One on One With The Amazing Thamiso Manne
One on one with the amazing Thamiso Manne. Thamiso Laone Manne is a professional Public Relations and Marketing Manager at Botswana Institute of Chartered Accountants (BICA). There is a lot more than meets the eye on her role as a marketing guru who enjoys her ability to change lives through her profession. StartupMag BW had a chat with cheery Manne on her career and the journey to becoming the brilliant lady she is today.
Q: Please give us a background of yourself; a little bit on your upbringing as well as your academic background:
A: I had a very easy upbringing. I grew up in a loving home with my mother. We stayed in different parts of the capital city Gaborone from Phiring (Broadhurst) to Block 9, now in Mogoditshane Block 7 where I have stayed for the remaining years of my life. I am very grateful to have experienced life like that and to have met people in different areas of Gaborone. It gave me an appreciation of the changes of life and the differences in people.
As for my education I moved around in many schools until I finally settled in at Botlhale International school to do my Primary Schooling Leaving Education (PSLE), went on to do my junior high school in Tloga-Tloga CJSS and finished off my senior school at Rainbow High School. After completing high school my desire was to become a criminal lawyer but later decided to pursue a Hons. Degree in Business Management at Botswana Accountancy College which equipped me with the skills & knowledge I have and I am currently implementing in my career today.
Q: Since you ventured in Public Relations and Marketing with BICA, what are some of the things you
have focused on?
A: The profession its self is multi-dimensional. These include managing the reputation of the brand, planning PR & Marketing campaigns and strategies, implementation and development of CSR initiatives on key focus areas in the CSR policy, monitoring media’s placement, writing & editing all media content, monitoring of digital platforms (social media, CRM & Website). But one of the key focus areas is the monitoring of compliance to customer service standards within the institute; customers are a very important aspect of any organization.
Q: Why did you choose this specific line of work; what do you treasure the most about your career?
A: This line of work honestly chose me. I did however have a passion and keen interest in Branding and Sustainable Development modules in college, so growing in the space of marketing I realized that these aspects are dealt with in the sector. The fondest thing about my career is the ability to change lives. People don’t understand that brands build communities and therefore being part of such a process makes me very happy. The other thing is being able to put my creativity to work, I always feel like the child in me will never die. Seeing my ideas on billboards, radio and any other media makes me extremely happy.
Q: What are some of the areas of growth or opportunity in this field that you have made your key
priority?
A: Corporate Social Responsibility and sustainable development. I believe that as organizations it is important that we understand the role we play in the community we operate in; we need to implement strategies that are sustainable enough to preserve or improve the future generation. My key priority is to therefore find solutions to current problems with a future outlook.
Q: What advice can you give prospective persons in your line of work today?
A: There are no one size fits all approach to be honest. But the key is to focus on self-evolution and development. Always seek mentors and network with like minds and even different minds, this will help you grow yourself and profession. But always be willing to accept change.
Q: On a lighter note, what are your hobbies and any extra work you are in engaged in when you are
not in the office?
A: I am a writer, more than anything writing is my passion. I hope to finally publish my anthology of collection of poems. I think its overdue now. I owe it to my 18-year-old self. She was resilient!
