Alt-X listed alternative telecoms operator Vox Telecom, until recently known as the DataPro Group, has opted for one of the more unusual rebranding exercises in the history of the JSE: a 15-member company expedition team hoisted a flag bearing the company's new logo on the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro on 16 June.
"Four of our five executive directors, including the Executive Chairman, Group CEO and CFO and DataPro MD, were on the team, along with the chief technical and information officers," says executive chairman Tony van Marken.
"We're confident that's an unusual achievement - but then as a business we've never been afraid to take on huge challenges."
Twelve members of the team were employees of the company and three members of the team brought along their spouses. They had all been on an intensive training programme for over six months.
Van Marken, himself an accomplished mountaineer who has climbed the "seven summits" or highest peaks on all seven continents, including Mt Everest, says all 15 team members made it to the summit, despite the fact that some "had never seen the inside of a tent or a sleeping bag before. We summitted Mount Meru (4556m) and Kilimanjaro (5895m) with a 100% success rate. It was no mean feat for such an inexperienced team; they are a very determined group of people."
The effect on the expedition team was profound, he says. "For one thing, the six executives on the trip got to know each a lot better under conditions of some stress. More broadly, on an expedition like this, everyone has a bad day, and we all had to lean on the support of the others at some point. Although the metaphor of climbing a mountain and building a business is obvious, there is no doubt an expedition like this further re-enforces the need for proper planning, flawless execution and outstanding team selection. It was no accident that this team succeeded and they can apply the lessons learned on this expedition in the workplace."
The impact has extended to the rest of the Vox Telecom group, says Van Marken. "The whole company followed the trip via our live cybercast and there's overwhelming interest in repeating the expedition next year. Making it accessible to as many people as possible was an important part of our mission - the expedition was open to all employees and we secured sponsors to help carry the cost. It's had an enormous internal benefit."
Details on the expedition and photographs are available at http://www.voxtelecom.co.za/VOXkili/.
Van Marken thanked the expedition's sponsors, including Dealstream Securities, Metier, Hewlett Packard, TFI, Farber Sabelo, Internet Solutions and Dimension Data, for their support.
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Vox Telecom is a leading alternative, independent telecom operator, providing voice and data services to the southern African market. Vox Telecom aims to provide cost-effective, innovative telecommunications solutions to consumer and business customers, while ensuring the delivery of outstanding customer service. The group competes through its primary brands DataPro, @lantic, Orion Telecom and Vox Telecom, and has offices in Johannesburg, Durban, Cape Town and Pretoria, as well as in Windhoek, Namibia. Vox Telecom is a listed company trading on the Alternative Exchange (AltX), a division of the JSE Limited. Investor and shareholder information is available at www.voxtelecom.co.za.
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