The ask
Audit firm BDO in South Africa wanted to raise its profile and reputation at a time where public distrust in the profession had reached a peak due to a number of audit failures, declining audit quality, the perception of a Big Four monopoly and imminent regulatory shifts in terms of mandatory audit firm rotation.
The answer
We launched the Clarity Charter as a trust initiative from BDO that set a standard that was even higher than the country’s audit regulator. It called for clearer thinking and doing, greater transparency, and a clear way forward for the profession. The Clarity Charter allowed BDO to move beyond awareness positioning to lead a powerful conversation that created clarity within the sector and outlined its future aspirations.
To support the Clarity Charter, we held a number of Clarity Sessions throughout the year that tackled South Africa’s most burning issues, like encouraging business growth, views on the budget speech, and the most critical levers to take the country forward. Importantly, Clarity Charter found widespread adoption internally among staff and clients.