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Miskyah Toth, CEO, Business Directive Contract Services

Miskyah Toth, CEO, Business Directive Contract Services

“Your greatest achievements often align with your greatest challenges.”   BDCS is your all-in-one workforce management partner, specialising in the supply chain and logistics sector. We provide efficient, cost-effective staffing solutions, powered by innovative technology and a people-first approach. From recruiting and training top talent to handling payroll, HR, and statutory requirements, BDCS ensures that operations run smoothly. With a focus on streamlining operations, reducing costs, and boosting efficiency, we help businesses access pre-vetted workers on demand while staying compliant with labour regulations. Our mobile app empowers the workforce by offering easy access to pay slips, leave management, and payroll queries, allowing companies to scale confidently and adjust to changing demands. Miskyah Toth founded Business Directive Development Group (Pty) Ltd in 2012; eight years later an opportunity arose to purchase a contract with a leading South African online retailer. At that stage, more than 250 people were employed by the company. Business Directive Development Group (Pty) Ltd purchased the contract and Miskyah then created Business Directive Contract Services (Pty) Ltd (BDCS) to manage the contract of BDCS’s functions as a separate entity, under the auspices of Business Directive Development Group (Pty) Ltd. To put things into perspective, the outbreak of COVID-19 began in Wuhan, China in December 2019 – so the purchase of this contract was made at the beginning of the global pandemic.“I was, however, very comfortable with my decision. It allowed me to think outside the box and it allowed me to think bigger. We’ve since expanded our services, providing more tailored solutions, and empowering businesses and job seekers through comprehensive, personalised recruitment and career management strategies,” – Miskyah Toth. We asked Miskyah to share with us what it takes to be a game changer in the HR realm: Iron in silk After years of dedication and sacrifice, I have earned recognition on a global stage. In 2024, CIO Views named me one of Africa’s 10 Most Empowering Businesswomen. I was awarded Female Entrepreneur Coach of the Year in South Africa by MEA Markets and honoured as the Top Global Business Leader by the International Association of Top Professionals. Additionally, I was chosen as The Women Leader of the Year in Human Resource Management by the Asian-African Chamber of Commerce and Industry and selected as 1 of the 100 Most Influential Women in South Africa. As described, ‘Iron in Silk’ – is “strength enveloped by beauty and grace”. These accolades are a testament to overcoming significant challenges, including managing over 500% growth in just four years and navigating the complexities of running a large company as the sole female owner. Maintaining my health and balance amidst these responsibilities has also been a crucial challenge. What is your ‘why”? My “why” is simple – to empower people. Whether it’s helping someone land their dream job, supporting businesses with their recruitment needs, or mentoring young entrepreneurs, my purpose is to uplift others. This message stems from my own life experiences, including the challenges I faced as a businesswoman and single mother. I’ve always believed that with the right support, anyone can overcome obstacles and achieve success. I founded BDCS to create opportunities and provide that support to others, particularly in South Africa, where high unemployment rates make empowerment through job creation so crucial. Miskyah.com Miskyah.com is a platform that showcases my journey, insights, and expertise as a leader and entrepreneur. It is a space where I can share my thoughts on business, empowerment, and personal growth. Through this platform, I also aim to connect with aspiring entrepreneurs, business leaders, and anyone looking for inspiration or guidance. Miskyah.com offers a blend of personal stories, business tips, and reflections on leadership. It’s also a place where I promote my autobiography Iron in Silk, which delves deeper into my experiences and the lessons I’ve learned throughout my life and career. Through this platform, I provide aspiring entrepreneurs with the tools and guidance they need to succeed. My “Let’s Talk Business” series is designed to share real-world insights, helping individuals turn their ideas into thriving businesses. Additionally, my “Women for Change” initiative is a space where women can find inspiration, mentorship, and community support to pursue their dreams. I am passionate about coaching and developing entrepreneurs, equipping them with the strategies and confidence to navigate their entrepreneurial journey with resilience and success. The most important game-changing trends in HR? Technology, particularly AI, is revolutionising HR. AI-driven recruitment tools streamline hiring, ensuring faster and more precise candidate matching. Additionally, hybrid work models are here to stay, with flexibility becoming a key factor in employee satisfaction. Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives are also transforming the workplace, emphasising the importance of creating inclusive environments where all employees can thrive. Lastly, mental health and well-being are taking center stage as companies recognise the need to support employees beyond their professional roles. HR leaders must adapt to these trends to stay competitive and cultivate thriving future-ready workplaces. What does securing the naming rights for the Future of HR Conference and Awards mean to you and your company? Securing the naming rights for The Future of HR Conference and Awards is a significant milestone for BDCS. It reflects our dedication to driving innovation in HR and our commitment to being at the forefront of industry trends. This partnership allows us to showcase our leadership in HR recruitment, while also contributing to the ongoing conversation about the future of work. It’s an opportunity to highlight our values – empowerment, technology integration, and talent development – on a larger scale, while also creating meaningful connections with other industry leaders who share our vision for the future of HR. Advice for aspiring entrepreneurs My biggest piece of advice is to stay resilient. Entrepreneurship is a journey filled with highs and lows, and success often comes from how well you handle challenges. Always be willing to learn and adapt because the business world is constantly evolving. Surround yourself with people who inspire and support you, but don’t be afraid to make tough decisions

