After a long and successful career heading up Corporate Affairs, Brands and Marketing for a number of prominent JSE-listed giants, I ‘spread my wings’ and set up a management consulting firm.As executive director of the ASK Group, I provide strategic communications, corporate sustainability, and creative direction services to a range of valued clients, from start-ups to blue-chip companies.I am pleased to count some of my previous employers among my key clients as, for example, I serve as the Corporate Affairs Management Consultant to Southern Sun and the Corporate Sustainability Management Consultant to Hosken Consolidated Investments.

As the Head of Marketing for Southern Africa's leading hotel group, Southern Sun, I am in charge of four of the group's departments, these being: Brands, Marketing, PR & Comms, and Corporate Affairs.I was promoted in March 2022 when I took over the group’s Marketing and PR & Comms departments - in addition to heading up the Brands department (which I have been doing since November 2019) and the Corporate Affairs department (since April 2012).A recent Marketing, Brands, PR & Comms accomplishment of which I am particularly proud was the rebrand of Southern Sun (from Tsogo Sun Hotels) when it was unbundled from the holding company and separately listed on the JSE. I was directly responsible for rebranding and repositioning the entire group, including the masterbrand, 15 operating brands, 15+ owned restaurant brands and 15+ sub-brands, all together comprising 90+ hotels, 300+ conferencing facilities and numerous restaurants and bars situated in South Africa, Africa, Seychelles and the Middle East. I project-managed and coordinated department roles across the group to coherently execute the complex rebrand with limited time and resources, and successfully delivered a seamless experience to the guest and the public at large, on deadline and within budget.My Corporate Affairs work in sustainability and empowerment has resulted in Southern Sun maintaining a level 1 B-BBEE Contributor status for a number of years, and will result in the group disclosing its climate change and water performance to the Carbon Disclosure Project for the first time this year.(In addition to my position with Southern Sun, I occupy the role of Executive for Hosken Consolidated Investments, described in the next position.)

As a result of my expertise in Corporate Affairs, in 2021 I was seconded to Southern Sun’s shareholder, HCI Limited to head up the empowerment and environmental sustainability portfolios for the group.My work for HCI comprises strategic planning and management of the group's 30+ subsidiary B-BBEE plans and verifications, and its environmental sustainability management and reporting. I represent both HCI and Southern Sun on their respective Social & Ethics Committees. I also manage the HCI Supplier Club, the group's national enterprise and supplier development programme, featuring the well-known collection of mini-documentaries entitled The Legacy Series, broadcast on eMedia channels since 2020. (I occupy this role in addition to my role with Southern Sun, described in the position above.)

I was responsible for the group's Corporate Affairs and Brands departments, including investor relations, ESG, transformation, communications and the group's brand assets, brand standards, guest satisfaction and customer experience, as well as key corporate communications such as Equinox Magazine.Due to my performance in this role and the group restructuring post Covid-19, I was promoted to the position of "Head of Marketing, Brands, PR & Comms and Corporate Affairs" for Tsogo Sun Hotels - which was subsequently rebranded to Southern Sun, for whom I currently fulfill the role.

I was responsible for investor relations, ESG, transformation, CSI and corporate communications for the group.During my tenure, I took the group to a Level 1 B-BBEE Contributor in South Africa; introduced the well-known “Tsogo Sun Entrepreneurs” programme which developed hundreds of emerging enterprises; launched “Tsogo Sun Environment”, which educated communities throughout South Africa about climate change; produced and edited the talkingTSOGO magazine (with a distribution of 12,000), which received SA Publication Forum Awards for Best Internal Magazine and Best Corporate Publication; and introduced the online Tsogo Sun Heritage Library housing the groups documents and memorabilia spanning five decades.I had the honour of being a Corporate Finalist in the Business Woman of the Year Awards judged by the Business Women's Association of South Africa.I served as Director for the NBI representing Tsogo Sun (described in the next position).I served as Trustee for the HCI Foundation (described in the next position). The HCIF is the Foundation of Hosken Consolidated Investments, Tsogo Sun's majority shareholder.As a result of these and other successes, I was promoted to "Head of Brands and General Manager of Corporate Affairs".

I served as a Non-Executive Director on the Board of the National Business Initiative (NBI) with overall accountability and responsibility for the performance and affairs of the organisation.(I occupied this role during my tenure with Tsogo Sun.)

As a trustee of the Foundation, I formed and approved strategy and spend, and maintained ultimate accountability and responsibility for its performance and affairs.(I occupied this role during my tenure with Tsogo Sun.)

I wrote a weekly column for the Citizen Newspaper sponsored by Pick 'n Pay Nutriphase. The column was entitled 'Animal Antics with Candy Tothill', wherein I provided a voice for Animal Welfare NPOs, covered major equestrian and canine sporting events, and reviewed films, books and magazines dedicated to man's relationship with sentient beings. My column was sponsored by Pick n Pay.(I occupied this role during my tenure with CA-T Inc.)

My agency specialised in marketing and strategic advisory services focusing on sustainability, brands and branding, PR and communications (including social media) , and event management.Key clients included Tsogo Sun, SABMiller plc, Hosken Consolidated Investments, HCI Foundation, eMedia, HCI Coal, BSG, Johnnic, Clover, the South African Chefs' Association (SACA), the Housekeepers' Association of South Africa (HASA), Glenrand MIB (now AON), Nissan and Pick 'n Pay (corporate).During this time I also became a columnist for The Citizen newspaper (described in the next position).While I thoroughly enjoyed owning a thriving agency, I decided to return to corporate when I was made an offer to head up the Corporate Affairs department for Tsogo Sun, which had recently acquired Gold Reef Resorts and was listing on the JSE.

I occupied several positions in the HR department until I was promoted to management in 2005, when I was responsible for the group's corporate office workforce (about 200 employees across occupational levels). Additionally, I managed the group's employment equity, corporate accountability (now called sustainability), corporate social responsibility, and internal communications. I represented the group in Tourism Charter dialogues that culminated in the industry's transformation efforts, and I participated in the drafting of the B-BBEE Codes of Good Practice.

I held various positions, starting as hotel receptionist and working my way up the ranks until I was promoted to Operations Co-ordinator for the group in 1994 and then to Group Marketing Co-ordinator in 1996.