In this episode of ITWeb TV, Jurie Schoeman, managing partner at BSG, talks about the biggest tech trends the consultancy firm is witnessing in the South African market and how generative artificial intelligence has been received by local firms. He also touches on the company’s graduate programme among other issues. #DigitalTransformation #AI #GenAI #GraduateProgramme
Digital transformation is evolving rapidly, driven in part by the rise of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI).
This is according to Jurie Schoeman, managing partner at South African consultancy BSG, in an interview with ITWeb TV.
He noted that GenAI is playing a significant role in reshaping digital transformation initiatives by introducing advanced capabilities that extend beyond traditional automation and data analysis.
Alongside GenAI, technologies such as cloud computing continue to support the broader move toward a digital future.
“At the board level, the questions that come through to the leadership teams we work with are: ‘what is our GenAI strategy and what are we doing about it?’” said Schoeman.
He explained that many of BSG’s clients have been exploring GenAI for some time. “Some organisations are quite comfortable in becoming leaders or early adopters of technology. They have a clear vision of how technology can enable them to perform better, and they are always at the forefront of that change.”
Others, however, prefer a more cautious approach. “I think they are the ones that are starting to experiment for the first time.”
Jurie Schoeman, managing partner at BSG. (Photograph by Lesley Moyo)
Despite the influx of new technologies, Schoeman emphasised that core business principles remain unchanged.
“All of these emerging technologies are enablers of what you can do but they are not going to be the answers themselves. So even if these technologies are changing very quickly, it’s very important to slow down and create time to think. The thinking time is critical to making sense in your own business. You need to be clear on what is it that you want to achieve.
“All the organisations that we work with, regardless of industry, are looking at how they can use these technologies.”
Schoeman also reflected on changes at BSG following Mteto Nyati’s acquisition of a 40% stake in the company in 2022.
Nyati, who is now chairman of Eskom, brought a new direction to the firm, which competes with global consultancy giants such as Deloitte, Accenture and KPMG.
“What Mteto has brought into BSG is a very clear strategy and vision for what we can become as an organisation. As a growing business, we are quite proud of being a challenger. When Mteto came into the business, he said we are not a challenger anymore and we are going to be the leader. And being the leader means there needs to be a different way of thinking about the market.
“Mteto has brought in great strategies. Most of our background was in banking and insurance, so part of what Mteto brought into BSG was to say: ‘financial services was a highly-competitive market…why has BSG not expanded into other industries?’
“With his experience in telcos, technology and media, we have embarked on a cross-industry growth strategy. This is because we can see that regardless of the industry a business is in, everyone knows there is value in the data and insights they have. Everyone wants to get closer to their customers, everybody wants to understand their market to be able to compete and grow.”
Schoeman also spoke about BSG’s graduate programme – a 12-month blended learning initiative that combines formal training with experiential, project-based learning. New consultants and developers are typically placed in project environments within the first two weeks of the programme.
Established by founder Greg Reis nearly three decades ago, the initiative has been a cornerstone of BSG’s growth. The firm partners with South African universities to source and develop talent.
“You don’t create a great team by poaching the top experienced talent – those are never the teams that win. Yes, you can bring in a few superstars, but if you want to have a strong, sustainable culture, you need to nurture talent from a very young age.
“We also found that universities are struggling with identifying what’s happening in the outside world. They have to evolve their curricular and prepare their students to have great lives after they leave university. For that, they need input from the industry about what’s happening,” Schoeman said.
