In February 2020, the president of South African Chefs Association was exploring ways to ensure a sustained revenue stream for the association, which relied primarily on membership fees for survival. As a non-profit organization, South African Chefs Association had a rich history of representing chefs, enabling them to compete on the international stage, supporting their training and education, and providing members with networking opportunities and a community. The association faced several challenges; most notably, it needed to find an innovative solution to sustainable growth in terms of both membership and revenue numbers and the value created for members. The association's president needed to establish a sense of relevance and community for its members through a range of strategic partnerships and innovative value contributions, ensure its leadership reflected the racial makeup of the country, and reconsider its structure and purpose.

The third-generation leader of CFR Pharmaceuticals had been successful in executing a strategy of consolidating pharmaceutical firms across Latin America. As part of the company's expansion strategy, the CEO explored opportunities to develop multiple sources of growth and expand CFR Pharmaceutical's footprint in emerging markets; to do this, he found a company in South Africa, Adcock Ingram, to acquire. The combined company would offer CFR product synergy and diversification, improved manufacturing and distribution capabilities and a unique emerging market footprint in 23 countries. In the process of making an offer of approximately US$1.2 billion to acquire the company, the CEO faced increased interest in Adcock from other potential acquirers. He also encountered a series of difficulties when an Adcock shareholder resisted the acquisition, but CFR maintained the consistent support of the Adcock Ingram board.