INTERVIEW | SA Women revving things up in the wheel world

Brenwin Naidu speaks to three women helping to steer the future of motoring in Mzansi.

ANTHEA MARTIN: Toyota SA

Talk us through your background.

I studied a Bcom in marketing management at the University of Johannesburg. Soon after graduating, I joined Toyota SA as a marketing graduate in the graduate programme. I spent the next year and a half learning all there is to learn about the sales and marketing environment as it pertains to the motor industry before settling in marketing communications. I worked as a marketing manager for Lexus SA before moving to my current position as sponsorships and promotions manager. I’m proud to say I was Lexus marketing manager when we launched what in my opinion is the most beautiful sports car, the Lexus LC500. Five years later it is still one of my highlights with the Lexus brand. I also consider myself quite fortunate to have worked for Toyota’s niche and luxury brand, and I’m equally enthusiastic about my current role.  

Walk us through a day in your role.

No two days are the same in my area. However, a typical day consists of meetings with agencies and internal stakeholders ,where the goal is to create exciting campaigns and add value for our sponsorships. At Toyota SA Motors (TSAM), our sponsorships portfolio is wide, including motorsport, rugby, soccer, road running, cycling, e-sports, para sports, equestrian sports, ambassadors and others. Some of the entities are managed by my colleagues. I also split my time between managing my portfolio and ensuring my team is motivated and engaged. My day-to-day administration responsibilities include project and budget management as well as overseeing contracts with some of our partners. There are weekends when we set up at venues to support our stakeholders or host guests at major sporting events. On such occasions we sell or give away Toyota merchandise. We also try to ensure there is visible Toyota branding at such events as this is a great way to connect with our customers and potential ones.  

Challenges and rewards of your position?

Working with such an array of stakeholders and figuring out a way to blend everyone’s objectives is always challenging. It is also no secret we work with big budgets and our goal, as TSAM, is to build meaningful and mutually beneficial relationships with our stakeholders. To get the perfect balance is quite a challenge. In addition, we receive a lot of sponsorship proposals from people and entities across the country, and I feel sad we cannot support every initiative although I know we’re doing our best to make a difference Seeing the final product come together after months of hard work is always very fulfilling and exciting. One of the biggest partnerships we have is with Kaizer Chiefs and I feel privileged I have watched a few Soweto derbies from our Toyota suite at the FNB Stadium. The other sponsorship close to my heart is Dream Car. As part of our social contribution initiatives, we conduct the Dream Car Art Contest every year to nurture the creativity of young minds. The competition is open to children under the age of eight, eight to 11 years and 12 to 15 and has been a great success since inception.

In which areas can the local motor industry improve?

I am fortunate to work in a division that has a good representation of women in terms of demographics. However, I do feel that on a global and national scale, there is room for improvement when it comes to gender parity. The automotive sector has traditionally been male-dominated. However I see the improvements in technology as a great catalyst. It should now be more about brains than brawn.

CHARMAINE BONTSI MAPHETO: Mercedes-Benz

Talk us through your background. 

I have been in the motoring industry for some years, having started at another luxury automotive brand where I was responsible for the marketing of a group of dealerships. Fast forward to 2019 where I joined Mercedes-Benz SA, and it has been an exciting upward journey. I joined Mercedes-Benz SA a as retail marketing communication specialist for passenger cars, and was responsible for national and neighbouring country dealerships from a retail and marketing perspective, contributing to driving the company’s sales business objective. I have recently been promoted to global brand and top-end vehicles specialist where I am responsible for the operational management of content adaptations for overseas markets to assure optimal execution and governance of global campaigns. Overseas markets are made up of the following area and countries: southeast Asia, Middle East, Latin America, South Korea, Australia and SA to name a few.

Walk us through a day in your role.

No two days are the same and each day comes with new adventures and new opportunities to learn, grow and evolve. A typical morning will start with a good cup of coffee while working through emails, assisting a specific overseas market with their plans to activate campaigns, building presentation slides, being in meetings where I represent the overseas region, and engaging with most of my global counterparts on what is topical for the day.

Challenges and rewards of your position?

 A challenge that stands out is aligning overseas markets to a global campaign where all markets will want the campaign to speak to their requirements. In understanding that all regions are different, I always have to keep in mind that it’s not a one-size-fits-all approach, but finding the middle ground that will make overseas markets happy. That’s what I strive for. The rewards really make the effort I put in and the lessons I learn worthwhile. The greatest reward is in seeing my contributions come to life, not only nationally but internationally as well.

In which areas can the local motor industry improve?

We are a country filled with endless opportunities and the motoring industry has, and continues to, contribute a great deal in SA as a whole. There is room for women to not only grow but also get into the industry and take on more roles that are male-dominated, such as women in the assembly line, dealer principals, female technicians and many others.   

TESSA COOKE: Nissan

Talk us through your background.

Born and raised in Pretoria as a proudly local Jacaranda City girl, nothing quite compares to the sights and scents of the purple blossoms filling the air. As a student at the University of Pretoria, as legend had it, you would pass all your exams if a jacaranda flower fell on your head, so it goes without saying the blossoms were a welcome sight on campus. My Nissan journey began in 2010 as a marketing graduate trainee within the light commercial vehicle marketing team. Over the years I have held a variety of positions in the marketing communications, product planning and customer experience portfolios. Being responsible for several projects throughout my time at Nissan, a personal highlight so far has been the launch of the locally produced and award-winning Nissan Navara.

Walk us through a day in your role.

Working for a brand focused on pioneering new technologies, enriching people’s lives and creating exiting experiences each day is an adventure. I currently lead the team in implementing and positioning the Nissan brand and key products with a strong focus on the customer experience across all touchpoints for Africa. This year is incredibly exciting as we prepare to launch the all-new Nissan Qashqai and much-anticipated Nissan Adventure Club.

Challenges and rewards of your position?

Managing a portfolio across Africa, it is imperative to ensure local relevance and relatability in everything we do. While challenging, ensuring we keep the customer central to everything we do is what inspires us. It was only until my boys were born that I truly understood the power of influence, and there is no better reward to be part of initiatives that enrich and improve people’s lives. Facing many headwinds throughout Covid-19 and semi-conductor impacts, to mention a few, having a spirit to embrace challenges, change and find new approaches to business has taught me the skills of resilience and agility and the importance of maintaining a healthy work life balance.  

In which areas can the local motor industry improve?

Focusing on accelerating being able to adapt to consumer trends and gender diversity in senior roles across the industry.  

Next week we meet leading figures from Ford, Isuzu and Volkswagen.