Event Overview                                                                                         ^^ back to top

Omega Investment Research had the pleasure of organising the Tanaka Business School, Imperial College London 2005 Executive MBA Study Tour to South Africa that took place from 1 to 8 April 2005.  The core objective of the mission, which was endorsed by the International Marketing Council of South Africa, was to allow 70-odd business executives an opportunity to explore innovative world-class business practices within a challenging multi-cultural business environment such as South Africa .

A Unique Destination                                                                                ^^ back to top

South Africa had been chosen for the 2005 Study Tour as the country provides the perfect destination for a comprehensive and memorable business learning experience. Attractive advantages of visiting the region include:

• A unique multicultural environment

• A challenging business landscape

• Innovating business case studies

• No language barriers

• An accessible transport infrastructure

• A cost effective destination

• Exceptional leisure opportunities

• No jet lag or health hazards

The Participants                                                                                         ^^ back to top

The touring participants included senior managers from some of the United Kingdom’s top companies in a variety of industries and sectors as well as significant government representation, currently engaging in the part-time Executive MBA Programme at Tanaka Business School, Imperial College London.  Amongst the participants were representatives of the following companies: Goldman Sachs, Barclays Global Investors, HSBC, GlaxoSmithKline, Motorola, Chevron Texaco, JP Morgan, Standard Chartered Bank, Oracle, and American Express (to name a few).

Feedback and Pictures                                                                             ^^ back to top

• Organisation, logistics and people management was excellent! Perfect

• Mind expanding

• It very much exceeded my expectations both on the leisure and the learning fronts and has been a fantastic week

• Exceeded my expectations and more! The speed at which SA has developed was underestimated until this visit. Speed of developments was breathtaking leaving an exclusive impression with many enthusiastic questions

• It was fabulous! Really enjoyed meeting companies as well as visiting the country

• A good overview of SA was provided and a good selection of companies were visited

• An excellent opportunity to understand all issues faced by businesses in SA from a variety of perspectives. Also great chance to bond with cohorts from EMBA and full time course

• The trip was very well organised, efficient and superbly managed from the time we landed in SA. It had a pretty good balance and the company visits made perfect sense in their context (speakers/presentations). Personally feel this trip has been a kind of eye opener in understanding both social and business side of SA. Very, very pleasantly surprised with the trip

• Absolutely – Not only in academic terms but also in tourist terms. The companies we visited and the senior speakers were much better than what I thought and the country is absolutely wonderful and full of challenges

• I cannot fault the organisation, output or scope of the tour. This visit will leave a lifetime impression on both my personal and business development

• It couldn't be better! Thanks to all the team who prepared such an amazing experience!

• It was just perfect! There was not really anything that can be improved! Excellent! Thank you very much!

• It is important to balance the work required with a good fun itinerary. That way you encourage hard work and a play hard ethos and keep people stimulated and engaged. This tour certainly did this!

• Something I will remember for the rest of my life!

Game Drive at Mabula Private Game Lodge

Lunch at Wandi's Place in Soweto

 Visit to the Hector Pieterson Museum in Soweto

Introductory Workshop on 
South Africa

Presentation by 
Stanley Subramoney, 
Deputy CEO of PricewaterhouseCoopers

Company Visit to MTN

 Group Dinner at Moyo, Sandton

    Company Visit to DaimlerChrysler South Africa

The Nelson Mandela Bridge, Johannesburg

Group Visit to Blue IQ

 Sunset Cruise on the Sea Princess in Cape Town

Company Visit to Old Mutual

Presentation by Dev Pillay 
of Old Mutual

 African entertainment at the Spier Wine Estate

           On top of Table Mountain

Guest Speaker 
Clem Sunter 
made an impact

The 2004 EMBA Group

Our Thanks                                                                                                  ^^ back to top

Omega Investment Research and the Tanaka Business School would like to thank the following organisations for their pro-active support and participation in this invaluable initiative:

The Organisers:

Omega Investment Research is an international corporate advisory firm, with offices in London and Cape Town, and partner representatives in various major international centres. For over twelve years the company has been assisting key decision-makers in corporations around the world with services including global conferencing and trade missions, business intelligence, international business development and strategic financial consulting. 

Southern Africa Travel is an award-winning, fully bonded, specialist tour operator that offers the ultimate in quality travel to  Southern Africa. With 32 years of experience in the travel industry, Southern Africa Travel can confidently say that they are experts in delivering and designing dream holidays.  Southern Africa Travel is a fully bonded Tour Operator, members of ABTA and also fully bonded ATOL holders licensed by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). 

Giltedge Travel is a versatile and personalised tour operator and travel agency in South Africa , based in Cape Town. As part of their commitment to exceptional service, they provide meet and assist services at major airports, vehicle hire, air and boat charters, qualified tour guides (including foreign language guides), chauffeur drive services, IATA ticketing for all domestic airfare requirements and mobile phone rentals to make a business or leisure trip seamless and stress-free.   

Further Information

For further information, please contact:

Denise Koehler Spaull

Omega Investment Research

Tel: +27 (0)21 689 7881

Fax: +27 (0)21 689 4361

denise@omegainvest.co.za