Rewarding determination

Wanga Nomsuka: A man with a lifelong passion for food

Wanga began cooking at the CTICC in January 2018 as a Senior Commis Chef in the Food & Beverage Operations department.

He has wanted to be a chef since he was 12, so it is no wonder that he believes he got promoted because of his hard work, reliability and willingness to go the extra mile.

Now, he wants to sharpen his management skills by studying further.

He believes this will improve his leadership, communication, interpersonal and forward-thinking skills – not forgetting how working up close with his senior chefs has helped him to learn things that books cannot teach you.

Covid-19 has added to all those skills as well.

Asked to acquire barista skills, he is now an expert on the espresso machine.

Being trusted to run the coffee shop on the square has been “the greatest highlight ever.”

“What motivates me most is learning from experienced chefs and having new responsibilities that require me to think outside my comfort zone,” Wanga tells us.

We love this attitude!

Raygaana Hendricks: Learning fast to be a strong leader

Raygaana started at the CTICC in June 2019 in the Food & Beverage Operations department as a Chef de Partie.

She has learned fast and grown faster, leading to her appointment as Sous Chef for the cold kitchen.

Her passion for catering comes from her time working at a small Cape Town-based company called The Picnic Company and Mustard Catering – where she was a chef.

The CTICC is on a whole different scale and it is this challenge, working with a large amount of staff for big events, that she has risen to so well.

She is also very clear about what her role is in her new position: to save money for the company and maintain high service standards, in line with the CTICC values.

The promotion carries responsibility, as well as reward and she says:

“it has motived me to be a strong leader for the team.”

Sibongile Magugwana: Managing success from the middle

Sibongile joined the CTICC as a National Sales Executive in the Commercial department for short-term events in June 2016.

She is now the National Sales Manager and believes that her promotion is due to her excellent work ethic, leadership skills and passion for the CTICC.

She has also worked hard to improve her skills, recently completing the Management Development Programme at the University of Stellenbosch.

Covid-19 has changed the business both internally and externally, such that the previous split between shortterm and long-term sales has now been changed – everyone works together.

This ties in with her approach to management.

She prefers to create a safe and open environment

“where my team knows that making mistakes is part of the learning journey and that it is always better to find solutions as a collective instead of in isolation.”

And where does her passion for her work come from?

“I believe in competing with my own achievements – in that way, it pushes me to be a better version”