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CV

Professional Summary

Dynamic and results-driven Senior Marketing Manager with a decade of experience in developing and executing successful marketing campaigns for global brands. Currently based in Madrid, I possess a strong analytical foundation, further enhanced by a recent Business Analytics certification from Cambridge Judge Business School. I am currently pursuing a PhD in Business Management, providing me with a deep understanding of organizational behavior and strategic decision-making.

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My experience spans diverse sectors, including education (Berklee College of Music), technology (Apple), and international organizations like Grupo Cobra. I excel at project management, brand development, and digital marketing, with a proven ability to drive brand consistency, enhance client success, and foster collaboration across teams. I am a strong communicator and presenter, with fluency in English and Spanish.

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I am passionate about leveraging data-driven insights to inform strategic marketing decisions and create impactful campaigns that resonate with target audiences. I am eager to contribute my skills and experience to a dynamic and innovative organization where I can make a significant contribution to business growth.

Skills

Project Management  Campaign Management    Branding  Social Media    Events Content   Business management   Culture Marketing  Branding and Design  Product launch  Business Development  Strategic Planning  Team Leadership  

Work Experience

January 2023 - present

Boston, USA & Valencia, Spain

Senior Marketing Manager - Berklee College of Music

  • Work collaboratively with the Enrollment Director (Valencia) and the Senior Director of
    Enrollment Marketing (Boston) to execute marketing plans and identify new business
    development opportunities.

  • Manage the Berklee Valencia Enrollment marketing budget for Valencia campus programs.

  • Administrative responsibilities:

    • marketing and advertising budget management

    • purchase card sign-off and expense reports

  • Manage third-party vendor relationships for paid search, advertising, and web for Berklee Valencia.

  • Strategic planning of department goals establishing and maintaining prospect and applicant relationships through the recruitment funnel with plans that integrate over multiple marketing channels.

  • Be aware of all content and messaging and ensure continuity across all platforms

  • Ideation and planning of marketing messaging for all mediums.

  • In-depth knowledge of industry trends and relevant issues in digital, mobile, and content
    marketing.

  • Provide guidance and advice on technical aspects of marketing (analytics, marketing
    automation, database management, etc.).

  • Collaborate with Berklee campus departments, including Berklee Enrollment Marketing team in Boston, Berklee External Affairs (Communication) in Boston, and the Communication team in Valencia, to maintain brand consistency and alignment with the rest of Berklee.

  • Manage and collaborate internal and external marketing collaborations and sponsorships

  • Manage the work of the different providers that support the Valencia marketing area; as well as coordinate many providers that work with Boston and Valencia.

  • Develop partnerships with industry leaders and paid media partners for marketing
    collaboration.

  • Work closely with the Enrollment Strategic Research team to deliver regular reporting of
    marketing program results and effectiveness.

  • Assist the Enrollment division with institutional marketing efforts and operations as required to meet Berklee’s overall enrollment goals.

  • Represent Berklee Valencia in Marketing meetings and retreats with Boston.​

April 2021 - December 2022

London

Senior Marketing Project Manager - Pink Orange Media

  • Delivery lead for large multinational clients in Europe and Africa, working with hybrid teams spread across both continents.

  • Manage and deliver multiple large and complex projects concurrently, controlling project budgets, scope, and quality.

  • Hub of communication for projects - in regular contact with internal and external partners and preparing regular project status reports.

  • Work with client’s third-party agencies and suppliers to jointly scope, manage and deliver campaigns when appropriate.

  • Project governance and ensuring adequate logging of change requests, issues and risks.

  • Maintaining a high level of knowledge within my and the clients' field - key person whose opinion and advice on project delivery is actively sought by clients and colleagues.

  • Negotiating deadlines, budgets and deliverables for client and the agency

  • Stakeholder comms on project progress

April 2021 - December 2022

London

Head of Client Success - Pink Orange Media

  • Applying analytical and creative thought across client projects – data-driven & use of technology in building and managing a comprehensive marketing plan

  • Overseeing all content that is put out for the client brand.

  • Ensuring consistency across all client brand-related touchpoints.

  • Liaising with immediate team and wider company pillars to ensure collaboration and understanding across the business.

  • Finding new partnerships, both large and small, with a focus on growing the customer base.

  • Creating and executing high-growth marketing campaigns.

