Fresh from the International EMBRAS Annual Awards,Celeste Sirin, employer branding specialist and CEO of Employer Branding Africa, shares her observations on how top global companies tackle leadership pipelines, employee engagement and ESG-driven impact.
Among 14 other global jury members, I recently had the honour of participating in the International EMBRAS Annual Awards, evaluating an impressive array of local and global employer brands across sectors like FMCG, oil, retail, banking, mining and fintech. These submissions focused on the CIS countries, Europe and Central Asia.
This experience was not only a privilege, but a valuable learning journey. It offered me a window into the depth of commitment and innovation companies are putting into building their employer brands. What struck me most was how they implemented such effective solutions to their challenges and the impact they achieved.
Their stories resonated with me, particularly in how similar they are to those I have witnessed in South Africa, Africa and globally.
Developing future leaders: the talent challenge
The demand for specialised talent to fill leadership roles remains high. Many are struggling to create effective leadership pipelines. This is further complicated by organisational transformations, where gaps in leadership skills delay the development of future leaders.
In certain sectors, high employee turnover, especially in production roles, makes it difficult to retain talent and ensure smooth onboarding. Additionally, gender inequality continues to drive high turnover among female employees, who often face limited career advancement opportunities and support. Many companies are also struggling with low manager engagement, leading to misalignment between leadership goals and broader business objectives.
Solutions for overcoming the talent challenge
Here are just some of the interventions that organisations are implementing to address these challenges:
Read more: Progressive companies leading the way in employer branding