Kevin Govender.

Is access the alternative to ownership?

In 2011, the sharing economy was hailed by Time magazine as one of the ‘Ten ideas that will change the world’ and it has been widely acclaimed as a major growth sector, by sources including Fortune magazine, the World Economic Forum, and former US president Barack Obama.

The sharing economy can be defined as a socio-economic system that focuses on access to assets or resources, rather than ownership. It has skyrocketed in popularity over the last few years and has disrupted a significant number of mature industries, including accommodation (AirBnB), automotive (Uber), and entertainment (Netflix).

Kevin Govender, a published author and experienced business and enterprise architecture strategist, will discuss the growth of the sharing economy at the ITWeb Cloud & Data Centre Summit 2022, being held on 24 February at the Maslow Hotel in Sandton.

Govender, who recently published a book titled The Rise of the Sharing Economy,  says the total value of the global sharing economy is set to grow from $14 billion in 2014 to $335 billion by 2025.

According to him, limited resources, the desire to become more environmentally conscious, and the high cost and burden of ownership are seeing consumers faced with greater challenges and opportunities when it comes to filling their consumption needs.

During his presentation, he will share his insights and expertise on the evolution of the sharing economy, consumer behaviour, and alternative business models.

He will empower attendees to rediscover and realise the enormous benefits of access over ownership as he unpacks how access is a cultural and socio-economic phenomenon that is transforming businesses, consumers, the way we live, work, learn, consume, commute and play.