Written by, Adilia Joubert, Founder & Account Director
In light of Women’s month I have decided to pay homage to amazing women I have been working with while managing different accounts. These women have wonderful qualities, each unique to them. I have been lucky enough to work with these women and see how they have adapted and asserted their qualities into their careers.
Jill Young-Schutte is an amazing entrepreneur! With a can-do attitude and fearless tenacity I have seen Jill tackle any challenge she has come up against and not just ‘getting through’ but absolutely excelling. She has taken the knocks and lessons that life has given her as a way to help other entrepreneurs by developing EvenMe!, a portal and app aimed at the youth to give them practical tips and online courses to better themselves, get a job, start a business or move up the corporate ladder. Powerful stuff in a time when so many of our youth feel unempowered, demotivated and starved to make a life for themselves. Jill,thank you for sharing your journey with me our team, we LOVE working with you and look forward to publicising EvenMe! and creating even more awareness of this amazing platform.
A friend, a colleague and my sounding board, Genevieve Cutts and I have been working together since 2003. As a junior to the industry, Genevieve showed me the ropes in the world of local TV and celebs. Some of the lessons were tough, others more fun and enjoyable but as a teacher she had the patience of a saint. Genevieve has shown me that kindness and patience are essential when training new staff but being firm and clear about what is not acceptable is just as important. Thank you for your regular input and feedback on ideas for new clients, campaigns and other day to day challenges that come up.
Mango OMC is our partner agency in Cape Town and although the whole team of amazing women are great to work with it is the owner, Nicole Capper that I have really formed my bond with. Nicole has a strategic mind second to none and her drive to constantly improve systems and procedures to keep churning out exceptional results for clients, is awe-inspiring. We at Listen Up are so privileged to be able to work on accounts together with Mango and learn better ways of doing things while also sharing our insights, tips and tricks with Nicole and her wonderful team. Long may our partnership grow and our sharing continue to nourish our companies and ourselves as women in business.
Junelle Germishuizen is an ambitious entrepreneur, whose drive for perfection and high quality output is absolutely infectious! As a trend setter, Junelle has amazing insight and nerves of steel to rapidly and strategically morph her business to address the next big thing in the food and hospitality industry. Even before the industry knows that they will have this need in the near future. Her company, Lardiere Fine Foods, has recently expanded into a factory to accommodate all the orders for international quality, high-end, artisanal, bespoke room treats. She supplies elite hotels that are just as focused on perfection and high quality like The Saxon, Marataba Lodge and the Rovos Rail, among others. An absolute pleasure to work with Junelle and her team.
There are other special women I have had the pleasure to work with. Including copy-writer extraordinaire Colleen Lewis from 10 Plus Media, Laurel Pretorius and Loren Philips both exceptional freelancers who between them can cover topics within the lifestyle, corporate, IT and financial sectors. Gorgeous women making our jobs as publicists easier with high quality and newsworthy press releases, thought leadership articles and opinion editorials. Erin Laschinger is an old school friend and fantastic graphic designer! Her support in work and life have really been invaluable to me being able to get my company started and keeping me going through the highs and lows that come with running your own business.
Another fine example of dedication and diligence is in our newest team member Amoryn Golden. Her knowledge of the social media landscape compliments my knowledge of the traditional media landscape and together we are able to deliver great results for PR and marketing campaigns for our clients.
Being a women in this day and age is still tough. There is still oppression in some parts of the world and even the women who are not oppressed by society are inundated with roles and responsibilities that extend past their careers and businesses. Working with the aforementioned amazing women has helped me overcome challenges and moments of overwhelm. I am blessed and honoured to work with each and every one of you and to have your valuable insight and support on my journey. Thank you!