PODCAST | Success of BSG is due to good graduate recruitment

This week in Business Day Spotlight, host Mudiwa Gavaza is joined by Greg Reis, founder of BSG.

In November, it was announced that veteran businessperson Mteto Nyati had invested in a 40% stake in BSG, an SA tech and consulting company, and is now the firm’s executive chair. Founded in 1997, the company is based in Johannesburg and Cape Town, with a staff complement of 160.

Reis shares the company’s origins, the rationale of starting the firm all those years ago and how the small outfit was able to land its first crop of large corporate clients.

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He argues that a big reason for the firm’s success lies in its ability to find and retain the skilled people that fill its ranks. In the 90s, BSG was able to quickly stand out by hiring information systems graduates who had the ability to understand and communicate with business people, while being able to work with computer engineers and developers.

Realising how such expertise could help it stand out, while increasing efficiency and delivering quality work to clients, the firm set about investing in skills development. BSG currently works with a number of universities, such as Wits, UCT, Rhodes and Tuks to develop and push more graduates through the system.

Reis says a combination of skilled staff and focus on data has helped BSG to punch above its weight in a market dominated by firms such as Deloitte, Accenture and SAP.

Topics of discussion include BSG’s founding and business model; attracting and retaining the best talent; investments in education; the firm’s specialisation in financial services and healthcare; and an outlook for the business.