Experience

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  Sugarbird Studios

  • Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa

  • Owner and Director

    • Jan 2013 - Present
    • Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa

    I founded Sugarbird Studios in 2013 to offer client and stakeholder engagement solutions to support transformative strategic conversation and mobilise around innovative thinking and shared futures. I act as a sole proprietor and build dynamic client solutions and interventions drawing on my network of diverse specialised talent and capability suited to the task at hand. My offering includes strategic thinking support and planning, on-camera stakeholder research, the creation of thought-provoking content, and the development of engagement platforms, as well as the curation and production of concept experiences and bespoke conferences.I also conceptualise, direct, and produce larger contextual projects for sponsorship by clients. These projects provide additional knowledge resources for clients to initiate more expansive conversations. re-story.world (https://vimeo.com/491069751), is my latest on-camera research project of this nature. Here I spoke to South Africans about life in COVID-19 times. re- story.world presents a compelling reflection of this extraordinary moment in history and calls for regenerative thinking to co-create a more compassionate world.The Incredible Curious Global Adventure, commissioned by Gen Re, another on-camera research project (https://vimeo.com/235313449), inspired my MPhil Inclusive Innovation and the evolution of my work and innovation focus. For this project, I travelled to 7 countries and interviewed over 70 people to bring home a thought-provoking story about disruptive innovation and a fast-changing world. Following on from this I produced a series of podcasts, directed and produced the interactive conference at which this documentary was launched and developed a series of innovation archetypes as a thought-provoking thinking tool.

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  Tuning the Vine #InnerCityWineRoute

  • Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa

  • Co-Founder and Director

    • Apr 2014 - May 2018
    • Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa

    In 2014, while operating as Sugarbird Studios, I conceptualised and launched Tuning the Vine #InnercityWineRoute & #JoziWineRoute, as an alternative urban wine experience for South African millennials. (https://tinyurl.com/ybu46xkh)

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  Transmediavision: Multiplatform Brand & Stakeholder Engagement Solutions

  • Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa

  • Owner and Director

    • Feb 2007 - Mar 2012
    • Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa

    I co-founded Transmediavision to provide multiplatform stakeholder engagement solutions to corporate clients.STRATEGY, PUBLIC RELATIONS, MARKETING SERVICES, AND RESEARCH: MOMENTUM (2008 TO 2010)I provided strategic consulting, public relations, and marketing services to Momentum to launch their new collective risk products and through an on-camera research initiative, I investigated a paradigm shift in employee corporate healthcare. BANKMED REPOSITIONING AND DEVELOPMENT OF NEW MULTIPLATFORM ENGAGEMENT SOLUTIONS (2009)I led the strategic repositioning of Bankmed, a closed medical aid scheme for the banking industry, introducing a multiplatform brand promotion and member engagement solution. This solution consisted of a Bankmed Live TV show, lifestyle events, health days at banks throughout South Africa, and a web-based lifestyle magazine portal.STRATEGIC ENGAGEMENT OF TRANSNET PORT TERMINALS STAKEHOLDERS (2009 TO 2011)I designed and conducted an on-camera strategic stakeholder inquiry for Transnet Port Terminals, developing a web-based stakeholder platform to enable industry-wide stakeholder engagement. Since the initial inquiry, I have performed stakeholder inquiries for Transnet Port Terminals Richards Bay in 2010 and Transnet Port Terminals Western Region in 2011. MULTIPLATFORM CONTENT DEVELOPMENT AND STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT SOLUTIONS (2010)From 2009 to 2010, I scripted and produced all the video content for the newly built Museum of Science and Technology in Islam at the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology in Saudi Arabia. I directed and populated a web-based engagement platform to showcase the museum content online, and produced a mobile app.NATIONAL STAKEHOLDER INQUIRY FOR TRANSNET NATIONAL PORTS AUTHORITY (2011)I designed and implemented a nationwide stakeholder Inquiry for Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA). With a change of leadership, the TNPA leadership wanted stakeholder input to inform their future direction and focus.

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  Citigate South Africa

  • Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa

  • Executive Director, Lead Strategist, Board Member

    • 2004 - 2007
    • Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa

    After a sabbatical, I was offered a position as Executive Director and Board Member at Citigate South Africa, part of the global Citigate Group based in London. As the agency lead strategist I secured new accounts such as Old Mutual, Momentum, Metropolitan, Coronation Fund Managers, African Harvest Fund Managers, Abvest Fund Managers, Engen, Airports Company South Africa (ACSA), Easypay, and Bankmed. I provided strategic, creative, and account leadership on these accounts and for the Transnet Port Terminals account managed by the Durban office.

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  The Creative Spot

  • Cape Town Area, South Africa

  • Owner and Director

    • 1994 - 2004
    • Cape Town Area, South Africa

    I established a marketing agency. Key accounts included Old Mutual, Fundamo, Investment South Africa, Nolands, Norwich Life (now Fedsure), and African Bank. The agency was sold to 8Seconds Branding and Design.After 6 years I resigned to take a sabbatical and develop an integrated brand-building model, Brandcare. This model presented a framework to think about and build brands on the idea of profit through greater purpose. This model became the basis for my consulting over the next few years.

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  Old Mutual South Africa

  • Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa

  • Assistant Divisional Manager

    • 1981 - 1994
    • Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa

    My career began in 1981 with Old Mutual, where I played a dynamic role in the development and leadership of sales promotion, market research, media planning, direct marketing, advertising, internal communications, and culture change divisions. I resigned in 1994 as Assistant Divisional Manager to start my own marketing agency, The Creative Spot.