Tess Gouws Email & Phone Number

Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa

South Africa

I'm passionate about helping businesses bring big dreams into reality. By closely partnering with business leaders, business aspirations become impactful initiatives. I bring a mix of marketing insight, human-centred design, and gamification, all delivered through an Agile approach - keeping things flexible enough that any initiative can adapt to your business as it evolves and grows.Strategic workshops and personalised coaching help pinpoint and resolve business blind spots, boosting efficiency and promoting leadership growth. My focus is on enhancing the Employee and Customer Experience, creating authentic connections, and making every initiative a highlight in your brand’s journey.I believe in creating positive, sustainable change — not just ticking boxes. I aim for meaningful interactions that drive your business towards sustainable growth, beyond (simply) profit.Does this sound like you? The more change-makers that connect, the better - Let's connect!

Johannesburg Metropolitan Area

At RocketPad, we're all about creating digital experiences accurately reflect your brand's values and goals. With a solid background in Digital and Brand Development Strategy, I ensure every project is both distinctive and perfectly aligned with our clients' visions. Our small team creates digital platforms that aren't just visually appealing but truly reflect's each client's unique identity.I believe in the power of entrepreneurship and, through RocketPad, aim to unlock digital potential for entrepreneurs. Key to our method is our facilitated discovery sessions that ensure the websites we build are tailor-made and scalable, ready to grow with your business.If you're keen to boost your digital presence and prepare for future growth, let's chat. I'm here to bring your vision to life, creating a digital space where your brand shines and grows!

Remote

At BrandLove Experience Design, I had the opportunity to work on projects that reshaped customer and employee experiences for some of South Africa's prominent financial institutions. This included collaborating on innovative initiatives such as developing new employee onboarding and customer complaint processes for one of SA's major banks, refining the insurance claims process with a top insurer, and contributing to another top bank's CX team's Customer Experience design capabilities.In my role, I facilitated team sessions in partnership with experienced facilitators. These sessions were interactive and introspective, designed to provide insights and leadership lessons from industry experts. The aim was to encourage participants to integrate these learnings into their daily professional and personal lives.A significant part of my focus was to improve the Employee Experience, understanding its vital impact on Customer Experience and overall business success. By leading design sprints and combining Leadership Development with Design Thinking and Agile Methodologies, I supported teams in realising their potential (and impact) in their respective roles and environments.The journey at BrandLove was about more than just process improvement; it was about enabling teams to spot opportunities for positive change and providing them with the skills and tools necessary for meaningful, lasting transformation.

Online

In my role at BetterWork, I was fortunate to contribute to a coaching-based people management initiative with a globally recognised mining company. This initiative went beyond merely enhancing work processes; it was aimed at driving transformative change by promoting personal growth and emotional intelligence among several groups of peers, across different managerial levels.Alongside group sessions, I provided individual coaching to deepen the skills and insights acquired. These one-on-one interactions were carefully tailored to reinforce knowledge and develop practices that align with each individual's unique challenges and goals.The project approach expanded beyond traditional training methods, integrating elements of Design Thinking and Agile Methodologies into the delivery. This ensured that the change management program was not just focused on knowledge transfer but also aimed at inspiring a shift in mindset towards continuous improvement and adaptive leadership.

At Henley, my role was diverse, enriching, and formative. I managed a variety of tasks, from overseeing online ad campaigns and improving our website's search rankings (SEO) to handling social media and email marketing efforts. My role involved multitasking across various projects, including marketing, events and project management to video editing and socials.At the time COVID hit I was a freshly minted Scrum Master and a strong advocate for agile and flexible working methods (still am), which led me to introduce Trello, as a cross-departmental collaboration tool that greatly improved teamwork and communication across the various departments when the pandemic suddenly struck, leading to our whole organisation working from home with immediate effect.A major transition in our marketing department, led to my overseeing several critical tasks for the Marketing department in the absence of a department head. These tasks involved managing outdoor advertising, digital marketing campaigns, and key networking events, all while working with a much leaner team.My interest in technology often made me the go-to person within our team for solving complex technical challenges. This aspect of my role involved exploring innovative tools and finding creative solutions to unexpected project hurdles.A significant part of navigating these diverse challenges was the strong relationships I had with several of our key service providers. Their reliable support was crucial in ensuring the success and continuity of our projects. These include (but are not limited to) Bold Online Marketing, Metisware and Digidynamic.

