| Nomahlubi Simamane
Nomahlubi V. Simamane CEO, Zanusi Brand Solutions South Africa www.zanusi.co.za Nomahlubi is an action-oriented business professional who is passionate about brands and branding, has chosen to take the risk of running her own branding consultancy business, Zanusi Brand Solutions established in 2001, and create employment for others when she could have easily joined one of the corporate companies as CEO/Managing Director/Marketing Director with guaranteed income and perks. She developed the Zanusi Migration Model™, a strategic tool that navigates a business through the process of modifying or changing to address new, opportunity markets without destroying the current source of profit. Under her leadership, Zanusi Brand Solutions has registered an annual compounded average revenue growth in excess of 30% over the past five years, having delivered brand building strategies and activating plans for blue chip companies and state-owned entities. These include: ACSA, Pick ‘n Pay, ZAIN (Celtel International), Premier Growth Group, Liberty Properties, Public Investment Corporation, University of Johannesburg, East African Breweries Limited and SABC. Client base extends to the rest of Africa, the UK and USA. Zanusi was the Finalist in 2008 AdFocus Awards within the Branding and Design category and ranked 15th. As a socially responsible corporate citizen, Zanusi has been involved in several initiatives including creating employment opportunities for Soweto artists aged 40+ and commissioning them to create artworks for Zanusi Clients. Zanusi has also been assisting a young African girl from Kwa-Zulu Natal by paying for her university tuition as well as securing her an internship to further her education and attain her Honors in Biochemistry at Elizabeth State University in North Carolina, USA. Nokulunga Ngwenya received a monthly stipend for living expenses from the company. Elda Oliphant, a blind, elderly African lady is also a beneficiary as she receives a monthly stipend from the company in addition to supporting her other needs which include medical support, local travel and accommodation. Nomahlubi is a very energetic and inquisitive person who enjoys constant challenges and is forever challenging herself and those around her. This is demonstrated by her capability to change from the Sciences to Branding as she graduated as a Biochemist. She has an impressive track record having worked for Unilever for 12 years including a three-year stint in Kenya. She rose through the ranks of Unilever after having hijacked brand marketing as senior Brand Manager for Rama Margarine, a first for Unilever to give such a senior marketing position to somebody who had not gone through their internal Marketing Development Program. She became the first Black Marketing Manager for Unilever in 1994. She spent a further five years at British American Tobacco as Marketing Director including two years in the USA, running a global project. To get this global position, she beat other incumbents from Europe and the Americas in panel interviews in London and Kentucky, USA. She also pioneered leadership of top 20 advertising agencies by a Black woman by becoming the Managing Director of BLGK Bates in 1999 (ranked 11th at that point). Each year, she brings interns into the business for on-the-job training opportunity and mentors aspiring Brand Strategists and younger black females. She sits on several boards including JSE listed Cashbuild, Oceana and Foschini Group. She is a guest lecturer at Wits Post Graduate School, University of Johannesburg, Vega School of Brand Communication and the University of Texas in San Antonio USA. She was the 2009 winner of the Top Businesswomen of the Year Award in the National Business Awards run by Top Companies and named the Businesswoman of the Year at the 2009 Black Business Awards run by BBQ. She was a finalist in the 2006 Business Women’s Associations Regional Business Achievers Awards sponsored by Nedbank; 2007 Top Women Awards 'Top Women in Business and Government' Company Category and CEO Magazine’s Most Influential Women ‘Meritorious Award’ in the SMME: Business Service Sector. Over and above this, Nomahlubi has managed to bring up 4 wonderful children on her own, three sons and a daughter, aged 20 to 27years. www.zanusi.co.za [ back ] |
