Women In Marketing 2024 Edition ft. Mathabo Sekhonyana from Adoozy Power
Mathabo, the Head of Marketing and Communications at Adoozy Power, shares her journey from aspiring lawyer to marketing professional. Initially drawn to law, Mathabo discovered her passion for marketing through hands-on projects. Join us on this segment of Women In Marketing as she discusses her career transition and the exciting world of marketing
Personal Background:
Thanks for taking the time to participate in our ‘Women In Marketing’ feature. Where were you born, and what childhood memories stand out for you?
I was born in Bloemfontein, but fundamentally I am a Mosotho girl from Lesotho. That is where I acquired my identity, my framing of the world, and my code and ethics. I was raised by my grandmother, the first feminist I ever met. My favourite childhood memories are centred around her. One thing that stands out is a particularly tough year in primary school when my grandmother sent me a telegram every week with some kind of affirmation. “You are amazing” — “Make me proud this week” — this was special not only because you used to pay for a telegram by the letter but because even though she was so busy, every single week she made an effort to make sure I felt supported.
I think a lot of how I relate to other women in my life has come from wanting to recreate that feeling for others.
Describe your high school and college years. You were the coolest one, right?
Being cool is about authenticity and a kind of Cher way of moving through the world — unapologetically charting your course. High School and College are years that I treasure.
High school because it taught me most about community but also about having to stand your ground. College because it taught me about individuality, it was the first time I explored and tested out the fullness of who I am. What do I believe? Who am I? Who do I want to be? What is the cost of being Mmathabo in a world of people who expect every person to fit neatly within a box?
And maybe that’s where I learned I liked Cher, because she has such a deep sense of self and I crystalised that part of myself during that time.
What’s your favourite meal that you wouldn’t share with anyone?
I’m honestly the kind of person that would share any meal, I love sharing food. Even my last speckled egg (which isn’t a food but is one of my favourite guilty pleasures).
What would be your plans for a sudden $10 million windfall if you were to receive it tomorrow?
22-year-old Mmathabo would be very upset to hear this because I think she would want more travel, more handbags, and more good food but, I would use it to start my own NGO centred around giving women a safe place to land after experiencing GBV and connecting them to services that they need to escape those situations. But maybe just one handbag too.
Can you share an interesting fact or hidden talent not found on your LinkedIn profile? Previous Women in Marketing candidate Anastasia Hamel says that she can breathe fire!
My favourite hidden talent is that I write poetry. It is one of my favourite ways to express myself and connect to myself and others. Here is something I found lying in my drafts:
“I dream of you and there is blood on the moon
A stain in the sky the colour of sin
- when the wolves come, run”
Career and Work:
How do you typically start your day, and are you #TeamCoffee, #TeamTea, or both?
Typically I start my day at 6 am and go for a walk or to the gym. Once I’m home, I sit outside to drink a cup of tea and slowly start my day. I think we are too obsessed with early productivity. I do my best work after 10 am but of course, in my line of work, I am “always on” so I am available for any crises but other than that — do not disturb.
What inspired you to pursue a career in marketing? Didn’t the “I want to become a doctor” bug bite you?
I am one of the few lucky people who get to do something they love, but honestly, I kind of fell into marketing. I started out feeling sure I wanted to be a lawyer (because of Boston Legal) but it turns out the Law, in reality, is something else entirely. While I was doing my postgraduate degree I started doing some marketing work for a friend and learning the ropes. To my surprise, it turned out to be something I enjoyed. That friend sent me the internship application for FleishmanHillard (at the time the biggest PR company in Africa) and that was the beginning of everything. That was also my first learning of how important networks and sponsorship are in career building.
You hold a BCOM Degree in Marketing Management from Rhodes University (You Go, Girl!!). Considering the rise of online educational platforms like Coursera and Google Skillshop, how do you foresee the future of tertiary-based education?
