A Christmas message from Conor O'Callaghan, Managing Partner and Founder

Permacrisis, and a season of blustering economic headwinds is the unpleasant reality that we all face. These last few years have entailed a sequence of challenges that we have all had to endure and live through. Although this has had an impact on our own lives, we are acutely aware of the compound effect it has had on the people of Ukraine and millions of Africans through ensuing food crisis.

I read a recent book, "A paradise built in hell", by Rebecca Solnit, which allowed me to understand that through real challenge comes resourcefulness, an opportunity to change, reset our why and pull together as a team. Furthermore, I was blessed to have recently attended "The Resilient Business program" hosted by Goldman Sachs. I learnt that through challenging times ambitious leaders can look at their business, identify opportunities, remove redundancy in their processes and innovate.

As a small business with big ambition, we have done just that this year. I am proud to say that we have not stood still (which would be a success in its own right in these times) but grown, both in terms of headcount, new sectors, client base and revenue.

We have been fortunate – our core markets are hot topics in Africa currently:

• Energy has become a priority for many investors, and thanks to our Power team we have been able to support on numerous searches, more so in renewable energy vs. traditional power generation.

• Our Technology team has continued supporting clients in what many regard as one of the most exciting African investment subsectors, Datacentres and wider digital infrastructure.

• Due to the sad news from Ukraine a renewed focus has been directed towards food security and in turn, Agriculture. We are proud to say that we continue to lead the African way when it comes to our knowledge and expertise in farming and food value chains.

• Our Aquaculture team has enjoyed a record-breaking year, supporting clients in the Americas, Middle East and Africa.

• International Development continues to grow, with an enhanced focus on health-centred organisations this year.

Talent, leadership and recruitment are fundamental to the success of any mission. We take our work seriously and do our very best to continue delivering as comprehensive and diligent a recruitment process as possible.

As I get older, and somewhat cynical of our planet's situation, what does give me real hope is the incredible people I work with, not least our clients, who work tirelessly and with genuine purpose.

We remain profoundly grateful to work in Africa and the wider Global south and thank all our clients for the trust they continue to place in our hands.

The crux of what I learnt from the recent Goldman Sachs course was to not shy away from looking within. Millar Cameron will double down on its values, we will continue to trust and value each other, ensuring that the golden thread through all of our work continues to be purpose and quality.

We hope you all have a wonderful break, and we look forward to working with you all in 2023.