Letta Madlala is one of 40 leading South African women in the Meetings, Incentive, Convention and Exhibition (MICE) space, following her acknowledgement at an awards ceremony recently.
The General Manager for Marketing and Communications at City Parks and Zoo has been recognised for her outstanding work in the MICE industry, and for her ability to mentor, motivate and nurture her team.
Held annually for the past six years, the Top 40 Women in MICE Awards aim to recognise the achievements of women in the MICE space and to build camaraderie among them.
“I am humbled by the award,” she says.
Born in Polokwane, Letta grew up in Gathoka and obtained her first qualification, a BCOM Accounting degree from the University of KwaZulu Natal. She quit finance to work towards a BCom Honours in Business Science, majoring in Marketing at Wits University. She also has a Masters of Commerce in Business Management degree from the University of Johannesburg (UJ).
“I believe in continuous learning so that I can stay abreast of developments in my current and interested fields,” she says.
Letta started working for Johannesburg Zoo as a Brand Manager in 2008. “I’ve always liked the Zoo and thought it would provide me with an opportunity to make a difference,” she adds.
She regards herself as a seasoned marketing, communication, public relations, stakeholder management, customer relations, sales and staff management professional, with both leadership and technical skills in the field. She has occupied senior management roles for at least 10 years and has worked in both the public and private sector.
Letta’s proud for having brought some innovations into her workplace, including the Twitting Badger, which won several digital marketing awards and garnered approximately 15 000 followers on Twitter, in just a month.
“I introduced the use of new advertising platforms such as taxi and lift branding, bus shelter ads, mall screens and digital screens into our communication mix. I also introduced classical marketing, both the thinking and techniques at both the Zoo and City Parks. These have benefited the organisation immensely,” she explains.
Letta loves that her job compels her to work with all business units in the organisation. She also enjoys that people within her fraternity have high energy and a positive predisposition. “It is a dynamic environment that changes all the time,” she says.
She wants her legacy to be that marketing and communication are regarded as a business imperative in local government and supported by both administrative and political leadership.
A divorced mother of 3 children, Letta aspires to become a published researcher in local government marketing. Her favourite pastime includes going to the theatre and movies, reading, listening to the radio, walking, travelling occasionally and spending time with her kids.
