Marlene qualified as a secondary school educator in 1989. Her qualifications are BA, HDE and an Advanced Diploma in Adult Education. She is also qualified as a Commissioner of Oaths. In 1990, Marlene commenced her teaching career at Valhalla Secondary School in Elsies River, which incidentally was also the school she matriculated from. In 1993, the Department of Education rolled out a rationalisation programme resulting in her being declared redundant as she was one of the youngest staff members and her post was terminated on the LIFO (last in first out) principle. In 1994, she moved into a junior community development post as a trainer for the TB Alliance. It was this post that lead Marlene to her passion for community-focussed empowerment and transformation. She worked in the heart of the Cape Flats communities and trained unemployed people to administer tuberculosis medication. After a 4-year stint with the TB Alliance, the funding was depleted and Marlene was once again retrenched. Nonetheless, she continued to volunteer for the organisation until she was appointed at the Sports Science Institute of SA (SSISA) in August 1997 to start the Community Health Intervention Programmes (CHIPs).Marlene started with Laureus when the Foundation was established in South Africa in 2002. The South African chapter was one of the first to be established globally. Therefore, Marlene was one of the first national foundation managers. At the time of her appointment, she was flown to London where she was formally welcomed to the family and provided with the necessary training. At a later stage, Marlene was requested to project manage the construction of netball courts in the most rural parts of South Africa. During that time, Marlene was asked to join Morne du Plessis' company, Sports Plan. As a member of that team, she was appointed as general manager at SSISA in 2006. However, she continued her involvement with Laureus as a trustee. In June 2020, Marlene faced another retrenchment due to the challenging economic climate the organisation faced. In December 2020, she was offered the opportunity to step into the role of acting CEO at Laureus Sport for Good Foundation, South Africa. She was officially appointed as CEO for the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation, commencing in July 2021. Marlene values collective leadership and expresses it beautifully, "I don’t always have to be the lead singer, I can harmonise just as well with the rest of the choir if that is what the situation requires".