of the African National Congress, Dr Zweli Mkhize, emphasises how important it is to accelerate empowerment programmes aimed at driving real transformation in business, saying this is the most immediate and effective way of improving the socio-economic circumstances of ordinary South Africans.
With this in mind, the 2017 Empowerdex Most Empowered Companies Survey took into account not only transformation within staff complements, but also the equity ownership scores of the candidates, as reported by the various accredited B-BBEE ratings agencies.
“This is a very important factor,” says Daka. “It is the responsibility of South African businesses to be demographically representative at all levels. At Ansys, our commitment to transformation is visible in all aspects of our business, from ownership to management control and staffing, as well as in skills, enterprise and supplier development. Empowerment is not only about us as a business, but about everyone in our business’s ecosystem.”
Ansys develops, produces, distributes and integrates niche technology-driven engineering solutions for harsh environments in five key areas: safety, productivity, cyber security, connectivity and digital security. In the 2017 financial year, the group posted an 82% growth in revenue driven by its strategic focus on using digital technology to offer solutions that enhance productivity, safety, connectivity and cyber security.