“Nothing ventured nothing gained” and “Your attitude determines your altitude” – are the two mottos I live by. And for me are key when it comes to working in this fast paced, ever changing world we live in; especially when it comes to the way in which we communicate. Advancing technology, coupled with the cause-driven nature of our work at the College, means that we cannot afford to rest on our laurels.
Jeanné Poultney, Executive Manager Marketing Fundraising and Media Relations has over 30 years’ experience in marketing communications and public relations; with fundraising being added to her skills set in 2010.
After studying in KwaZulu Natal, she went on to work with two experienced, hard core news journalists who launched one of Durban’s leading PR and publicity agencies. After cutting her teeth as a publicist in the agency environment, she moved on to work in the corporate sector as Communications Manager for Tetra Pak, an international company, operating out of 140 markets worldwide.
In following her husband onto Songimvelo Game Reserve – kicking and squealing at the time given the isolation and severely limited communication tools – she then slowly became more of a bush baby. After a short sojourn in Nelspruit, where she worked and lectured part-time, the Southern African Wildlife College beckoned in 1996. Working in association with WWF South Africa, here she helped launch the College whilst developing the institution’s first marketing and communications strategy.
In 2000, the development of the NQF for conservation was on the cards, and a move to Johannesburg was the new reality. Here she removed her bush hat and worked with boutique PR agency Cooper and Associates before joining Ogilvy PR, where she headed up the pharmaceutical portfolio of clients. She then went on to set up the Johannesburg office for Eclipse PR, where she worked across a number of international consumer accounts.
Before joining the College again in 2010 as a service provider, she was working as a marketing communications consultant and freelance publicist. In 2016, after helping grow the College’s fundraising income to over R20-million per annum, she was offered a position on the College’s executive. She continues to head up the College’s marketing, fundraising and media portfolios.