How do we define leadership in a competitive world?

By Daniel Makoni, Managing Director of wCyber  There is little doubt in anyone’s mind that the market today is challenging. Companies are looking for the competitive advantage, customers are trying to get more for less, and growth continues to be slow. It’s a tough landscape, but it is one that business leaders can navigate strategically by taking the right steps in the right directions.  These are the times that define leadership, and can allow for entrepreneurs and executives to reshape their companies and the ways in which they do business. And these are the questions that you should be asking to help you refine your business and your approaches: 1. Is my product or service genuinely adding value to the customer? This is the most important question. Is this work, this solution, this service actually solving a real problem? Is it relevant and necessary? A business that can answer this question clearly is defining its market and its target. Once you have a clear understanding of what needs to be done, the how gets much easier. 2. Do I have the right people in the right roles? You need the right people doing the right job if you want to fulfil the needs of your customers. Customer service expectations only grow as the relationship grows and this is rapidly becoming a key differentiator, regardless of market. To serve your customers the quality they expect, the motivation of your people is key. Focus on building your internal relationships as much as your external ones. 3. How am I using the technology at my disposal? With the right technology, you can either cut costs or increase revenue. With the right tools, you can take advantage of opportunities that may have previously slipped past, and you can add an edge to your efficiencies and productivity. There are many examples of companies taking tech to the next level – from Amazon using drones to a sole trader adopting a point-of-sale system that helps them better serve their customers. Getting the right tech and using it properly will give any business a boost.  4. Is the business model viable? There isn’t much value in running a business that isn’t sustainable, and sustainable means financial and impact-based returns. Always check if the operations of your business are achieving what they set out to accomplish and have a finger on the pulse of your financial health. Ensure that financials, operations and systems are healthy to maintain a sustainable and successful business. 5. Should I pivot or stay the course? This is, of course, the million rand question, and one of the toughest decisions to make for a business. It needs to be based on both empirical and intuitive evidence and with an agile mindset. Agile is not just a concept, it is an understanding and merging of all considerations. The ability to constantly adapt the business is something that every leader should be able to do. Assess the market, stay abreast of the events taking place, and learn as many lessons as possible from the pandemic. Take lessons from those who succeeded – AirBnB introducing experience tours – and those who failed – companies that refused to go digital. And sometimes, just recognise that timing, planning, people and technology are good enough to ensure that your business can stay the course to success. 

