Jason English - CG Tech Group - A South African Company employing 4,500 people across the globe

Jason English co-founded CG Tech in 2012,? and has scaled the group of companies to more than 4,500 people across the EMEA region through 8 companies.?

Jason, who is from South Africa, was first bit by the entrepreneurial bug at an early age. As a child, he would pick avocados from trees and sell them to people who passed his house on their way to work in the morning. When Jason was at University, studying mechanical engineering, he created a small SIM card business on the side.?

After graduation, Jason decided to join the police force in Johannesburg. One day, Jason bumped into a friend who knew about his engineering background. He enticed Jason to join a large oil and gas company. This was Jason’s first engineering job and he ended up spending the next 14.5 years at the company. Jason loved his experience working with professional project managers and learned the ins and outs of corporate systems. He leveled up his abilities in management, operations, systems, processes, structures, along with a bevy of other important skills. Jason thought he would spend the rest of his career climbing the corporate ladder to eventually lead the company.

However, one day, Jason was on a business trip in Australia when his wife called from South Africa with a personal emergency. It was 3am South Africa time. Jason had to arrange a friend to assist with helping out. At that moment, Jason realized that he would need to write his own destiny and quit his position 4 hours later. It was a huge moment in Jason’s life. Jason had no back up plan. But he knew that the current trajectory was not for him.?

Back in South Africa, Jason reconnected with an acquaintance he had met 18 months before named Ray. He had a small business and was planning to retire. Ray offered Jason the opportunity to buy a majority share of the company. Jason, feeling like this was his opportunity, liquidated his shares of his previous company and purchased a controlling stake in Ray’s company.?

Jason was both excited and nervous when the transaction cleared. He left a 15,000 person organization and now found himself working with three people in a small, unbranded garage. It was time to get to work. Immediately, Jason started winning projects. The key to success? Being responsive. In the oil and gas business, there are always emergencies that need immediate attention. Jason had the phones on 24 hours a day. Customers knew they could always count on Jason and his fast growing team.?

As the contracts got larger and larger, Jason and the team needed to scale up. They grew headcount to 280 people in the first year. And then doubled the number again the second year, followed by 900, 1,200, and then 1,700 people. The business was quickly becoming a major player in South Africa’s large oil and gas industry.?

There were many ups and downs, including accusations of fraud (later thrown out after a forensic accountant found no issues). Jason focused on leveraging technology to build efficiencies in the business, such as Google Cloud systems, LMS systems, VR, and AI. By using technology, the company was able to do more with less and at the same point, create consistency across the entire company.?

Managing cash flow was another major challenge. One time, one of their largest customers defaulted on their payment schedule. Jason needed to quickly find a short term loan in order to make payroll. At that moment, he realized that you can have a phenomenal business but if you run out of cash, it doesn't matter how great your business is.?

After 10 years of building, CG Tech now has 8 business units and operates across Africa, Europe, the UK, and the middle east. Their business spans multiple industries, from film, technology, music festivals, sporting events, and construction & engineering.?