Current position:
Client Service Manager at Sync PTY (ltd)
See www.sync.co.za

Points of Interest:
• Nearly 5 years experience in the marketing, and advertising, industry
• Nearly 3 of these 5 years, were in a management role
• FMCG bias, ito experience
. Notice: 30 days

Client services manager, overseeing 3 account managers. Sync: a medium sized TTL marketing and advertising agency with an impressive portfolio of clients, some of which include:
FMCG: The entire Anchor Yeast portfolio, some of the Adcock Ingram brands, some of the AVI brands (previously National Brands), McCain (on the potatoe side), Kellogg’s (mainly kid cereals), Tiger Brands and Designer Group etc.
Retail: KFC (Kumnandi group –their largest franchise group in SA)
IT/Financial: Acer and Liberty Life
Alcohol: SAB (Premium Brands and Branches), DGB Shooters and NPD
Other: Objectivity Research2008 (over 1500 telephonic interviews with hundreds of SA agencies) placed Sync as SA’s 10th best performing agency!

Responsibilities include:
Team: Day to day running of the team, couching and motivating the girls;
Company: Total company financial tracking and forecasting; Clients: Top client relationship and account management, new business development, presentation creation, strategic and budgeting direction, and of course reporting all of the above into our directors and MD.

Previous positions at Sync:

Account manager: April2006 to December 2007and account executive: May 2004 to March2006.

PRIOR TO SYNC: Conference manager at Terrapinn Limited:
Nov 2001 to May 2004 (2,5y) See www.terrapinn.com

Points of Interest:
• 2.5 years experience in the conference and eventing industry
• 2.5 years in a managerial role

Terrapinn is an international conference and eventing company, focusing on business conferences for industry leaders, exhibitions and corporate training workshops.
My function as conference manager encompassed putting the event together from A-Z.

Once given a topic, I would research it within the South African context, and evaluate its feasibility ito profit opportunity in the actual running of the event. I would then put the entire programme together, confirm all the international “need-to-hear/see” speakers and write all copy relating to the event (programme copy, web copy, marketing copy etc.)

I would also direct the other teams working on my event: Sales (ito delegate and sponsorship revenue), marketing, ops and admin (logistics) etc. On the actual event day, I would open the discussion, and make sure everything ran according to plan.

TERTIARY EDUCATION:
1999 – 2001 B-Com Marketing Management Degree at Midrand Campus

It is now known as the Midrand Graduate Institute. I received a certificate of achievement in 2000, and a certificate of excellence in2001 (which means that my average across all subjects was over 75%).

Majors included: Marketing Management, Statistics and Research and Financial Management.

1st year subjects: Business English, Business Management 1A&B, Economics1A&B, Computer Skills and Marketing 1, Personal selling and Qualitative Techniques, Consumer Behaviour and Introduction to Financial Accounting.
2nd year subjects: Advertising and Sales Promotion, Business Law, Marketing11 A&B, Marketing Research, Internet marketing, Research Methodology, Project Management, Economics 11 A&B, Entrepreneurship and Small Business Management, General Management.
3rd year subjects: Relationship Marketing, Business Ethics, Strategic Management, Organizational Change, Finance for Marketing, International Marketing, Promotions and Product Management, Research Methodology, Research Project, Internship(Held at Planet Fitness), Strategic Brand Management, Marketing for Services.

Other Experience:
1998: My ‘GAP’ year

I wasn’t sure what I really wanted to do with my life. I therefore opted to ‘test the waters’ before committing to study something I didn’t believe in 100%.

Impala Publishers: Assistant editor (African Connexion and Intra Africa) July to December 1998 (6m). This position included assisting in the launch of IntraAfrica (an economic and business guide to Africa). Much of the material was in German, which I translated into a useable English format.

Avonwold Publishing: Advertising assistant, Jan to June 1998 (6m). This position was my initiation into the business world– whatever the ladies wanted, was my job description. Last minute photo shoots, material collection, and some less challenging roles such as faxing, order confirmations and CI verifications etc.

SECONDARY EDUCATION:
Deutsche Schule zu Johannesburg

Matriculated 1997
With 3 languages: English, Afrikaans and German
Other subjects included: Mathematics, Geography and Biology
Extracurricular: Included swimming (1st team) and tennis

My Ambition:

“My choice of occupation is really important to me, if you are happy at work, you will be happy in your life”

Approaching 30 at a rapid rate, far too quickly for my liking, I am forced to look at my future in business with a far more stringent eye, thereby focusing on something that is secure, yet something that I love to do.

My passion lies in building brands, particularly but not exclusively in FMCG; my approach is analytical and strategic. If you had to chat to some of my staff or any one of my clients they may say that I am thorough, honest and straight-forward, and great at getting the best value out of any budget.

My ideal job would be either Brand Manager or Internal Communications Manager. This I see as buidling the brand from the inside out!

“As a principle-centered person you try to stand apart from the emotion of the situation and from other factors that would act on you, and evaluate the options. Looking at the balanced whole--the work needs, the family needs, the other needs that may be involved, and the possible implications of the various alternatives--you'll try to come up with the best solution taking all factors into consideration.” S. Covey

About me:

Married to a wonderful man (Andre, sales director at Planet Fitness) for nearly seven years now, I am the proud mother of two beautiful children, a lucky pigeon pair … and no, there are definitely no plans for more. These two darlings (most of the time) leave little room for hobbies therefore arts and crafts, gluing and painting and the like, take preference to reading, water sports or horse riding. Our home is situated in Lonehill, where we reside with our staffie and spaniel, and a rather fat cat. I have an EU passport, a valid driver’s license, and a ‘FUN' car, my GTI. My favourite thing to do: Travel to all weird and wonderful places all around the world!

Thora Kristin Cillié
Lonehill, Johannesburg
T +27 (0) 82 324 7744