Gauteng

The role of Programme Manager brought the exciting challenge of managing educational programmes, many of them for for C-level executives. This role took me on incredible journeys across the globe. A highlight of this journey was Louise Claassen and I leading our first international, accredited leadership development programme for senior executives. Spanning five countries and seven cities in 23 days, this adventure was as thrilling as it was rewarding, earning me the fond nickname 'Tess I can' from the delegates.Another key achievement was launching Henley's learner management system, Pelopele. This task was a collaborative effort with our technology partner, Metisware. Together, we meticulously crafted Pelopele, focusing on creating an engaging, user-friendly interface and fit-for-purpose features. My responsibility went beyond project management; I worked in tandem with the academic director to design the system through detailed iterations. Our joint effort was pivotal in ensuring that Pelopele not only complied with but also enhanced the academic rigor expected of an internationally accredited business school. This project was a testament to the power of blending technological innovation with academic excellence, establishing Pelopele as a key element in Henley's educational framework and a benchmark for modern, efficient academic processes.Another proud moment was overseeing the #unTAP programme. This project stood out for its impact and innovation, earning the prestigious gold EFMD Excellence in Practice Award.

Gauteng

My journey at Henley Business School began as a Programme Administrator, focusing on refining administrative processes to enhance the efficiency of our Executive Education team. My role was geared towards ensuring smooth programme delivery, helping to create a positive experience for our corporate clients, training facilitators, and programme participants.Five short months later, I was delighted to be offered the role of Programme Manager. This allowed me to take on more responsibilities and contribute further to Henley's educational offerings.

Johannesburg Area, South Africa

Beastie was born from a few things: A love for animals, beautiful furniture, and a firm belief in the South African concept of Ubuntu: I am because we are. All of our products are locally sourced, and supports local South African businesses and manufacturers. We strongly believe in supporting businesses and individuals within South African borders – and contributing to our local economy. Our goods are all, without fail, manufactured and supplied by small businesses. From local community crafters and artists through to our upholsterers and carpenters – each purchase we make as a company is done carefully and selectively made to contribute to other small businesses, such as ourselves.Too often as consumers we feel the need to ‘give back’ in some way, without any real since of ‘who’ or ‘which cause’ to support. We hope to make this choice a little easier for our customers, and make some small impact in our own way by contributing 5% of each purchase (the sale price, not profit percentage) to local animal welfare. We allow our online community to select the animal welfare organisation they feel most deserving of the support – and for 2020 we are proud to support Pug Rescue SA in our own small way.

In my role, I had the opportunity to support the Executive Director and senior associates at our company, contributing significantly to the delivery of various programmes and client engagements. A key aspect of my job involved coordinating executive coaching contracts, managing the Connemara in-house Facilitator Master Class, and overseeing both boutique and special projects.My responsibilities were diverse, ranging from the meticulous formatting of training materials to providing comprehensive administrative and project support. I was also involved in both local and international travel, which enabled me to engage directly with clients. These engagements often included working with mid- to executive-level clients from a variety of industries, including notable names like Sun International, Siemens, Stanlib, and Ecobank.

I was responsible for providing comprehensive logistical coordination and administrative support to Programme Coordinators, along with managing travel arrangements for over 40 facilitators involved in various programmes, both locally and internationally.My duties encompassed a wide range of support tasks. This included everything from sourcing and procuring learning materials to post-programme administration, such as data capturing and ensuring adequate stock levels. I also contributed to the design and extensive formatting of learning materials and graphics, our educational resources were always meticulously branded and on point. Additionally, I often stepped in to provide ad-hoc support to Directors as needed.This position gave me valuable insights into the complexities of project management and enhanced my client relations skills. It allowed me to greatly refine my abilities in providing organisational support across a diverse range of projects and client interactions. I had the privilege of working with clients from various sectors, each adding to my experience and creating an understanding of different organisational needs.

Fourways, Johannesburg

Branch Manager for the first Leather Gallery branch to open in Johannesburg. This included client / supplier liaison, localised marketing for the store and representing 'Leather Gallery' in Johannesburg in absence of Head Office representatives. Other duties included monitoring and setting of branch sales, targets, and the coordination of various Johannesburg exhibitions (Decorex, Homemakers, 'pop up' mall displays, etc).

Strubensvalley, Roodepoort

My role at Pzazz included decor consulting and in-house sales, with special focus on providing clients with 'one-of-a-kind furniture and decorating options, unique to their own taste and style.

Fourways, Northcliff - Johannesburg

As a sales consultant with Sevens I was given the unique advantage of being able to offer clients fully customisable options tailored to their home, offices, needs and tastes. In house sales as well as residential decorating projects provided ample opportunity to learn how to work with clients, and ensure that they remain satisfied with their purchase and shopping experience well after their delivery date.

6-Week Facilitation Training

I had the opportunity to learn insightful and highly practical facilitation techniques along with a diverse group of talented.

Certified Customer Journey Architect, Customer Experience

Customer Journey Mapping, Customer Experience

Higher Certificate In Marketing, Marketing, Nqf5

Certificate In Digital Marketing, Digital Marketing

Senior Certificate, Travel & Tourism

Senior Certificate, English First Language, Afrikaans First Language, Criminology, Criminal Law, Mercantile Law