Construction World April 2016

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FRESH APPROACH

A few weeks into the job, Twala is focused on making Corobrik the number one brand choice for clay bricks and paving products. Reporting to Corobrik’s commercial director, Musa Shangase, Twala’s key responsibilities are to oversee the company’s public relations functions, above-the-line marketing and brand management. “The marketing team are doing a great job for the brand and I am looking forward to continuing this legacy, revitalising tried and trusted strategies and introducing new ideas where needed,” she said. Twala grew up on the East Rand in Gauteng, obtained a bachelor’s degree in business administration from CIDA City Campus in Lyndhurst and has spent most of her 11-year career working in Johannesburg. Her last job before joining Corobrik, was marketing manager for the JSE-listed Aveng Group: manufacturing operations of construction, infra- structure and engineering companies. Here, she was responsible for managing all marketing activities for the group’s six business units, with a focus on promoting the brand. While working for Aveng, she was part of the task team that built and marketed a concrete factory at Tete in the north of Mozambique. She also managed the marketing of various newly acquired or newly merged business units. Prior to that Twala was head of marketing at South African National Blood Service for five years where she managed a division of 22 staff members. Her key role there was stakeholder relationship management, building part- nerships and networks with the media, large corporations and institutions. She has also worked as advertising manager for Marketing Concepts at Vaal Mall Shopping Centre, responsible for events, promotions and exhibi- When Pulane Twala joined Corobrik’s Durban office as marketing manager on 11 January this year, she was looking forward to bringing a fresh approach to this leading brickmanufacturer which has been in operation for 113 years. >

Pulane Twala, Corobrik marketing manager.

tions and was an account executive for Fishwick Printers and Du Toit Majola Advertising Agency in Johannesburg. “I am a marketing all-rounder,” she says with a smile. “I consider myself an expert in brand auditing and overall brand management. I also have wide-ranging experience in media relations and implementing corporate identity programmes as well as change management, specifically geared towards brand identity changes.” Describing herself as “a people's person, feisty and energetic”, Twala believes that one of her key challenges in her new job will be in the fast-de- veloping digital arena, consolidating Corobrik’s position in the digital space and continuing to establish a strong digital reputation. A self-proclaimed ‘short-course freak’, she has completed numerous courses at different organisations in subjects ranging from financial plan- ning and budgeting to performance management customer relationship management and media relations. “I also work hard at keeping abreast of new developments in the industry and being at the forefront of the latest business trends,” she said.

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GLOBAL PARTNERSHIP FORGED Hatch, a global engineering and consulting firm with expertise in the infrastructure, mining and metals, and energy sectors, has announced a strategic partnership with the World Council on City Data (WCCD), a world leader in standardised city data and metrics.

Hatch and the WCCD will jointly promote the critical role that ISO-certified city data can play in developing new solutions for planning and infrastructure challenges faced by urban communities in the 21 st century. The two organisations will also build inno- vative tools to map and analyse urban trends and associated city responses. As urbanisation around the world drives new and established cities to find ways to achieve their social and economic goals more productively, under- standing how cities can improve is key. “Hatch and the WCCD will provide a combi- nation of practical, useful data and expertise on how cities can use this to meet their goals,” says Martin Doble, Hatch’s global managing director of infrastructure. Doble is responsible for the strategy, devel- opment and operation of Hatch’s global infra- structure businesses in transportation and supply chain logistics, economic corridors, urban development and smart cities and water. He leads business units and regional lead- ership teams in developing businesses driven by outcomes for Hatch’s clients and their communities, and drawing on Hatch’s diverse and differentiated skills and technologies.

Martin Doble is global managing director of infrastructure at Hatch.

CONSTRUCTION WORLD APRIL 2016

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