Honestly, the things I learned about Marketing from my Bcomm degree did not cover even 10% of what it took to become successful at my craft. The benefit of times changing is there are a plethora of online tools for self-learning. There are free learning materials out there and even impactful short courses. However, what tertiary education teaches you about critical thinking and analysis and yourself I believe is invaluable. I am a big proponent of education as a tool for freedom and opportunity, but I am also aware that in this country it is not something everyone can afford. My view is if you can go to University, go, if you can’t, there are so many avenues to upskill yourself.
Many industries had to create systems overnight that would enable their respective workforces to work from home due to the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic. What’s your perspective on remote and hybrid work, and how have you dealt with its challenges? Do you have a preference?
It is not so much about remote vs hybrid, but rather about the kind of employees or team members within your organisation. For example, high-performing, results-orientated, high-account individuals do not need to be in the office to perform their tasks, which can also save the business on overhead expenses. However, some employees who require additional support or benefit heavily from team thinking may not perform as well in a fully remote solution.
I prefer a hybrid work solution that allows you time for remote work where you can focus on tasks in your preferred environment but includes some office work where you can brainstorm with the team effectively and stress test your work with other functions within the business.
AI is the hot topic of the day, most specifically, generative AI tools like ChatGPT and Gemini. How do you address the challenges you face in your day-to-day responsibilities? Any specific tools you’d like to plug us with?
As a panellist at the recent Marketing Café on AI and social listening, I had first-hand insight into some of the big questions creatives have around AI.
How can it best serve me in my job? What tools should I be using? What AI skills do I need as a marketer? …. are just a few. I am an avid reader and I love to upskill myself and my biggest learning was that AI is only as good as you want it to be — that said to mean it’s about making sure the AI understands exactly what you need it to do and you use specific examples and language.
For more on this you can check out my LinkedIn video on the topic: https://rb.gy/yhc18e
Here’s my list of top AI tools marketers can use:
- You.com (to create strategies and make your marketing department more efficient)
- CANVA (for smaller agencies who don’t have an internal designer, particularly effective for social media needs)
- Crayon (uses AI to track competitor marketing strategies, pricing and advertisements)
- Phrasee (Optimise email subject lines and ad copy for better engagement and conversion rates)
According to the WEF, the pandemic caused a 4.2% reduction in women’s employment compared to 3% of men (from 2019 to 2020). How can organisations better support women and mothers, especially in light of the pandemic’s impact on women in the workplace?
The key to supporting and uplifting women and mothers in the workplace begins with professional empathy and flexibility. Many organisations fail to care for women and mothers, or worse still penalise them for different life stages.
A practical way that organisations can start to help women is by offering flexible working hours that prioritise work output instead of where and how it is done. Remote/hybrid solutions are a good start when considering mothers in particular. Robust policies around menstruation and mental health would also be of great benefit to women in the workplace.
Many mothers struggle with childcare and support for their children while they are at work. The distraction and issues caused by this can often hamper productivity. Organisations should consider on-site childcare facilities or subsidising childcare costs (at least in part).
Overall a supportive and inclusive work environment will go a long way in assisting women and mothers to thrive in their careers.
How can organisations ensure equal opportunities for women to advance into executive positions?
Organisations need to start by looking at hiring practices, and wage disparities related to gender and not merely lip service. I believe rather than waiting for organisations to change, we have to make the change from within. The hardest lesson I have learned in my career has been one of learning advocacy; of asking for what you deserve and having written, clear evidence to highlight your performance.
For many women in the workplace, there is discomfort when having conversations around adequate payment and benefits or negotiating salary increases. Always, always negotiate. Get into the habit of advocating for yourself and do the same for women in your team. Those seemingly small acts can begin to even change an organisational culture around wage disparities. If you have the benefit of being in a leadership role, speak on initiatives companies can take to create a more inclusive culture. While diversity training and the like are important, they are often not taken seriously, focusing on areas such as gender-balanced recruiting practices.
