BP Southern Africa (bpSA) celebrated its 100th year of doing business in South Africa on Wednesday, 9 October, with an in-depth dialogue on energy industry trends, followed by a gala dinner to celebrate the contributions of various stakeholders to the company’s success.
The dialogue was anchored on the theme of “Reimagining Energy for the Future” where industry leaders explored some of the themes and challenges facing the energy industry. African Energy Chamber Executive Chairman, Dr NJ Ayuk addressed the need for Africa to tackle its energy challenges head on, while bpSA CEO Taelo Mojapelo, spoke to the company’s evolution in responding to a changing energy landscape.
“We felt it was important, as bpSA marks its 100th anniversary in South Africa this year, to look at where we’ve come from as we look to the next century. Over the past 100 years, bpSA has moved with the times, responding to the regulatory environment, changes in customer demand and broader energy opportunities,” Mojapelo said.
“Today the global and South African energy landscape faces new demands, including the move to a lower carbon world, changing consumer needs, increased competition in fuel retailing, and the imperative to have greater diversity in the workforce. These changes present us with new opportunities, and we are responding by prioritizing the optimization of our supply model, focusing on high grading our forecourt and convenience portfolio as well as emphasizing diversity, equity and inclusion in everything we do.”
The commemorative event was also used to launch bpSA’s white paper on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, titled Creating responsible business within the context of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DE&I).
The white paper, which was published in collaboration with GIBS and Accenture, emphasizes the importance of DE&I in fostering responsible businesses in South Africa, outlining the commercial benefits of a DE&I-aware organization.
Mojapelo also took the opportunity to emphasize the company’s commitment to doing business in South Africa. “We are taking steps to ensure our business remains future-proof and relevant as we build a safe, more equitable bpSA that future generations can be proud of.”
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