Our Story
A Dream to Change Africa for Good.
Over 28 years of helping leaders create cultures of care, connection, engagement and high performance.
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1996 | Founded
Helene Vermaak establishes The Human Edge with the dream to serve a changing corporate Southern Africa, with world-class leadership development and culture change solutions following a significant turning point after 1991, as the landscape transitioned from apartheid to democracy.
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1999 | Joining Forces
Heléne Vermaak and Jay Owens joined forces with three simple goals:
1. Accelerate leadership development
2. Drive human worth and effectiveness in the workplace
3. Help each organisation they work with create a culture of psychological safety and high performance -
1999 | Partnership with PRITCHETT, LP.
Helene Vermaak and Jay Owens form a partnership to represent PRITCHETT, Merger Integration, Culture and Change Management experts in a radically changing South African context.
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2005 | Partnership with VitalSmarts (now Crucial Learning)
VitalSmarts, now Crucial Learning, approaches Jay Owens and The Human Edge (based on the successful establishment of the FranklinCovey and ROI Institute brand and business in South Africa) to represent them in the African market place. This partnership further supported our deep-seated desire to make a positive impact on the world around us through best-in class solutions.
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2010, 2011, 2013 | Hosts Author Events
With co-Authors Joseph Grenny and Ron McMillan to support the brand building awareness campaigns in Africa.
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2017 | Founded The Human Edge Trust
To support our dream of offering world-class human skills development opportunities to previously disadvantaged South African citizens.
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2017 | Celebrated 20 Years of Impact
The Human Edge celebrates its 20th Anniversary and years of impact in the South African corporate landscape with our valued clients who’d been supporting us throughout the years.
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2011 — 2018 | Awards & Recognition
The Human Edge celebrates its Superior Producer Awards and Growth Club Membership and proudly presents South Africa as the 2nd and 3rd best licensee in the world for eight consecutive years.
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2018 | Became MTN Culture Journey Partner
This is one of VitalSmarts’ largest international culture projects working across 21 Africa and Middle-East countries. A high performance cultural operating system is established within MTN to support a new vision.
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2018 | Received Best Producer Award
The Human Edge receives the Best Producer Award as the #1 licensee in the world.
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2019 | Hosted VitalSmarts International Master Trainer Event
The Human Edge hosts the VitalSmarts International Master Trainer Event at Londolozi for an unforgettable African safari experience. World-class best practices are shared amongst the best facilitators in the world.
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2020 | Transforming to Virtual Training
The Human Edge transforms In-Person to Virtual Training during March 2020 and are the first Crucial Learning Licensee to facilitate the Crucial Learning programs on Zoom and MS Teams platforms. The Covid-19 pandemic necessitated a shift to on-line training and adopting new training approaches.
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2022 | Celebrated 25 Years of Impact
The Human Edge celebrates 25 years of impacting lives and successfully training thousands of people over a quarter of a century. The team celebrates on a trip to Safari Plains.
Our dedication to excellence, commitment to our clients, and willingness to adapt to the current changing times has helped contribute to our longevity.