2024 and Beyond:
How have you been since the start of the pandemic, and have there been any significant personal or professional moments from then until now?
I’m sure I speak for most when I say the pandemic presented loads of challenges. But it’s in times of crisis that we find our deepest strengths.
In 2020, as the pandemic hit, something special was brewing; and little did I know that not only would I get to be a part of it, but that it would alter the course of my marketing career. Adoozy Power opened doors at the height of COVID-19 and contacted me to help build their brand awareness. Coming from the FMCG space, high tech was new for me, but I was hungry for the challenge, and in the middle of a worldwide pandemic? Bring it on!! Fast forward a few years, and the company is now an award-winning disruptor that has brought to market ‘world-first’ offerings.
On a professional level, I got to sink my teeth into building a brand from scratch. There was no ‘already established’ company name to hang our hat on, so we had to be extremely targeted and focused in our marketing efforts. For most, this opportunity only happens once in a lifetime. I got to upskill, grow, and master the marketing tech space, which in today’s world of IoT, automation, and AI, has been an invaluable experience.
If you could go back in time, what advice would you give your younger self?
Be kind to yourself, be accountable but leave yourself the same grace you afford to others. I spent many years of my life focused on excellence and while that is important to me, I think I could have been kinder to myself, and stopped to smell the lilies. People always say life is short, and it is, but life is also long — we deserve to be happy and that starts by affording ourselves some peace of mind.
What are your personal or professional goals and aspirations for the future? We hope to see you on Forbes’ Most Influential CMOs list. No pressure!
Mathabo Sekhonyana MBA CM(SA) — that is one of my most immediate goals. But the core of those accolades is to be considered and respected as the best (or one of the best) at my craft. The next few years are about elevating, disrupting, setting the tone for something new, and of course, Forbes’ Most Influential CMOs list.
Who are some of your sheroes?
I wouldn’t say I have sheroes except my grandmother, but there are a few women whose craft I have a deep respect for.
In the South African marketing space, an example is Khensani Nobanda, CMO at Nedbank. Internationally, Marian Lee, CMO at Netflix. Outside of my professional sphere, I have deep respect for Kim Kardashian and the complete masterclass she is giving at winning at everything you do.
What are you currently reading, and how do you consume your content?
I am currently listening to Relentless by Tim Grover and I am re-reading my favourite book, ‘A Thousand Splendid Suns’ by Khaled Hosseini. I love the smell and the feel of a real book, which is the primary way I consume reading material. However, for the more motivational, life-elevation kind of work, I love to listen to an audiobook while I work out or cook.
What are you currently streaming that you’d recommend?
I am finally finishing Succession which I am enjoying and although I have watched it already I would always recommend Peaky Blinders.
You wake up one day, and before you know it, you are nearing retirement. What would you like your professional legacy to be? Furthermore, what do your colleagues and superiors admire about you the most?
I want to be known as the kind of person who changed people’s lives, who shifted an industry and showed that ethics and integrity are not deterring factors when it comes to success.
We are always looking for amazing Women In Marketing to profile. Who would you like us to get in touch with?
Nthabiseng Lekolaetsoe, Business Director. She is an amazing, interesting woman in my network who I think would have a lot of interesting thoughts and insights to share.
Share a unique message for young professionals in the marketing industry.
Never lose your dinosaur. Embrace your uniqueness and use it as a strength in your marketing strategies. Don’t try to fit into a conventional mould — stand out by being authentically you. Your life perspective brings valuable insights to the table that can truly differentiate you and your brand. Trust your voice and let it shine through in all you do.
Thank you for your time, Mathabo. We hope this interview will inspire future leaders and other Women in Marketing. How can people follow you and your company on social media?
My handles on all social media platforms are @mathabopris
On LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mathabo-sekhonyana-308491a9/
Adoozy Power can be found as @adoozylifestyle across platforms
On LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/adoozy-power/
