"I started as a graduate at the University of Johannesburg back in 2004, and I'm now a Senior Account Manager working in the Johannesburg office of Magna Carta.
I've had the opportunity to work across almost every type of account over the last few years, from ICT, business, corporate to consumer. It's given me a good foundation to build on, as well as a chance to discover what I really enjoy - working in the media. I'm now part of the Standard Bank, Social Relevance team in Johannesburg and my skills are used for the other Standard Bank, portfolios such as PBB (Personal Business Banking), CIB (Corporate and Investment Banking) which include Home loans, Consumer, VAF (Vehicle & Asset Finance) etc.
I also worked on the DLF IPL Cricket account dealing with the media throughout the campaign. On the Standard Bank account I worked on and managed several campaigns such as Mandela House Re-opening, PAST Fossil finding, Pro 20 Cricket, TechnoServe (Believe Begin Become) and the HIV/AIDS campaign, etc.
Starting out my career at the University of Johannesburg was a great opportunity to fast-track my skills and I learnt an incredible amount in the time I spent there - everything from basic media relations to event management. Joining Idea Engineers in 2005 enabled me to use everything I have learnt in a new context, as well as really develop my creative thinking and challenge myself to come up with ideas that push the boundaries.
At Idea Engineers I worked on a number of PR retainer accounts. My clients included, The Headache Clinic, Consology, The African Management Services Company (AMSCO), Acceleration, Acceleration Media and Idea Engineers. I have also assisted on a number including Gold Reef City Casino and Theme Park, Nashua Mobile, Acceleration and Research In Motion (BlackBerry).
I really enjoy being able to work across such a diverse set of clients, and even across countries when we work with our other offices on joint projects. Every client has different requirements - one day I'll be writing for a website whilst the next I'll be managing media at a national event. I'm also very lucky to have a great team of people around me not only to learn from, but also to have a laugh with at the end of a sometimes long day!