Page 54 - Gondwana Collection Namibia Value Creation Report 2021

HOW WE MAKE AN IMPACT

Extending our training footprint Meet some of our people
Go4Gold 2021
Our learning and development initiatives extend beyond
Gondwana embarked on the third Go4Gold journey with 12 motivated and enthusiastic potential young leaders. Gondwana employees. We were one of the first Namibian
The Go4Gold programme is structured around process-oriented learning, encouraging everyone to achieve their personal companies to support the NTA. In 2022, we plan for a new
best. Besides their work at Gondwana, the participants attend six modules and complete five on-the-job projects and a intake of hospitality apprentices and are looking for suitable
year project. mentors at the lodges.
While this has been a deeply challenging time for tourism, Ume Goldbeck, the Go4Gold Team Trainer and Leadership We also provide training opportunities to conservancy residents,
Coach, sees good reason to be optimistic about the industry’s recovery. This process will be easier by a willingness to even if they are not our employees.
evolve with the times.
“I adjusted the content of the programme in such a way that Go4Gold is grooming Gondwana’s leaders for a new era in We believe in investing in
the tourism industry. Guest expectations have shifted dramatically and very quickly. Transparency and trust are taking on
entirely new dimensions, and new skills will need to be developed to continue to deliver the highest levels of service to the future of our industry
guests”, says Ume.
by training learners

interested in a career

in tourism.

The proof of our success
We trained
93%

Maria Mvula, Collection Manager of the Namib Anthea Cloete, Group Reservations Manager Gerhard Swart, Group Sales Manager
of Gondwana’s employees. Desert Collection Anthea Cloete first worked for Gondwana as a relief receptionist Gerhard Swart began working for Gondwana on his birthday in
2020: 70% Maria Mvula grew up in Ondangwa, in northern Namibia. She for three months in 2010 and joined the company in a March 2012. He began in HR and was responsible for the payroll,
dreamt of becoming a teacher or a career in tourism. She was permanent position later that year. Her first role was in the including benefits. In those days, payroll was in Excel format and
Training and development spend:
particularly interested in learning foreign languages. Marketing Team, being responsible for the Gondwana Card tax calculations done manually on a calculator. Over the years, the
administration and promotions. Since then, she held various company’s payroll department was centralised with integrated
She joined Gondwana in 2009 as a trainee waitress to complete
N$1.6 million her tourism and hospitality internship. Through the years she sales and marketing positions. During 2018 she accepted a new systems in place. He left Gondwana in 2016 to broaden his
challenge as a departmental Reservations Manager and in 2019
horizons and returned as part of the Gondwana Team in early 2018.
progressed through various supervisor and management
2020: N$5.3 million she was promoted to Group Reservations Manager.
positions, and with her skills and passion, she was the right He accepted the Senior HR Manager position to upgrade the
choice to become the Collection Manager of the Namib Desert She credits her career success to a University of Cape Town payroll once again, improve the integration and build a team.
30% Collection. Being promoted to this role was a massive personal online sales and marketing course, on-the-job training, the In 2019, he received the opportunity to tackle a completely
achievement, proving that hard work and dedication do pay excellent leadership of her mentors and the opportunity to new role as the Group Sales Manager. Over the past two years,
of the Academy’s class of 2015 are now in top positions. off. She also credits some of her success to time spent at the travel to South Africa and Europe to build up trade relationships. he restructured the Tour Operator Department, created a new
Academy and support from her managers. In 2019, she was enrolled in the GO1000 leadership programme Online Travel Agency Sales Department and set up a full-time
We provided funding and training to 15 young Namibians, to develop her people management skills. sales team for local and international direct sales.
all of whom are not employees of Gondwana, through an She especially likes Gondwana’s unique culture and the lovely
NTA-led apprenticeship programme. Participants receive sense of humour of her team members. If she could have a A career highlight was the opportunity to restructure the Gerhard loves co-creating new ventures with his colleagues and
an NQA Level 3 qualification. superpower, it would be the ability to change negative attitudes Reservations Team, which resulted in a better customer the feeling of being part of something greater than himself. He
into positive ones. She is passionate about youth development experience and the empowerment of colleagues. She enjoys is especially proud of his work with the Cancer Association of
and encourages younger colleagues to work hard and embrace seeing team members step outside their comfort zones to grab Namibia, where Gondwana rolled out screenings to employees
new opportunities. new opportunities. and surrounding communities.
If she could have a superpower, she would like to be a fairy and Gerhard grew up in Gobabis, a town in eastern Namibia. From
sprinkle passion and drive over Namibia so that everyone would an early age, he wanted to travel and see the world. He inherited
work together to respect nature and uplift people. this sense of adventure from his grandfather, who left the
Netherlands to make a new life for himself in Namibia.

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