NeoTshepo Tsotsotso

For the love of storytelling!

Professional Experience:

Organisation:                 Clark-Group

• Location:               Durban North I KwaZulu-Natal
• Period:                  January 2022 – Current
• Role:                      Key Accounts Director – Massmart / Walmart. 

Main Responsibilities:

• Client services & logistical management within FMCG sector – distribution
• Management and coordination of shipments with both shippers/trucks/distribution warehouse/retail
• Communication and messaging management 
• Stakeholder relations management (internal/external)
• Provide day-to-day logistics support for the customer (Massmart / Walmart)
• Designing and monitoring project shipments from initiation, execution, and billing
• Departmental support planning & for determining cost-effective means of transporting several types of products and equipment considering the delivery requirements
• Analysing routes and means of transportation, negotiating fees, and co-ordinating with regional and national Operations Department
• Data analysis of carriers and rates and translation of information into cost reports
• Monitoring all carrier performance and providing feedback to executive management
• Responsible for selecting carriers according to needs of the client
• Profit and cost analysis for various accounts
• Facilitating meetings with carriers and clients as necessary
• Conducting special projects. 

Organisation:                 Battalion Communications: Marketing Communications & Activations Agency

• Location:               Waverley, Johannesburg South Africa
• Period:                  January 2015 – December 2022
• Role:                      Client Services Director– Communication &Sponsorship.

Main Responsibilities:

• Overall responsibility for the planning and implementation of brand, sponsorship, and communication campaigns
• Driving strategies in supportof client/business goals
• Ensuring alignment across businessunits
• Leading the development and activation of strategic solutions; building brand equity and delivering commercial results for brand and sponsorship assets /properties
• Building and maintaining relationships with key partners
• Tracking and measuring contractual assets
• Collaborating with cross functional teams (media broadcasters, digital, packaging, legal, trademark, consumer relations, regulatory bodies etc.) to plan, facilitate and advise on brand programming and creative deliverables (ROI focused)
• Agency budget management as well as staff management
• Weekly, monthly, and quarterly presentations / updates
• Reputation management and crisis communication planning.

Organisation:    Open Field [formerly known as TrinergyBrand Connectors]

• Location:               Midrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
• Period:                  November 2013 – January 2015
• Role:                      Account Director: Sponsorship [Emerging markets]
• Clients:                  Vodacom AND Old Mutual Finance Group.

Role overview:                

Oversaw the management of client sponsorship assets.  Ensured that contractual, commercial and brand deliverables were executed in line with set targets. Memorable campaigns include Management and activation of Vodacom sponsorship assets; Vodacom Durban  July, Vodacom Kaiser Chiefs and Orlando Pirates sponsorship as well as leading the Old Mutual sponsorship portfolio (Music, athletics, and lifestyle).

Organisation:    The AllureGroup [formerly known as The Communications Firm]

• Location:               Bryanston, Johannesburg, South Africa
• Period:                  June 2009 – October2013
• Role:                      Account Director: Brand Communication
• Clients:                  MTN, Unilever, AdcockIngram, SABMiller Anglo American Platinum& Peermont.

Role overview:                       

Management of FMGC client brand and communication portfolio (daily operations as well as strategic planning and implementation). Memorable campaigns include Re-brand of SABMiller products namely, Castle Milk Stout, Hansa Pilsener and Brutal Fruit. The MTN Y’ello campaign during the 2010 FIFA World Cup was also exciting and delivered life-longand positive lessonsand memories from a personaland professional perspective.

Organisation:                    South AfricanBroadcasting Corporation (SABC)

• Location:              Auckland Park, Johannesburg, South Africa
• Period                  May 2008 – May 2009
• Role:                     Freelance: News producer, Sport reporter and Writer. Role Overview

Sport news researcher, producer, writer, and gate keeper.Managed the daily and weeklycontent programming scheduleworking. Management of media contracts with advertisers and broadcasting houses. 

Organisation:    ENCA

• Location:             Hyde Park, Johannesburg, South Africa
• Period:                April 2007 – May 2008
• Role:                    Freelance Sports Anchor

Role Overview:           

Sports news researcher, producer, writer, and anchor. Responsible for presenting daily and weekendtelevision sport news bulletins. Other tasks included,but were not limited to, conducting interviews, setting-up interviews, booking camera equipment, attending press conferences, reporting from LIVE matches as well as editing and packaging content for on-air distribution.

Organisation:                   SuperSport

• Location:             Randburg, Johannesburg
• Period:                April 2007 – May 2008
• Role:                    Freelance Sports Producerand Writer.

Role Overview:           

Sport news researcher & writer for Blitz. Responsible for content packaging and delivery of the hourly sport news bulletin on Blitz. Other tasks includedbut were not limited to, conducting interviews, setting- up interviews, attending press conferences, reporting from LIVE matches, and occasionally presenting local cricket (SS2).

Organisation:                   Kaya FM [radio station]

• Location:             Rosebank
• Period:                March 2007 – May 2008
• Role:                    Freelance Sports News Editor.

Role Overview:           

Sport News Editor: Management of the radio station’s (sports news department) budget, staff, and content programming. I was also responsible for managing the station’s dailysport show (on and off air), which at the time had 2.86 million daily listeners, while also managing the departments’ sponsorship, commercial and advertising obligations (+/- R95 million).

Organisation:                   Cricket SouthAfrica [South Africa’s Cricket Governing Body]

• Location:             Illovo, Johannesburg, South Africa
• Period:                February 2003 – February 2007
• Role:                    Intern & then Media & Communications Officer.

Role Overview:           

Working under three Principals (Communication HOD; Marketing HOD and Commercial HOD) was probablyone of best experiences earlier in my career. My main role was to manage the day-to-day media functions as well as to support the marketing and sponsorship teams respectively. Tasks included: writing daily and weekly press releasesand statements, seasonalmatch-day brochures, websitecopy and socialmedia, content generation and media relations management.  

Individual Consulting Roles: Outside of Battalion Communications.

Organisation:                     IX Engineers

• Period:                  January – May 2019
• Role:                       Communications & Marketing Executive: Assisted CEO and EXCO in a preparing and delivering their 2019 marketing campaign (B2B), which focused on the St Helena International Airport (Campaign won the International Airports Award for design).

Organisation:                     InstictifPartners

• Period:                  January 2014– December2015
• Role:                      As Senior Consultant responsible communications I assisted the agency with reputation and crisis management deliverables for their listed clients. Focus areas were investor relations and shareholder communication, crisis planning and reputation management.

Organisation:                     Barloworld

• Period:                  April – December2007
• Role:                      Tour de FranceSponsorship PR Manager [SA based]

I worked for Magna Carta Agency and represented Team Barloworld Cyclingahead of (and during)the 2007 Tour de France.Responsible for managedthe team’s sponsorship and public relationsactivations while also handling mediarequests. 

Education:
 

• National Diploma: Public Relations Management – University of Johannesburg (2005). 
• 2023 UNISA Registration – BSC Applied Math & Computer Science
• Grade 12 Senior Certificate/A-levels (2002)

Recent Achievements:

• Winner: Best PR Brand Campaign at the 2017 Global Entrepreneurship Congress (171 countriesrepresented)
• Part of team that launched South Africa’sfirst commercial radiostation since 1994 (Power FM) - 2013
• 2019 International Airports award Best Design – St Helena International Airport.

Ends.

Three year communications and PR diploma