Honoris | Impact Digital Report 2022 | Introduction by Dr. Jonathan Louw

Introduction by Dr. Jonathan Louw - CEO

Dear Stakeholders,

As described by our Chairman, we are delighted to be presenting Honoris’ inaugural impact report. I am proud to be part of the unique Honoris pan-African educational network that is transforming the lives of learners for lifetime success across the continent now and into the future, through its focus on “Education for Impact”.

Since my appointment to the role of CEO on 1 January 2021, Honoris and its member institutions have accomplished many of their goals and I would like to share some of these with you.

Thriving during a pandemic

This past year has been another challenging period, as the world navigated the second year of the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite this, the Honoris network has continued to perform very well across its key territories. Through the uncertainties and restrictions imposed by the health authorities, and even the social and political unrest in some of our markets, the Honoris network still delivered strong results.

The strength and resilience of our faculty and support staff is commendable; they demonstrated continuous and unparalleled commitment to the success of our students.

As everyone has grown accustomed to the COVID-19 safety protocols, remote working conditions, and online modus operandi, it is incredible to comprehend the rate at which the world has adapted and leveraged technology.

This applies to Honoris stakeholders, especially the students as they championed the transition to online programs and virtual internships. Honoris is well positioned to continue on this growth path to propel the network into new market segments and geographies.

Growth initiatives and talent

During late 2020, Honoris established its strategic roadmap around four main pillars: Digitalization, Employability, Expansion, and Performance. In 2021, significant progress was made on all fronts, fueled by the passion of our people and inspired by their commitment to serve. Our strong organic growth is also complemented by our M&A initiatives that are bringing exciting opportunities in new geographies and segments in the market. This year we welcomed the Red & Yellow Creative School of Business into the network, an institution that is intended to be the first anchor of a Creative Arts, Fashion, and Digital Design vertical. ESPRIT was another institution to be welcomed into the Honoris Tunisia family. The integration of these new members is practically complete and there are already signs of cross-platform synergies and collaboration.

This year Honoris went through a critical leadership transition with the promotion of our founding CEO, Luis Lopez, to the role of Non-executive Chairman of the Board; and the addition of myself as Group Chief Executive Officer. The careful onboarding and transitional planning enabled a smooth and uneventful leadership change. An important addition to Honoris is the Global Safety and Security Advisor.

The team at the top remains highly engaged and motivated.

Now that the leadership team is complete, the 2021 talent strategy has been focused on five areas:

Strengthening the Organizational Talent Management process through succession planning and talent benchmarks for the top 250 positions in the organization
Building a stronger HR infrastructure in the area of Rewards and HR IT Systems
Formalizing the Safety and Security function across the platform
Driving results by formalizing the Goal Planning and Performance Management processes across the company
Full deployment of the Code of Conduct and operationalizing the Ethics Hotline and Ethics Committees

Honoris has also invested in talent in the Employability area: identifying new leaders in Morocco, Tunisia, Nigeria and South Africa. Overall, we have experienced extremely low turnover this year.

Impressive record of accomplishment

Honoris continues building an impressive record of accomplishment as the pan-African private tertiary education leader, with uncompromised commitment to our students’ success, providing access to high quality education, experiential learning, and employability skills.
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Performance

Despite the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic, Honoris delivered its strongest performance since it was founded.

Its strong growth trajectory manifests sustainable education models across the continent.

Critical success factors

Underpinning Honoris’ impressive results are critical success factors that have contributed to the outcomes: (1) delegation of authority, (2) decentralized model, (3) lean business structure, (4) hiring/recruitment philosophy, and (5) agility and ability to adapt to the changed environment.
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New Honoris vision statement

Much progress has been made in improving the Honoris governance frameworks and this first Impact Report is a source of pride. The Executive Team managed to find a narrow window for a physical meeting in Mauritius, where great strides were made in team dynamics, alignment to a common vision, strategy, and values. As such, this is the New Honoris Vision Statement:

“Transforming lives through relevant education for lifetime success”

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Introduction by Dr. Jonathan Louw - CEO

Honoris continues on a solid path of sustained growth