Reaping the reward of hard work

Reaping the reward of hard work Ester Kamati

Candice De Waal is one of the newest additions to the Namibia Media Holdings (NMH) team, wearing the client executive administrator’s hat. Working with agencies and clients, she is tasked with helping clients to book advertisements for the print and online media of NMH.

De Waal was unable to further her studies due to financial constraints and, having only a grade 12 certificate to her name, she is where she is today because she believes in the value of experience. She has had several jobs, which she has used as stepping stones and an opportunity to grow in knowledge and experience.

“Someone that is afraid to ask, is afraid to learn.” These are the words that gave De Waal a wake-up call during her time working at Arebbusch and made her challenge her shy nature. Still in training at the time, De Waal was sitting in panic, not knowing what to do, until her boss called her in and gave her what he didn’t know would be the best advice she would ever receive.

Continuously proving that hard work gets you far, the mother of a nine-year-old son confesses that sometimes she works so hard that she forgets about lunch. “My goal is to build many more relationships,” she says, adding that she already has good relationships with clients that she previously worked with and is keen to add new ones.

One thing that De Waal is exceptionally good at is organising, which she considers her corporate superpower. “Everything just runs smoother,” she says, adding that being organised and knowing where everything is “makes your work so much easier”.

When she is not burying her nose in a new book, the bookworm enjoys DIY projects and can make decorative flowers out of paper. “I like making old things new.” Being creative keeps her busy in her free time and she describes it as her main hobby.

On top of being passionate in everything she does, she is a people’s person. “I love people and I love getting to know people,” she says, which helps her excel in the field of marketing as she is “able to work with all types of personalities.”

Her son is her source of inspiration. “I want to make life so much better for him,” she says, adding that giving up is not an option for a single mother. She concluded by saying that her son, who is her entire world, not only drives her, but drives her far.