ell us about your early life and career ? I was born in the North West Province , where I attended school and university .

My first jobs were in PR , broadcast and print media . There I learned about the value of customer service as well as the power of media in promoting brands , both extremely important in the tourism industry . My subsequent roles as head : conferences and protocol at the South African Reserve Bank ; events and marketing manager for the City Centre Hotel in Manama , Bahrain ; events specialist at Absa Bank South Africa ; head of events at the City of Ekurhuleni ; head of the Tshwane CVB ( Pretoria ) and business tourism manager at South African Tourism all cemented my passion for this industry .

What was an early project you are particularly proud of and an early defining career moment ? I was proud to be part of the conceptualising and building of , and ultimately the management of , the South African Reserve Bank Conference Centre . This was the first strong break into the business events industry and prepared me for the role I now occupy .

Another project was the establishment of Association Day at Meetings Africa , an association educational and networking platform created for the African Associations Industry . This was one of my “ babies ” during my time at South African Tourism . This platform has grown into one of the major highlights for Meetings Africa .

Tell us about your role at Tshwane CVB . What was your biggest achievement and biggest challenge there ?

My role as executive director for the Tshwane Convention and Visitors was to develop the marketing strategy for the City of Tshwane as a preferred destination for business and leisure events .

I would say my biggest achievement was the development of the CVB strategy and leveraging the unique selling proposition of Tshwane ( the country ’ s research and academic hub and the only city with a Big-5 game reserve within its municipal borders ).

Another memorable achievement from my tenure was pioneering the City of Tshwane ’ s first-ever participation in the Global Destination Sustainability Index , which brought international attention to Tshwane ’ s sustainability ranking .

There are always challenges . Legislative restrictions and red tape sometimes meant that we missed great opportunities for the destination . However , I am proud to say I worked with a team that had a winning attitude and made the impossible happen .

South Africa ’ s MICE offer has grown tremendously , and thanks to the development of more CVBs and most importantly , the National Convention Bureau , led by Ms Amanda Kotze- Nhlapo , we are a real global

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contender and we can host any size of global event on our shores .

You had about three months at the helm of CTICC before the pandemic took hold . How has that been ? Before I joined , the CTICC , led by former CEO Julie-May Ellingson had a good Q1 and Q2 of the 2019 / 2020 financial year . When I joined in January 2020 , the company was also set for a good third quarter and it was . However , our plans for the remaining fourth quarter of our financial year were disrupted by the global pandemic , and the travel and tourism industry was brought to a halt .

I am fortunate that I took over a very successful organisation as CEO . The CTICC is a well-oiled machine with an exceptionally capable and dedicated team . My top priority was the strengthening of stakeholder and industry relationships . If you look after your clients and stakeholders when times are good , they will look after you when times are hard .

A lot of events at the CTICC were postponed instead of cancelled , which is a testament to great relationships .

Like most organisations around the globe , we were shell-shocked by the impact of Covid-19 on our business , communities , industry and the economy . However , we needed to adapt quickly and the CTICC quickly embraced the saying “ don ’ t let a good crisis go to waste ” in our response to the pandemic ’ s impact .

In partnership with the national , provincial and municipal governments , we converted CTICC 1 into a Covid-19 field hospital . The Hospital of Hope was constructed in a space of six week and was Africa ’ s biggest Covid-19 field hospital , with 862 beds . This initiative did not only assist in ensuring that our venue earned some much-needed revenue