Timber iQ February - March 2019 // Issue: 42 | Page 54

REGULARS - IN PROFILE
A feel for wood
Ines Marktl of ITM Timber Merchants touches base with
Timber iQ, offering a glimpse into the South African timber
sector through a fresh pair of eyes.
By Candace Sofianos King
E
fficiency, customer care, accountability,
professionalism and cooperation are the words
to describe the values of ITM Timber Merchants,
the Cape Town-based timber suppliers of imported
timber and timber products.
Thomas Marktl, managing director, first started a
high end market kitchen and cupboards business with
30 employees which allowed him to manufacture and
sell in the Western Cape and also export to Namibia
and Zambia. He decided he wanted to open a timber
merchant company that would supply imported timber
from across the world. Decades later, ITM Timber
Merchants is a thriving timber and board specialist
business and would not be a success without the ITM
team. This is the story of the newest ITM team
member, Ines Marktl, marketing assistant.
Q TELL US ABOUT YOUR BACKGROUND?
I finished my studies in 2017 and I was not sure
whether I wanted to join the profession that I studied;
therefore, I started working at ITM Timber Merchants
as I knew this would be a great opportunity for me to
learn how to be part of a successful business. I am very
lucky that my father allowed me to work beside him as
I can understand a business from the view point of a
managing director – not many people have this
opportunity that I have, and I am very grateful for it. I
have a degree in corporate communications and
honours in strategic brand communications. I studied
the degree at Varsity College and honours at Vega, all
in Cape Town.
I am responsible for all marketing related projects – I
manage the company’s social media accounts; handle
all the advertising that we do; and manage the
website, ensuring it is updated frequently. I ensure our
online presence is updated frequently to keep our
clients and followers interested and to ensure they
learn something new as often as possible. My position
is an internship to help me understand how a business
functions and to gain work experience. My aim for the
company is to increase our client base through social
media and marketing activities by implementing new
communication and marketing channels.
52 FEBRUARY / MARCH 2019 //
Q PLEASE SHARE WHAT YOUR ROLE IS
AT ITM?
Ines Marktl, ITM Timber Merchants’ sales and marketing assistant.
Q WHAT ATTRACTS YOU TO THIS INDUSTRY?
We only buy from suppliers who are FSC-certified, and I
strongly believe in the products that we have to offer because
timber as a material is eco-friendly, boasts a very small carbon
footprint and is the future of building. I enjoy what I do
because I am always learning something new and
understanding the issues that businesses come across on a
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