Marthinus Visser: OUTsurance Group CEO – Expanding internationally

By Fiona Wakelin OUTsurance was started in 1998 by three entrepreneurs, Willem Roos, Howard Aron and Rene Otto inside the Rand Merchant Bank Holdings stable. It brought a number of innovations to the somewhat stale short term insurance market at the time. These included the OUTbonus, flat excess structures, roadside assistance and covering vehicles for retail value. These addressed many of the common gripes around insurance at the time. It made use of home-grown talent and built all its systems and underwriting capabilities in house. It was able to reach break even after a mere 22 months and continued a strong organic growth trajectory since then as the brand got stronger and more established. Positive word-of-mouth played a key part in the successful building of the brand. In South Africa the company offers car, home, business and life insurance; in Australia they offer car, home, business and bodily injury insurance; and in Ireland the offering includes car and home insurance. OUTsurance Group CEO, Marthinus Visser shares key insights into driving outstanding growth: Creating a runway for growth We have identified the three key needs of insurance consumers as a competitive price, good service, and trust that your claim will be paid. By focusing our efforts every day to get better at delivering those three elements, we are becoming more and more competitive allowing for strong organic growth. Through our successful international expansion, we have also created additional runway for growth, over and above the South African market. For example, our Australian business, Youi, now accounts for 63% of our Group revenue and it still has a significant runway for growth given that the Australian car and home insurance market is more than five times the size of the South African market. Our recent entry into Ireland is creating further runway for organic growth. Significant trends in the industry We have observed large scale technological changes enabling omni-channel servicing of clients. These channels now being digital, call center and face-to-face allowing for the level of human intervention to vary according to customer needs. We have also observed a large increase in regulatory complexity increasing the cost of compliance. Furthermore, we observed increased natural peril events putting upward pressure on reinsurance cost and premiums. Lastly, we observed an increase in competition over the last 25 years. Subsidiaries We launched in Australia in 2008 and that business has overtaken our South African business in size. Contrary to many South African businesses that struggle overseas, we have been able to build up a successful business that is now contributing materially to the overall group. It has many things in common with our South African business and we collaborate closely in many areas. We launched in Ireland earlier this year and hope to emulate the success of the Australian business. Importantly it is also a greenfield start-up like our South African and Australian businesses as this allows you to lay the right foundations in terms of people, culture, systems and processes. The only downside is that you have to be patient as it takes a long time to build such a business, but the reward is there if you are successful. Impact of technology Technology has made it easier to offer the omni-channel service. It has also enabled more accurate risk pricing as well as improved productivity in many areas. All this supports better delivery of price, service and trust. Mobile phones and large data processing capabilities really enabled step changes in some areas. Have climate change and the commensurate extreme weather events affected your business model?  Yes, it has had a large impact on the claims cost related to these events causing especially home insurance premiums to escalate faster than CPI inflation. It also required bolstering of resources and digital capabilities to cope with the influx of claims that these events can cause. It also caused reinsurance costs to increase materially. Understanding flood risk and underwriting for it has become critical. It is such a topical issue and insurance alone can’t solve it. We need collaboration between governments, banks and insurers to tackle this issue to make sure that infrastructure is built and maintained to minimise the impact of these events but also that new developments do not take place in high-risk areas. How would you describe your role in OUTsurance?  My primary role is to set the strategy and oversee its successful implementation. As part of this I need to get buy-in from the management teams and boards that it is the best strategy to follow. A key part of my role is also to assemble the best possible team of senior leaders to execute the strategy. Investor relations is also a key part of my role as you have to be accessible and accountable to investors to make sure they are comfortable with the strategy. What do you enjoy most about what you do?  I really enjoy incremental improvement and how it brings success. The good thing about short-term insurance is that the feedback loop is quite short and as you implement plans to support the strategy and improve outcomes you can quickly see whether you are successful or not. What have been your most memorable challenges and milestones?  The early days in a start-up always present many challenges and the rate of making improvements is incredibly high. The two successful start-ups of OUTsurance in South Africa and Youi in Australia are true milestones. A key challenge is to preserve that start-up culture even as you get much larger to continue to solve problems quickly and in a pragmatic way. If you do that, the business continues to thrive. Please share with our readers what you are looking forward to in the coming year. We are looking forward to ongoing incremental improvements in our offering of price, service and trust. This should continue to support the organic growth in South Africa and Australia. Our OUTsurance face-to-face agents in South Africa is also a very exciting channel allowing customers with more complex