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Taking the new G4S colours to new heights - on the summit of Mt Kilimanjaro

Mid-way through 2006, G4S sub-Saharan regional president, Willem van de Ven was reflecting on what had thus far been the very successful roll-out of the new G4S brand in Africa. Cultural diversity, a host of different languages, massive distances, major logistical and communication challenges had all been overcome by the continental G4S team.

"I wanted to identify a challenge in line with my management philosophy which encourages G4S people to work and play together, right across our region.” Africa presents any number of challenges to intrepid individuals and groups, but Willem needed a group endeavour that would symbolically define and wrap up the re-branding exercise while reinforcing the company’s values and commitment to recruiting and developing Best People.“I was extremely proud of what management and their dedicated personnel had achieved in the face of a daunting challenge,” Willem recalls.

“But the branding exercise needed that cherry on the top - a defining gesture by our own people that would proclaim to the continent and the world that G4S was at the top of the security league in Africa, and intended staying there.

Taking the brand to the highest point in Africa, both figuratively and literally


The Machame Route required six days of steady climbing and acclimatisation. On the sixth day, Thursday 7 December, moments after midnight, the team set out for the summit to complete what had begun many months before.

The going was tough over uneven rock and scree, becoming even harder when Kilimanjaro presented its final hurdle – a snow storm and temperatures which plunged to between –15˚ and –20˚C.

Despite near zero visibility Willem van de Ven and his team knew they were moments from achieving their objective when, through the howling wind, they heard the by-now familiar song of greeting and encouragement their guides had sung to them at the completion of each day’s climb.

“That song coming out of the snow and wind was surely one of the sweetest sounds I’ve ever heard,” an emotional Willem recalled.

It was the stuff corporate legends are made of as 10 G4S sub-Saharan executives reached the legendary Uhuru Point, 5,895 metres above sea level – the highest point of the highest free-standing mountain in the world. Moments later, the team reached Mt Kilimanjaro’s summit and together raised the G4S flag at the highest point on the African continent. There wasn’t a dry eye in the triumphant group.

Now it had proof that G4S had thoroughly and comprehensively completed its African branding exercise, in a way that had tested and challenged its people to the extreme … and they’d come out on top.

Mission accomplished


Willem van de Ven, G4S Regional President sub-Saharan Africa, said after the Mt Kilimanjaro expedition that the business decision to undertake the climb had been fully vindicated by the results.

“When this idea was still in its infancy I had to ask myself whether it would be justified in terms of the benefits it held for G4S as a business, and the benefits it would provide for our participating senior regional managers.

Willem van de Ven heads for the summit“I had to satisfy myself on a number of important criteria. These included, among others, questions as to whether the trip would help with team work, planning, focus, respect, support, leadership and communication into the future.

“I wanted to be satisfied that the growth enjoyed by our people in these and other areas would also help them become better G4S executives in order to benefit our great Group and, therefore, its stakeholders like our employees and our shareholders.

“I earnestly believe now that we achieved all these objectives and that the full benefits of this venture will not be long in making an impact on our operations throughout Africa.

“I salute the team, and in doing so I include our four colleagues who were unable to reach the summit because of altitude sickness. They were with us on that summit as we raised the G4S flag, and we honour them for their determination.”


 
This page is an edited version of the article by Gary Dixon featured in the March 2007 edition of International.
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Flying the corporate colours at 5,985 metres

Flying the new corporate colours at 5,895 metres: on the summit of Mt Kilimanjaro.

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A far cry from your average weekend bush hike


  • Organising the logistics for such a trip was an awesome business.

    “One of the areas both the organising company (Hoopoe Adventure Tours) and ourselves were not prepared to compromise on was the health of participants, so it was a precondition that our 14 members would have to be medically cleared before we left.” regional Business Development Director Louis Changuion explains.

    Even so, medical clearance did not guarantee the climbers would not fall victim to dreaded altitude sickness, which can be life-threatening. Four members of the expedition developed the sickness and were forced to turn back before reaching the summit. They were quickly and expertly evacuated by Hoopoe and rapidly recovered from their ordeal.

    The expedition, which tackled the Machame Route, called for a mind-boggling array of personal equipment which each member would need if they hoped to reach the summit. “Mt Kilimanjaro is quite capable of presenting all four seasons in one day,” Louis adds. “Temperatures can be in the 30s Celsius, and in no time plummet to well below freezing. So we had to have appropriate clothing and footwear to cope with every conceivable weather extreme.

    “It sounds excessive to the uninformed, but when we arrived in Tanzania our support team comprised 84 individuals which included 10 guides  with porters, chefs and camp attendants making up the remainder. These numbers are put into perspective when you learn that just one expedition member having to turn back for medical reasons requires up to 14 porters and two guides to ensure he/she gets back safely.”
The team before setting off for the summit

Relaxing before setting off for the summit of Africa’s highest mountain