Tholi Ngwenya – Strategic Marketing Communication

Originally trained as an engineer, Tholi worked for several years in the petroleum industry. After a short stint in management consulting, a change of career saw him spend fifteen years in the broader marketing communications industry (advertising, design, promotions, public relations), in both strategic planning and client liaison. He has led teams handling a diverse range of clients on assignments comprising consumer and business-to-business marketing, internal communications in support of strategic change, and government campaigns.

Coordinated International Marketing Effort

Tholi also worked in the national government at Deputy Director-General level, having been contracted by the GCIS (Government Communications and Information System) to set up an infrastructure for a co-ordinated international marketing effort for South Africa, through the creation of an organisation called the International Marketing Council (IMC). In this position, he led an interdepartmental project team comprising officials from nine national government departments and several government agencies.

Social Marketing, Development Communications and Public Diplomacy

In addition to strategic marketing communication skills, Tholi Ngwenya offers the following specialisations:

Stakeholder management and alignment: profiling the organisation’s stakeholder groups (power/interest matrix, contribution and rewards) and identifying relevant information, communication and engagement needs for all stakeholder groups
Experience in social marketing, i.e. the application of marketing tactics and strategies developed in the commercial sector to the solution of social challenges where the bottom line is behavioural change
Design of culturally-resonant development communications for localised information and mobilisation campaigns focussing on individual behaviour and community action
Public diplomacy.