Samantha Venter

Curriculum Vitae Samantha Venter ! Mobile no.: Email: Address: ! ! Cover letter ! --139 Ninth Street, Orange Grove While I am someone who is very analytical, I also consider myself a risk-taker, someone who loves to learn and who is always up for a challenge. These attributes are evident in the multi-faceted approach to my career. I’ve changed careers three times now - careers that are related, but valuable in that they are different enough for me to have gained various skills; and I’ve moved countries twice (once to the UAE, and then back home again). These experiences have given me a unique understanding and insight and a large body of expertise, which can be used to any employer’s advantage. ! I am assertive, I strive for perfection and am great at organising, while at the same time I’m creative, I love to write, and am terrific at editing - this is where my attention to detail is very advantageous. I’ve been called an empath, as I have the ability to put myself in someone else’s shoes, and am a problem solver. I am intuitive, and can relay someone’s message with accuracy and sympathy. ! I hold a B.A. with a double major in Classical Culture and Communications as well as a 3-year qualification in Electronic Origination. I have also completed a short course in project management and am a qualified lead auditor in quality management systems. ! My previous work experience encompasses communications work (including content creation and research), marketing and business development, quality assurance and printing. I have also managed and conceptualised various events, managed stakeholder relations, developed strategies and various documents such as training materials, proposals, and MoUs. ! I am able to work in various applications such as Microsoft Office and Adobe Creative Suite, which makes me well able to ensure the consistency of a brand, recognise great design and produce materials myself when necessary. I am able to manage the printing production process, as well as deal with multiple suppliers, such as printers, designers, event management teams, agencies etc. ! ! ! Personal Information ! ID no.: Date of Birth: Gender: Marital Status: Nationality: Languages: - March 1978 Female Single South African English, Afrikaans ! 1# of 4# Education ! Tertiary Institution: Course: University of South Africa (Unisa) B.A. with a double major in Classical Culture and Communications Institution: Course: South African Printing College Electronic Origination Secondary Institution: Grade passed: Springs Girls’ High School Matric ! ! ! ! ! Additional Courses ! Bureau Veritas: Quality Management System Series Lead Auditor (based on ISO 9001:2008) University of Cape Town: Project Management Foundations ! ! Computer Literacy ! Adobe Photoshop Adobe Illustrator Quark Xpress Adobe Acrobat InDesign Microsoft Powerpoint, Word, Excel ! ! Experience ! Communications Consultant (March 2017 - present) (Based in Johannesburg) ! Over the past year as a communications consultant, I have worked with the Forest Stewardship Council on their Supply Chain Integrity project, doing general corporate communications work, including content creation, research, interviewing of subjects, writing, editing and proofreading, as well as creating content for infographics. I created and adapted a communications strategy and liaised with designers and printers to ensure the best possible look and feel of the designed documents. I also liaised with printers to approve final versions and ensure smooth printing. ! Since October 2017, I have consulted for a small foundry which produces a hit product, creating and writing content for their website and various other communication and marketing materials such as product lists, advertisements, flyers and newsletter items. Also important to the foundry was the revamping and managing of their social media (creating content and managing social engagement). ! I have also worked for a medium-sized printer in Johannesburg, where I have proofread and edited various marketing documents for the company, ensuring that content distributed to their stakeholders is professional and in-line with their brand. ! 2# of #4 Also included is the research and creation of a strategy to reposition the in-house restaurant within a prominent residential estate to create an uptake in event participation and foot traffic for the restaurant. I also developed and created communication and marketing materials (newsletter, advertisement, social media and other). !! Forest Stewardship Council (August 2014 - February 2017) (Based in Johannesburg) ! Key Account Officer for Africa region My role at FSC Africa was broad, and encompassed communications, marketing and business development, as well as relationship and event management. I developed a strategy to create awareness and for the promotion of the FSC brand throughout Africa, and set and managed the budget for the role. ! Managing events and exhibitions was a huge part of my responsibilities, and I worked on various exhibitions (including Sustainable Brands, Green Building, Woodex), conceptualising the themes to ensure FSC brand consistency, and sourcing and working with designers and printers to bring the themes to life in the exhibition panels and materials. All administrative work pertaining to exhibitions was completed by me, including the management of the stand during the exhibitions. I was also instrumental in organising and project managing the Africa Regional conference with attendees from all over Africa: sourcing the venue, coordinating