Dear Clients, Customers, Partners & Friends 

In 1931, my father, Fred Smollan, started his one-man agency selling Iron Duke paint out of the boot of his two-toned Studebaker along Eloff Street in central Johannesburg. Today, he would be so proud that the firm he created now represents many of the world’s best-loved brands and employs just short of 18 000 people in Africa and Asia.

The foundation stone of the Smollan Group was created through Fred’s legacy of honesty, loyalty, hard work and commitment – a legacy that has been a beacon for those that have joined the business. Through the years, as we have set new standards of operational excellence and continued to evolve our delivery science through a combination of people and technology solutions, so we have added passion, innovation, discipline and results orientation to our values set.

As our values have evolved, so too have our services. From our origins in sales and merchandising, we have extended our offering to include key accounting, brand activation, category management, quantitative and qualitative research, mystery shopping, point of purchase development, training, fleet management, payroll management, smart technology, innovations, mobile technology advancement, data warehouse development and integrated management systems. It is an evolution that has been powered by its people: a true partnership between the Smollan family, the Group’s business leaders and our dedicated, high-performing teams.

As we look to 2013, the Group is well-poised to export and execute its developed intellectual property and to benefit from the global expertise of our partner, WPP. As we continue to raise the bar in our efforts to become a world leader in outsourced services, I am excited that we now have access to a powerful partner with a portfolio of some of the finest marketing services organisations in the world. The partnership with WPP will mean that we can connect our clients and customers with WPP affiliates in almost any country in the world, affording them efficient global connectivity, a comprehensive communication and marketing offering and strategic synergies.

As important as global connectivity is to us and to our clients and customers, South Africa will always be our base and our foundation market. As many of you know, my commitment to this country and to its people has been, and will always be, unwavering.

Our business is powered by people, and empowering our employees is of paramount importance to us. This is achieved through partnership and wealth creation for our business leaders and through our commitment to meaningful transformation. Our BBBEE Scorecard rating showcased the work we have done so far in empowering our black staff, contributing to the community and playing our part in the building of South Africa’s future.

As we look to the country of our birth, so do we look forward to the great milestone and opportunities of Soccer World Cup in 2010 and to reaching our clients objectives then and beyond.