Tembisa Marele is a communicator extraordinaire who boasts 18 years of experience in broadcasting, corporate communications, stakeholder relations and reputation management.

She started off wanting to be a psychologist, ventured into journalism through a lecturer who spotted her talent and convinced her to give it a shot.

“I majored in psych in my undergrad. Then, at the end of my final year one of my lecturers pulled me aside on the day I was submitting my honours application and told me the university was about to launch a media and journalism honours programme, and he thought I’d be great for it. 

Her educational journey began with a BA degree and an honours degree in media and journalism from Nelson Mandela University. She further went on to complete a diploma in radio and TV production at NEMISA, and an MBA at Milpark Business School.

Undecided at first – when the lecturer said they would only be taking only 12 students around the country as the first group – Marele’s competitive side kicked in and she put her name in the hat for selection.

“That programme birthed in me a love for journalism, and corporate communication. It’s been such an exciting journey…..and guess what? You wouldn’t believe how handy all my psych knowledge has been in my career, it has been invaluable in helping me understand the people I encounter, and I think that gives me something of an added advantage,” she said. 

Marele also later completed a certificate in global reputation management at Oxford University and has done the Global Executive Development Programme at GIBS.

“You know how hindsight is 20/20? Well, that’s how it’s been with my education. It’s only when I’m gaining insights into the thinking of someone I’m interviewing or trying to understand a difficult stakeholder in the boardroom that I appreciate my psychology knowledge for example; or when I’m making a business case for the comms function that I appreciate my MBA; or when I’m working with service providers and I bring technical knowledge into a production, or share what the FSCA does through media in a way that understands the uniqueness of each medium that I truly appreciate everything I’ve studied. 

Marele admits that there were many times where it all felt so different, and even haphazard, but when it comes to knowledge and experience nothing is ever wasted.

“To be young, gifted, black, AND female is such a powerful thing! The world knows this, and I think something about that power is threatening to some.  My challenges haven’t been in any way unique, so many of us experience them in our corporate spaces. 

There’s always an active attack on your worth at any given point in time, an attempt to diminish your value and your professional contribution in some way. That’s why it’s so important to know that worth for yourself and walk in the power you know you possess. Once you do that, everyone else will catch up,” she said.

Despite having started out in broadcast, Marele never imagined becoming a communications executive, and now calls it a ‘full circle moment.’

“I started off producing the content (news); successfully ran my own consulting business, which made me a service provider in this space – working with different corporates and media houses – to now being the client and managing the reputation of such a complex organisation like the FSCA. 

Marele says that having worked in all these different capacities has given her the full view of the comms value chain and helped her sharpen her skills that much more.

She says that knowledge, fuels her to want to do it right, even when no one notices or pats her on the back.

“What fuels me is knowing that I’m a badass, and that I came to the world uniquely pre-packaged with value only I can bring, no one else before me or after me can ever do it like I can. Also, the confidence that I’ve put in the work, honed my craft, paid my dues, and I’m good at what I do. I also know that I’m still learning and growing, so I need to give my best in what I do at the level I’m at, so I can be trusted with more/better. Above all though, I’m clear about how blessed I am to be able to do what I love. That gratitude drives me daily,” she said.

Here are a few questions we asked Tembisa to get to know her better:

1. What does a typical day in your life look like? 

Meetings! Endless meetings! Especially death by Zoom and Teams! Jokes aside though, although my days are spent in a lot of meetings, I appreciate that a key part of being a great communicator, and helping an organisation communicate better both externally and internally, is ACTUALLY communicating and listening to what your stakeholders have to say. I lead a dynamic team of 12 people, so on any given day I’m overseeing everything from media statements, to publications, graphic designs, events, social media content, marketing work etc. 

This over and above the daily management work…managing budgets, procurement, performance, etc. but the bulk of the work I do daily is to offer strategic advice and counsel to the leadership team on reputation and crisis management….how to best position the organisation, deal with a crisis (avoid such a crisis, where possible), and manage key stakeholders. That’s what I agonise about the most.

2. What are your other interests, apart from comms? How do your personal interests feed into the person you are?

 If you ask my family and friends they’ll tell you I have three drugs of choice….travel, books, and fragrances. Those are my go to. I’m really just a free spirit and ndithanda ukuba happy! I love taking time to enjoy life with those I love. If it’s somewhere in the world with a book in my hand AND I smell great…even better!

3. What’s one thing you would do differently in your journey thus far?

I guess I would just trust the process a little more, knowing that it all comes together for my good in the end. That would’ve saved me from the times I’ve agonised about an opportunity I didn’t get, or feeling inadequate when I felt an assignment was too big for me….it really all does work out. 

4. What are three things you wish you knew earlier in your career?
– We are all human first. We might hold different titles and play different roles, but what binds us at the end of the day are our human experiences. Once you find a way to connect with others at that level, the work becomes a lot easier and more enjoyable.

– Learning to trust yourself is a habit, you have to keep doing it to get better at it. Everyone at one point deals with some measure of self doubt and feeling like they don’t measure up. It doesn’t mean you’re not good at what you do, you just have to keep pushing through every time.

– Everything that makes you uniquely you is essential for the work you’re called to do. Don’t compartmentalise your life to the point of leaving your true self behind when you get into corporate spaces…that short-changes you and the organisations you serve.

5. What message of hope would you give to your younger self and those to come after you?
Gosh, I know how easy it is to get impatient when you feel like life is not getting you where you want to be fast enough, you have to trust the process otherwise you will not operate at your best at your current level, and you’ll never really enjoy your journey.

In essence, Tembisa says that when all is said and done, what defines her is love. 

“I think that we’re all here to share a little love with each other, because in doing so we get to experience God in and through each other, because God is love. It might sound  like a cliche to some, but this is what I’m truly about…making the people around me feel seen and loved, and letting them see and love me in return,” she said.

“I’ve loved my journey to date. It’s taken me on so many adventures and allowed me to truly master the art of corporate communication and reputation management. There’s still plenty of growth ahead, and I’m excited about what’s still to come.”