with the venue for attendees’ travel and accommodation, and addressing all requirements such as technical issues and sourcing translators. ! I planned, developed and hosted a breakaway session at the FSC In Good Company conference, approaching and coaching speakers, content creation of the session as well as liaising with the facilitator to host a robust session with good outcomes. This along with being the primary coordinator for the event, where I worked with the event management company to ensure a successful event. ! In a communications and marketing role, I created and managed (content creation and community engagement) the FSC Africa Facebook page, as well as the front and back end of the FSC Africa page on the FSC International website (this included adding content and information). Included in that was creating the FSC Africa quarterly newsletter, and distributing to all stakeholders. ! I worked on various campaigns with partners and alone to promote awareness of the FSC brand, including the Labelwise campaign, where I collaborated with our eco-label partners to create awareness of eco-labels and promote our brands. We created the strategy for the campaign (including identifying target market, developing objectives and implementation). I was the focal point for FSC Africa on the campaign, managing the relationships with our partners and the advertising agency we worked with. I worked with our partners to approve the concept, suitable materials (including a Youtube advertisement, website and posters) and copy provided by the agency. Please see an example of the campaign (including the films) on the website: http://belabelwise.co.za/ ! I managed the FSC trademark programme for non-certificate holders for the Africa region, where I created training materials for clients. I also guided and supported clients in the use of our trademark, including editing and approving artwork. Ensuring the correct use of our trademark and brand consistency was of utmost importance. ! Part of my role was to create training materials, develop presentations and create content for proposals and Memorandum of Understandings to promote FSC through partnerships, and to create awareness of our brand. ! I sourced suppliers and coordinated the printing of various marketing materials, including liaising with designers to create said marketing materials, and with writers to create communication materials, checking and approving all concepts, designs, articles etc. !! ! 3# of 4# United Printing and Publishing (March 2009 - March 2014) (Based in Abu Dhabi, UAE) ! Quality Assurance Section Head Working at the largest printer in the Middle East, I headed up the Quality Assurance department. I was responsible for all certifications, and environment, health and safety in the company. I managed a team of five people, coordinating their day-to-day activities and roles, and overseeing their work. I set and managed the training budgets for all departments. ! I fulfilled a very senior role within the company, as the Management Representative for all of our certifications, including ISO 9001 (quality management), ISO 14001 (environment) and OHSAS 18001 (health and safety). This included editing the manuals for the certifications, and creating other materials such as mission statements, including training materials in order to train staff. ! I implemented the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and Programme for the Endorsement of Forest (PEFC) certifications, as well as a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) certification. Added to that, I implemented a government-mandated environment, health and safety management system. ! As part of the responsibilities for the Management Representative, I would set Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for quality, environment, health and safety for my department as well as overseeing the KPIs for all other departments within the company. My role was to analyse each department and identify any gaps, in order to improve and streamline processes within each department. I ensured compliance with national and international standards and legislations, and built relationships with representatives from government bodies. ! I collated and analysed all performance data within the company, and presented these findings to top management (CEO, COO and all directors). All EHS statistics were reported to the Abu Dhabi government body responsible for health and safety. I conducted internal audits, represented the company in 3rd party audits, and ensured all audit findings were addressed and closed. I also oversaw and conducted incident investigations where I did an analysis of the root cause, and recommended actions to reduce risk. ! I coordinated and oversaw all root cause investigations and analyses into incorrect jobs, and implemented measures to correct problems. I conducted risk assessment evaluations for each department, and ensured that hazards were systematically eliminated or reduced. !! Senior Finished Artist (2000 - 2009) (Based in Johannesburg) ! As a finished artist at some of the best agencies in South Africa (including The Jupiter Drawing Room, Switch Branding and Design, and the Harwood, Kirsten, Leigh, McCoy group), my job was to ensure that all artwork that went to the printers was print-ready. Responsibilities included layout, typesetting and design, retouching and colour correction, drawing die cuts and ensuring the correct pagination of documents, passing jobs on the press, and communicating with suppliers and printers. 4# of #4