Head of Marketing Communications, NFVF

At 34 Tuni Rabanye is already has more than 10 years of marketing communications and brand strategy skills behind her. She is also one of those lucky souls who knew what career she wanted from when she was a teenager and has found that this focus is what has kept her going through long hours and thankless tasks.

“I wanted a lifestyle, not a job and that’s exactly what I have,” says Rabanye. “I studied journalism and political studies with a specialisation in marketing communications and that combination was exactly what I needed to enter my industry.”

Rabanye isn’t going to stop with those qualifications either, she plans to do an MBA in telecoms as her brief flirtation with work within this sector galvanised her.

Today, in her new role as head of marketing communications at the National Film and Video Foundation she is living a job on her bucket list. She describes it as a kind of magic as she experiences and enjoys the filmmakers developing and producing content, the plethora of film festivals and the growing markets in the country.

“I am inspired by many things – the constant learning that comes with strategy. The goal posts are ever shifting and so the scope to improve and grow is incremental,” says Rabanye. “I am also inspired by who we are and our continent whose time, economically, has come. I am excited that on so many levels the rules have not been written when it comes to innovation and business development in Africa.”

Rabanye applies herself to everything she does with absolute focus, and that includes her new role as a mother.

“I feel charged to set an example for my daughter about what any woman can become if she has commitment and drive,” says Rabanye. “I have had the benefit of great role models in my parents – my late father was a musician and my mother who now works in insurance.”

Rabanye has some exciting plans in the pipeline and plans to explore brilliant content, bring about change and really make a difference in her career.
— Tamsin Oxford

Twitter: @tuminfvf LinkedIn: Tumi Rabanye