[Newsmaker] Sechaba Motsieloa from Magna Carta

Motsieloa takes over from Vincent Magwenya who has been with the TBWA\ Group for the past four and a half years.

Briefly tell us about your role as CEO of Magna Carta?

Motsieloa: My role, working with the business heads, is to secure the future of Magna Carta by making decisions now that will make us win in the present without compromising our future. Winning in the present gives the teams they lead the confidence to buy into the future. Finding harmony between all the stakeholder requirements and ensuring that we meet or exceed their expectations. I want us to do for our clients what our competitors can’t do or won’t do.

What will your first order of business be?

Motsieloa: Matching our current resource allocation to the needs of our clients and making adjustments where required. The starting point will be meeting with the business heads and staff leading projects to learn from them. At the same time I will also be meeting with clients to check if there are any gaps between their expectations and our commitments to them.

The biggest trend to note in your industry?

Motsieloa: Contextualising business and brand reputation in the dynamic digital world where reputation can be lost at a click of a button.

What is your core strategy?

Motsieloa: We are a leading world class African reputation management company. We offer reputation management solutions by partnering with our clients to inform strategy, corporate communication, brand communication, stakeholder relations, public affairs, investor relations, social PR, crises communication, their content in the media whilst ensuring a fully integrated approach to reputation management.

What is your main business challenge?

Motsieloa: The challenging economic environment with projected flat growth is putting pressure on consumers and as a result our clients have to constantly adjust the execution of their business plans. Internally therefore as Magna Carta we need to be nimble and offer our clients relevant solutions in response to the prevailing business conditions as well as the anticipated challenges in the future.

Most important attribute needed to do your job?

Motsieloa: Closing the gap between the promise made to clients and delivering on it. The ability to hold people accountable for their deliverables and supporting them by giving them the required resources and most importantly creating a working culture that sets them up to succeed.

What inspires you?

Motsieloa: Mother Nature. There is so much to learn from the flora and fauna about how to not only live, but to thrive.

What's at the top of your bucket list?

Motsieloa: Learning about our clients business, their opportunities and challenges in the market place so that I can align our people competencies and capability to better service them now and into the future. I will also be introducing myself to the people in the business as well as getting to know them. Our delivery is through our people so it will be very important to me to find how I can be an enabler for them.