  • Creating and maintaining the marketing plan, ensuring continual improvement using hard data.

  • Paid social strategy and execution (including budgets, reporting and data analysis)

  • CRM strategy

2020 - 2021

Johannesburg & Madrid

Communication Management Consultant - Grupo Cobra

  • Communication management of local employees (South Africans) and employers of the project (Grupo Cobra - Spanish counterpart)

  • ​Strategic sourcing of suppliers - available as a resource for global counterparts

  • Providing timely execution of earlier supplier selection into the product development cycle

  • Procuring assigned services that provide the best overall value

  • Developing pricing agreements and systems contracts with suppliers

  • Constant research - Knowledgeable of market conditions for goods/services purchases

  • Working in conjunction with business units and suppliers to identify continuous improvement opportunities as services are strategically sourced

2018 - 2020

Johannesburg

Group Account Director - Halo Advertising

  • New business development - approaching different brands and pitching Halo Advertising as an advertising agency of choice

  • For each client brought in, I would play "lead" on the account to manage client needs as well as spearhead the strategy (see projects page)

  • Managing daily company operations to ensure a positive, safe, and profitable working environment

  • Implementing quality and productivity objectives to achieve company goals

  • Ensuring that employees follow the company standards, policies, and strategies

  • Coordinating with the Managing Director in planning short and long-term projects, budgets, expense controls, schedules, and manpower

  • Developing and implementing staffing and business plans to achieve business target

  • Evaluating key productivity indicators and implementing process improvement initiatives

  • Addressing operational, technical, and mechanical issues in a timely manner

  • Developing a positive working relationship with the support divisions and operations team to ensure proper operational support

  • Developing an operational strategy and ensuring that the operational activities meet the organisational requirements

  • Delegating weekly work assignments and schedules for employees

2017 - 2018

Johannesburg

Client & Employee Experience Manager - Halo Advertising

  • Develop Halo’s employee experience strategy - identify opportunities to refine the entire employee experience from onboarding to separation

  • Dedicated and ongoing outreach, consultation, and support to both the Halo team and clients/brands of Halo

  • Improving programs, processes, communication, and/or training to yield greater effectiveness and results

  • Manage all employee & client communications including documentation, emails, and face-to-face - creating the ‘people team’ communication strategy

  • Implementing and maintaining an incident-tracking system

  • Managing employee-facing vendors (relocation, contingent workforce)

  • Consulting with managers and leaders to define the job-specific and role-specific skills and behavioural competencies

  • Reviewing employee data relative to a group or function to gain insights into talent, and better understand things like career progression, development needs, etc.

  • Lead the Employee Engagement Survey and the Client Engagement Survey

  • Creating sustainable employee & client engagement strategies based on results to enhance experiences, and increase overall engagement

2016 - 2017

Johannesburg

Account Manager - Purple Plumm Communications

  • Compiling monthly marketing reports for clients

  • Writing press releases

  • Event management (planning & implementation)

  • Social media management

  • Press/Media relations

  • Research of potential clients & campaigns

  • Working with account planners to devise a campaign that meets the client's brief and budget

  • Presenting campaign ideas and costings to management to clients

  • Briefing the creative team what and who will produce the marketing material

  • Negotiating with clients, solving any problems and making sure deadlines are met

  • Reporting on the campaign's progress

  • Keeping in contact with the client at all stages of the campaign

  • Preparing 'pitches' to win new business

Education

2021

Cambridge Judge Business School

Business Analytics: Decision Making Using Data

2021-June 2021

InHispania

Español (A2 - B2)

2020-present

University of Pretoria (GIBS)

PhD Candidate - Business Management

2018-2019

University of Pretoria

MBA (Marketing & Communication Management)

2015-2018

University of Pretoria

BCom (Hons) Communication Management

Interests

I am a creative and strategic thinker with a passion for innovative solutions. My academic pursuits, including a Ph.D. in Business Management with a focus on Actor-Network Theory, provide a solid foundation for understanding and navigating complex business challenges.

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Outside of work, I enjoy exploring the world and immersing myself in different cultures. Having lived in Australia, the UK, South Africa, Zimbabwe, and now Spain, I appreciate the unique perspectives and experiences that travel brings. 

© 2023 by Leslie Thandiwe.

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