Webhelp’s Brandon Aitken comes full circle as new office is set to open in his home town of Durban
Born and raised in Hillcrest, near the city of Durban, Brandon Aitken has always known the potential of the region for global corporations to thrive. And in 2021, some 22 years after he left to pursue a career in the United Kingdom, the opening of Webhelp’s newest Durban-based operation makes a return to his home city a new highlight to his career.
“Durban has been one of the South African BPO (business process outsourcing) industry’s great secrets. Its youth have a strong reputation for high work ethic and great track record in customer service so it was inevitable that more international companies would establish themselves here,”
said Webhelp South Africa’s Chief Commercial Officer (CCO).
“For me, the move was personally significant; having grown up in Durban, but the city has also in recent years enjoyed tremendous growth in BPO, so it was a natural progression that we added Durban to our South Africa portfolio.”
Brandon has honed his skills working in the customer experience (CX) and BPO sector, leading international cross-functional teams to build outsourcing strategies over the past 20 years.
As Webhelp’s CCO, he has helped drive business growth, with the organisation more than doubling its turnover since it launched in South Africa in 2014. Starting off with 1 400 employees at its Cape Town and Johannesburg offices, the organisation now has more than 4 000 employees and continues to add to its list of 18 international clients.
In October, Webhelp will officially launch its KZN operation at its uMhlanga-based office, introducing 300 new job opportunities for Customer Service Advisors looking to work in an international organisation that puts its people first. The timing is particularly welcome in a country desperate for jobs, following the release of Bloomberg’s survey which tracks employment rates across 82 countries. South Africa currently has the highest rate of unemployment, having risen to 34.4% in the second quarter from 32.6%, with youth accounting for just under 50% of the workforce.
Brandon said he has a passion for driving inclusive youth employment in South Africa, and as Webhelp establishes its Durban operations, its focus is on sourcing candidates from previously disadvantaged communities will be prioritised through the organisation’s effective impact sourcing models:
“Giving young South Africans the opportunity to upskill in a supportive environment is what makes the BPO sector such a powerful vehicle for change.”
Brandon, who has been residing in Cape Town since 2012, arrived in KZN the Sunday night before the lootings that devastated towns and cities across KZN and Gauteng. However, despite the civil unrest, he said that Webhelp’s investment stakeholders remained unanimous in their decision to move forward with the new venture.
“While incredibly sad, the looting didn’t actually impact the stakeholders’ confidence in the region, if anything, they were resolute in keeping the programme moving forward,”
he said.
“Now, more than ever, Durban needs to continue to attract new hope through investment and the creation of these 300 jobs will go some way in assisting the local economy and alleviating the unemployment situation.”
Webhelp is a leading global consultancy and customer experience (CX) organisation with a ‘people-first’ approach. As a community-driven company, Webhelp forms strong ties with local non-profit organisations and communities, contributing to the upliftment of the region wherever possible.
“In addition to our impact sourcing success, which has already empowered Webhelp to uplift over 1 000 local youth excluded from work opportunities, as we establish our presence in Durban, we will work with our new colleagues to identify the most suitable and meaningful initiatives to benefit local communities,”
concluded Brandon.
