Headed by Attie Butler, The Assessment Toolbox has grown into one of the largest privately owned Assessment Houses in South Africa and a leading HR consultancy, becoming known for its efficient and practical solutions that bring companies to life. Indeed, The Assessment Toolbox reinvigorates, restores, and reintroduces morale, efficacy and passion to the workplace.
The Assessment Toolbox’s genesis came in 2007, and since then has established itself as one of the largest and most competitive independently owned assessment companies in South Africa. Working with clients in both the public and private sectors, The Assessment Toolbox specialises in the provision of HR consulting services, psychometric assessments and bespoke design competency-based simulation tools. Moreover, it boasts staff across three offices, and a reliable network of associates across the country, which enables The Assessment Toolbox to provide a seamless service to its clients, no matter where they’re based in the nation.
‘I bought the company in 2019 just before the pandemic started. During the 2nd quarter of 2020 we were impacted by being unable to deliver our services, however I communicated to all the staff on a daily basis with a general e-mail to keep them positive and motivated during the uncertain times. I used this time to develop a strategy to firstly recover and secondly to establish serious growth,’ explains Arthur Butler.
Perhaps better known as Attie Butler, the Owner of The Assessment Toolbox he also has several other ventures within his portfolio, including being co-founder and CEO of Ignite Advisory, a well-established consulting business focusing on public sector consulting that under his leadership pioneered various unique solutions including performance management and shared services. He is also the founder and CEO of HRMConnect, a company focusing on human resource management consulting uniquely linked to strategy deployment ensuring return on employee investment. He is a published author, has acted as Chairperson of School Governing Bodies, and has lectured at the University of Stellenbosch’s School of Public Leadership and its Business School.
Prior to fulfilling his own business ventures, Attie served as Senior Manager at Deloitte, where he focused on strategy and innovation and on the coordination of local government consulting. He also worked as an Auditor managing an Audit Centre at the Office of the Auditor-General. When asked about these roles, Attie tells us, ‘I am extremely grateful for the experience gained at the office of the Auditor General […] and at Deloitte. Deloitte is amazing in employee development and growth, and I have learnt how important it is to care for your staff and to develop them on all levels. The national and international exposure, the training and development experienced at the best of the best, was special and allowed me to do what I do best.’
Such experiences have informed Attie’s approach to leadership, which is centred around supporting his team members and creating a positive working environment. In his own words, he believes in maintaining open communication with all staff, forging a family environment where everyone cares for each other, look out for others, and support each other. He prefers to act as a team member, and not the unreachable boss in the glass office – he wants to lead by example. Consequently, this approach allows The Assessment Toolbox and its team to consistently exceed its clients’ expectations and deliver exceptional standards of work.
‘I also share the financial targets and celebrating the achievement with all staff, so that each of us know what we are working for and what we have achieved. This comes with great rewards for great achievements and recognition for when one of us makes a difference. I have also introduced a trophy system whereby staff can recognise each other when they have identified exceptional work or where someone goes the extra mile. I also believe that every employee should be given the opportunity to take ownership of their career and be developed to excel. I must create such opportunities through business growth, sharing my knowledge and experience, allowing team members to take initiative and make mistakes. Quick decision making and well thought-through strategies is key’ he noted.
It is clear that his approach and servant leadership style has been successful, as during his time as CEO, Attie has smashed several key targets. In the past year alone, he has grown the revenue of Assessment Toolbox by 22%, and his goal for next year is to increase this figure for all the companies by a further 15%. They are looking forward to potentially adding additional services for private sector clients, and The Assessment Toolbox has recently been appointed by a government department to redesign the local government senior management competency assessment framework, which he believes will become a game changer in the employment and development of local government leadership. Ignite Advisory has also established a new human resource management service line of which they are already reaping the benefits.
The Assessment Toolbox is expected to continue along this upward trajectory, continuing to reach astronomical targets that bolster its business across the globe. The company’s devotion to its clients and the positive team spirit have amplified the success, with much of this attitude stemming from its CEO, Attie Butler. In turn, it is CEO Monthly’s pleasure to award Attie Butler CEO of the Year, 2022 – Cape Town, South Africa.
Attie humbly concludes, ‘I believe that my success and our company’s success is based on the contribution of every single employee, and I am extremely grateful for the amazing work families. These successes are definitely not mine, but that of very special teams.’
