Webber Wentzel won Employment Team of the Year at the 2023 African Legal Awards for advising a vehicle fintech company on its organisational redesign and implementation in various African jurisdictions.
Webber Wentzel led the African legal team to provide strategic advice to a vehicle fintech company on the labour-related consequences of the organisational redesign ie mutual separation, retrenchment, and poor performance. As part of the redesign, the firm drafted new employment contracts for all employees and separation agreements for exiting employees across the African jurisdictions in compliance with local laws and uniform standards.
The firm leveraged its established relationships with counsel across Africa, including Al Tamimi & Company, Aluko & Oyebode, Anjarwalla & Khanna LLP, Bentsi-Enchill Letsa & Ankomah, and MMAKS Advocates, to offer a seamless, flexible and fit for purpose service in each jurisdiction, with a single point of contact for the client.
Webber Wentzel demonstrated key project management skills to ensure that the advice given was coordinated, comprehensive, and met the client's business needs. This included considering the unique legal frameworks and cultural contexts of each jurisdiction, as well as ensuring consistency across jurisdictions.
Webber Wentzel's collaboration with counsel across Africa aided the client's innovative credit scoring technology to facilitate sustainable job creation across Africa for gig workers who might have been excluded from traditional financial services. The organisational redesign and its implementation enabled the client to expand its business into the United Kingdom, Europe, United Arab Emirates, and India.
Advising on this reorganisation is a testament to Webber Wentzel's deep understanding of the African legal landscape and its collective experience in employment-related advice in the financial and fintech sectors.
The Webber Wentzel team consisted of Lizle Louw, Mehnaaz Bux and Siya Ngcamu.
See below other awards Webber Wentzel won at the 2023 African Legal Awards:
Competition and Regulatory Team of the Year
Transportation and Infrastructure Team of the Year
ESG Initiative of the Year
