Christine Beker knows this all too well.
She challenges the thinking of traditional
marketing executives and thrives on conceptualizing campaigns that touch all elements for
goal achievement . She has more than 10
years’ experience in consumer sales and marketing and
media which she gained whilst living in both London and South Africa.
The ultimate goal -Connect with your
customers and get the results you desire
in sales!
The Legacy of True Beauty took time to learn more about this dynamic woman.
The Legacy of True Beauty took time to learn more about this dynamic woman.
Christine Bekker says she was born a “ farm girl” who was caught in a big city with
global dreams. I had the opportunity to both travel and live internationally
after having completed her studies . She then started her own company, CBD – Christine Bekker
Designs 4 years ago but only actively started growing it as a business about 2
years ago. CBD is a marketing agency that branches out into managing celebrity publicity
accounts, customized events, ATL, BTL, PR, Social media, holistic brand
strategies, ambassador campaigns… –always keeping it interesting and different every
day .
Christine’s brand is about “Rethink your thinking and challenge the way
things have always been done in the past and stand out from the clutter. Challenge she says is what can be done. When you put your mind to something – anything
is possible. She believes that one must
do things in such a way that your client
will always come back for more.
Although a success in her own right
already, she says she is still far from reaching
her full potential. She sees years of greatness ahead and that is the most
exciting part of the journey. She is
ever so grateful for every opportunity –
big or small and really doesn’t want to get to a point where she feels completely satisfied – there will always be the next challenge to look out for or another mountain to conquer.
The belief that life is all about balance is how Christine copes
with being a wife, a mother and a working woman. It is, however, easier said than
done. It is important to her that in the
process of attending to all the different aspects in life that matters you must look after yourself as well. Planning
is key and support is crucial and she is very fortunate to have both. . Being a
wife, mother and business woman, she finds these roles extremely motivating. “I
want to live my passion but making my family proud is what drives me”, she is
quoted as saying.
Challenges are learning curves - Sometimes
project that have never been done before
come your way and the initial thought of it being daunting is soon dissipated
by fact that is new, challenging and the
faith that others have in Christine is what encourages her to do an exceptional job.
She has learned that planning, communication and a good team to
work with is absolutely essential. Team work is paramount as all skills are not
possessed by single individuals. Asking for help is never considered demeaning
in Christine’s world. Just ensure that
the channels of communication are clear and keep an honest relationship is kept
through it all.
Her advice to the young and to women who want to succeed in the workplace is that one must learn
as much as one can from your employer! Your
job should not be seen as a job – it should be seen as a learning opportunity to empower and to fulfill dreams. She encourages women to ask
questions, look around and learn from superiors, colleagues and competitors. Mistakes too are what we learn from so one should not be afraid
of them. It is through mistakes, experience and
learning that opportunities are seen and these equip on to take on bigger and
greater challenges. She further advises
that one should not focus on the
achievements of those around you instead the focus should be on what you do and
how you will make an impact,how you can make that improvement and what impression
you will leave behind. Again she urges women to have a long term plan in place and to follow it.
There may be times when women
feel intimidated in business and the reasons could vary.
This may have occurred more in the past
than now. Women of today are more self-
empowered, confident and passionate
about doing a great job and showing that they can get the job done. They do,
however, need mentorship and this is where there is a major gap for future business
leaders to be developed.
Christine says that her journey to get to where she is today is
purely accident and She took a chance she says.
She did not know what the future was going
to hold so she resigned whilst she was on maternity leave with her son. Her husband was and is her biggest supporter and
the one who encouraged her to take the step and he continues to support her in in every way he can.
Her lessons from t entrepreneurship is that every day is an opportunity – it is your approach that differentiates you from your peers. Being
an entrepreneur is a constant hustle but one thrives on that adrenaline. What
she has learned is to turn everything into opportunity to learn something new. She
tries to find people who are willing to educate and provide advice and asking questions is also another
way to earn. Try to learn through other
people’s mistakes.
Planning too is everything and having a to
do list is the key to not feeling overwhelmed when there are too many projects going on at the same time.
Being the Brand behind two famous men Maps Maponyane and Jonathan
Boynton-Lee has been most interesting every
day comes with a new adventure. Shes loves that no day is the same and something new is learnt every single day.
Christine’s Every day motivation
is the gratitude for the opportunity to
be an entrepreneur and have the flexibility of time to be a wife, mother,
businesswoman and most importantly to have choices which is entirely yours to
make.
Her thoughts on women
empowerment and the changes she would want to see in the women of South Africa is that she is incredibly inspired by the courage
of the women in South Africa who challenge the norm and to chase their dreams. They
do not make any excuses and put a plan
of action in place and start bit by bit
to make their dream become a reality. The
future of your life is in your own
hands. Only you can make things happen for yourself and today is the first day of the rest of your life so
go make it happen!
The one word that describes Christine and the legacy she would like to leave behind is Inspire
It
is her intention to encourage, support
and motivate people in everything she does. She wants to make a difference wherever
she goes.
The essence of true beauty in a woman is confidence. . She is the one who
believes in herself and does not await anyone’s approval to proceed with her
dreams. She is the one who makes things happen by doing it herself. She is the one who does not think of herself as more superior than others
but admires and learns from others. She tries to improve herself more than trying to prove
herself. She does prove to be better than others.
She is kind and loving. She shares and
gives. She celebrates the good times and pushes herself through the tough
times. She advises and nurtures but she is also strong and willing to get her
hands dirty to execute. A woman of true beauty is not all about a pretty face
and a good figure. She is the one person you
want to be around. She is beautiful because she wants to be a better person
every day and everyday she thrives to
do more. This is a woman of true beauty.
Editorial Credits :Mano Naidoo
