Santie Botha

She’s one of the sharpest strategists, marketing pioneers, and brand-builders South Africa has ever seen - and she’s first to agree: “Culture eats Strategy for breakfast!”

Tracing her journey as a Marketing Assistant at Unilever, to becoming the 2010 Business Woman of the Year, the brilliant Santie Botha shares what it means to lead a business, a brand, and a team, to victory.  

One of the Top 100 Most Reputable Africans, Santie Botha was never a “normal” little girl. Trading dolls and dress up, for Swingball and bats, her world was a court – and everyone in it was challenged to play!

Through recollections of childhood, Santie serves up learnings in the importance of perseverance, the lessons of loss, and the competitive edge that comes with stepping away from the wall. So, step up to the baseline, and get set to “practice, practice, practice!”

At the age of 23, Santie Botha needed to make the call: keep playing competitive provincial tennis for Natal, or trade her racquet in, and exit the court for a career in the corporate world.

The latter saw her jet off to London, for a six-year stint, where she cut her marketing teeth, and set herself up for career greatness. Here, she explains how the lessons on the court helped her prepare to play in a league all of her own.

As if the challenge of Chief Marketing Officer for a multinational telecommunications company wasn’t enough, this marketing maven found herself at the helm of the first - and only - global Tier Two African Sponsor of the 2010 FIFA World Cup!

In this pride-inspiring episode, we travel back in time to when South Africa played host to soccer fans from all over the world. Santie shares the highs and the lows, the gees and the goals, that went into making it a momentous success! 

They say the biggest risk you can take is not taking a risk at all! From life decisions to brand-defining marketing strategies that not only shaped a market, but ballooned bottom lines, Santie Botha knows all about risk - and how to rise to it.

But when does the risk outweigh the reward? And in business, and branding, how do you know when a risk is worth taking — or if you’re taking it too far? The multi-award-winning marketer weighs in. 

The year was 1996. Nelson Mandela was President and South Africa, a two-year’s young democracy. Given an opportunity, Santie made the call – it was time to come home! Accepting an offer to work in banking (with brands she knew nothing about), Santie arrived with the drive to succeed – and soon began wondering if she’d made a mistake!

Never one to walk away from hard work, she buckled down, and set about making an IMPACT on both the business, and the people with whom she worked. 

Life mostly works as a mirror and the way you want to be seen is often dependent on how you see and treat others. From simple etiquette with your team, to speaking clearly, the inimitable Santie Botha teaches how to lead, inspire, and collaborate, from the front with style, strength, and grace — no matter your role, title, or gender. Founders, CEOs, managers, and employees: take note! 

After winning Marketer of the Year in 2002, Santie Botha took the leap from banking to telecommunications, joining MTN - and soon realising that the challenge extended beyond borders!

Tasked with overseeing the unification of different teams from multiple countries – each with their own values and voices – the lessons she learned on the court, and in the boardroom, proved invaluable in successfully launching what is now considered Africa’s most recognised brand. Line up and learn!

Who are you? Why are you here? And what makes you different to everyone else? When asked what you stand for, do you know? For business and marketing mogul, Santie Botha, knowing – and owning – your brand is a must!

Access the ins and out of branding, the need to reinvent yourself from time-to-time, and the importance of continually trying new things, from the expert in authenticity herself! 

With decades at the helm of different listed companies; a legacy that features some of South Africa’s best-known brands; and plenty of hard-won wisdom, Santie Botha brings her Playbox to a close with the challenge to all to “Think Different!”.

Touching on the essence of what she means by ‘the magic and the logic’, the 2010 Businesswoman of the Year inspires us to want to change the world with everything we do. Because anything less is not enough!

Watch the "Think Different" Ad here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5sMBhDv4sik

From striving to become a potential tennis pro to serving as ABSA’s youngest-ever board member, there’ve been plenty of highlights in Santie Botha’s career – and one of the most iconic was being able to spend 45 minutes with Madiba.

In this unforgettable bonus episode, the business boundary-breaker talks about what it was like to interview Nelson Mandela, and the impact this had on her and the way she leads her teams.