A Dream to Change Africa for Good
Over 30 years of helping leaders create cultures of care, connection, engagement and high performance.
1996
Founded
Heléne Vermaak establishes The Human Edge with the dream to serve a changing corporate Southern Africa, bringing world-class leadership development and culture-change solutions to a country transitioning from apartheid to democracy.
1999
Joining Forces
Heléne Vermaak and Jay Owens joined forces with three simple goals: accelerate leadership development, drive human worth and effectiveness in the workplace, and help every organisation create a culture of psychological safety and high performance.
1999
Partnership with PRITCHETT, LP.
Heléne and Jay form a partnership to represent PRITCHETT (merger integration, culture and change-management experts) in a radically changing South African context.
2005
Partnership with VitalSmarts (now Crucial Learning)
VitalSmarts approaches The Human Edge, based on its successful establishment of the FranklinCovey and ROI Institute brands in South Africa, to represent them across the African market. The partnership deepened our commitment to best-in-class solutions.
2010 · 2011 · 2013
Hosts Author Events
With co-authors Joseph Grenny and Ron McMillan, we host brand-building awareness campaigns across Africa.
2017
Founded The Human Edge Trust
Established to support our dream of offering world-class human-skills development opportunities to previously disadvantaged South African citizens.
2017
Celebrated 20 Years of Impact
We celebrate 20 years of impact in the South African corporate landscape alongside the valued clients who supported us throughout the journey.
2011 – 2018
Awards & Recognition
Superior Producer Awards and Growth Club Membership: South Africa recognised as the 2nd and 3rd best licensee in the world for eight consecutive years.
2018
Became MTN Culture Journey Partner
One of VitalSmarts' largest international culture projects, working across 21 African and Middle-Eastern countries to establish a high-performance cultural operating system within MTN.
2018
Received Best Producer Award
The Human Edge receives the Best Producer Award as the #1 licensee in the world.
2019
Hosted VitalSmarts International Master Trainer Event
We host the VitalSmarts International Master Trainer Event at Londolozi for an unforgettable African safari experience, world-class best practices shared amongst the best facilitators in the world.
2020
Transforming to Virtual Training
In March 2020 we became the first Crucial Learning Licensee to facilitate the full programme suite on Zoom and MS Teams, adapting to a Covid-19 world without losing the human touch.
2022
Celebrated 25 Years of Impact
The Human Edge celebrates 25 years of impacting lives, successfully training thousands of people over a quarter of a century. Our dedication to excellence, commitment to our clients, and willingness to adapt has helped contribute to our longevity.
Today
Still changing the way the world works, one conversation at a time.
Our dedication to excellence, commitment to our clients, and willingness to adapt to the changing times keeps us where we started: helping leaders build healthier, higher-performing organisations across Africa.
When people communicate well, relationships strengthen. When relationships strengthen, trust grows. When trust grows, teams adapt and lead change when it matters most.
Let's Build the Cultural
Operating System Your Future Demands
Start with a strategy conversation and identify the behavioural shifts that will create the biggest impact in your organisation.