Lion News N° 5

Lion News N° 5 - The initiative to promote human and cultural diversity undertaken by the SABC Group is on the move

Dear SABC Group Employees,

Dear Lions of the SABC Group,

For the past four years, one of our major commitments has been the promotion of diversity and cultural richness, both internally and externally, reflected in the slogan "SABC Group is You, our heritage, our legacy".

This diversity necessarily starts within the SABC Group with the promotion of women, where the principle of equality and equity between men and women is a constant principle. It is complemented by the concern for diversity in terms of cultural origins.

Following the departure of our Lioness Patricia Berthelot, Managing Director of the SABC Group, we now have only one woman out of 11 members of the SABC Group's Management Committee (CODIR, which includes the divisional managers), including Hermine Dolores Boum, HR Director of the SABC Group. This largely insufficient ratio is almost the same within the Operating Committee (COMEX, which groups the main operating functions) with 2 women, Marie Laure Nono and Anne Marie Matanga, out of a total of 28 members. 6 key departments are headed by 6 women, including the Communication Department (Hélène Kenmegne Siaka), the Tax Department (Melina Koubemba Nyemb), the Legal Department (Eva Kingue Elimbi), the Sales Administration Department (Rosalie Amada) and the Commercial Equipment Department (Nicole Takam), the System Audit Department (Fleura Nono) as well as Planning, Organization and Talent Management (Rina Molou), Personnel Administration and Payroll (Eliane), IT Services (Clarisse Tchouanguem), IT Operations (Jeannette Rolande Toukam), ...

Generally speaking, the SABC Group has only 14% of women in its ranks, which is still largely insufficient.

The Human Resources Department is monitoring this readjustment, by giving female talent - and this is starting with its division at the Headquarters as well as in the Regions - a real opportunity to "serve on the front line" in Middle Management functions that are essential to our operations and that are a precursor to many more functions to come in Top Management. Our women are also and often the human face of the SABC Group's reassuring resilience, open to change and progress, and with a tremendous team spirit that was demonstrated during the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Dear Lionesses, the entire SABC Group thanks you for your dedication and commitment to our Vision, Mission and Values!

That is why this year's 164th International Women's Day focused on the amazing resilience of women and girls in pursuing their income-generating activities despite the Covid-19 pandemic with the following theme selected by UN Women: "Women's Leadership: Achieving an Equality Future in a Covid-19 World". This theme ultimately celebrates the incredible efforts of women and girls around the world to shape a more egalitarian future and recovery in this world following the Covid-19 pandemic. It also aligns with the priority theme of the 65th session of the Commission on the Status of Women, which is "The full and effective participation of women in decision-making in the public sphere, eliminating violence, achieving gender equality and empowering all women and girls."

In the same vein, the first quarter of 2021 saw the 4th edition of the PIERRE CASTEL AWARD witnessed the rise of women entrepreneurs: of the 6 finalists selected out of 114 candidates, 4 were women, including the 2nd winner. They were able, with brilliance, to convince the Cameroon Jury and the Bordeaux Jury. The 2nd laureate, like the 1st laureate, will benefit from the support of the PIERRE Castel Fund, just like their predecessors.

Thanks to these actions and those of all the collaborators of our Group, SABC was once again and for the 2nd consecutive time, recognized by the RNC (National Consumers Network) and ASCOMT/MALARIA as the best CSR policy (Corporate Social Responsibility) in Cameroon. This is a recognition of the exceptional efforts made over the past 4 years in communities and in our ecosystem where we celebrate - whenever we can - the cultural richness of our country and I salute here the tremendous work of the Communication Department in this area, without forgetting that of the Plant and Regional Directors in the conduct of our citizen days. We have also, in an ultimate profession of faith, renewed this commitment by participating with a significant amount in the NOSO reconstruction plan within GICAM and under the aegis of the UNDP.

In the area of collective and individual performance, the first quarter of 2021 was also marked by the intensification of leadership training with the support of DDI, as well as by considerable progress in the implementation of the "Phoenix" project. Phoenix is the new face of harmonious management of the men and women who are committed to the sustainable development of our Group on a daily basis. I sincerely thank the teams of external consultants and SABC employees as well as the staff representatives who are supporting the progressive development of the different modules of this ambitious project to make the SABC group a true leader that implements its 6 values of Performance, Responsibility, Integrity, Loyalty, Professionalism and Innovation, all at the service of each other in a true community of benevolence where, alone we would go faster but together we would definitely go further.

Finally, on loyalty and faithfulness, we would like to pay tribute to the tragic loss of our CEO, Monkam Pascal, who left us on February 21, 2021 in South Africa. A formidable businessman, partner since 1949, the largest dealer and distributor of the Group's products leaves behind a rich legacy based on the principles of Loyalty, Integrity and Faithfulness. Finally, let us remember once again - during this period of pandemic that we are managing with courage, rigour, discipline and determination - that each of us is responsible for our own health and that of others, because by protecting ourselves, we also protect others. As you know, your health and safety are a priority for me, but I need you, your commitment, your dedication and above all your sense of responsibility, in accordance with our Vision, our Mission and our Values. I know that I can count on your commitment and your sense of responsibility to make the application of barrier measures a daily reality.

More than ever THE SABC GROUP IS YOU in the spirit of ONE TEAM ONE GOAL.

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