It gives me great pleasure to speak to you about our latest integrated report.

Our 2021 Integrated Report tells the story of how our South African firm has navigated the complex environment in which our clients and firm find themselves. As we enter the post-lockdown phase we can expect vaccination rates, tourism and key economic sectors to progress on a strong footing.

But today’s world is not simple — we need to inspire, lead and motivate, encourage innovation, and bring in fresh and diverse perspectives to move beyond the tried and tested approaches and programmes. 

In the past year we’ve reshaped our global strategy, and called it The New Equation in response to the world's challenges.

Our 2021 Integrated Report demonstrates how we bring The New Equation to life by building trust and delivering sustained outcomes for our clients, our people and the communities in which we operate.

Our purpose statement continues to be our guiding principle in the decisions we make and actions we take. It forms the basis of our strategy, which is underpinned by quality and the highest of standards. 

We deliver the highest quality through integrity, unwavering objectivity and a heavy investment in data, tools, tech, products and services. This results in an environment where agility, consistency and insight thrive, and where our people can provide clients with the excellence they expect, time and time again.

We’ve brought new technology and data to our clients, supporting everything from improved tax compliance and reporting, to developing and delivering strategic customer insights.

PwC South Africa has made a significant financial investment into social sustainability initiatives, and one of the biggest contributions we have made is in terms of our people's time. We’ve dedicated over 22,000 hours of our people's time to contribute toward social sustainability initiatives. 

We’ve helped organisations shift to new operating models, to meet regulatory requirements, and to focus on improving their core business processes. 

Trust has never been more important. It's the link that connects our people, clients and the world. It's something you earn through every interaction, experience and relationship.

Our clients in South Africa, from local start-ups to multinationals, across all industries and regions, are faced with economic and political uncertainty, and unprecedented change at an unprecedented pace. 

Our unique combination of capabilities, matched with serious investment and our commitment to quality, enable us to help our clients unlock value for shareholders, stakeholders and the wider society. Working alongside our clients to solve these important problems is our core purpose at PwC.

Our success depends on recognising the world is constantly changing, and responding with plans to adapt accordingly. To this end, we’re committed to continue offering our clients value with higher-quality and technology-enabled solutions.

For our people, who are central to everything we do, we constantly seek to grow and engage them, and acknowledge the difference they make. 

We continue to invest in programmes to help our people to work flexibly and manage their energy and personal wellbeing so they can be their best selves at home and work. We introduced a new initiative - 'Our Deal' - where our leaders and our people agree on how and when we work, how we develop and improve, and how we are recognised and rewarded.  

As part of our transformation strategy, we launched a talent activation programme designed to support high-performing ACI talent, where participants team up with senior partners to provide additional exposure to business opportunities, mentoring, advocacy, and teaming. 125 senior managers and associate directors are currently enrolled.

The launch of The New Equation has been the ultimate test of what our purpose means in practice: seeking the highest standards of quality in all that we do, supporting our people and keeping them safe, helping our clients respond and rebuild, and using our reach to support our communities.

I couldn’t be prouder. 

Thank you for taking the time to work through this important document.