MARKETING MAKES THE WORLD GO ROUND !

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.


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

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