As an early Executive Communities’ employee, Vaphi Lungile has grown alongside the business. Now the marketing manager supporting three communities, Vaphi is proud to have been entrusted with such responsibility.
Vaphi Lungile joined Executive Communities in 2018 as an intern. He came to work on his first day with a professional-looking but empty briefcase, and was straight away given a full list of tasks to complete.
The internship was created to support the business in identifying new executives and introducing them to the community and its benefits. And 2018 also saw the third edition of the Finance Inbaba, a conference and expo that was to attract over 3,000 finance professionals to the Sandton Convention Centre for two days of learning and networking.
“My first task, if I remember correctly, was tackling the top-100 JSE lists to find CFOs and CHROs we didn’t know yet. This was done by way of daunting phone calls. I also had to handle registration queries for the Finance Indaba. All of this was very stressful for a new marketing graduate, to say the least.”
Despite finding his new job challenging, Vaphi’s enthusiasm and work ethic made an impression on the management team, who didn’t want to let him leave, and the permanent role of marketing assistant was created.
A time of growth
Over the years, he has leapfrogged from his role as marketing assistant to that of marketing coordinator for CFO South Africa, and then ultimately to marketing manager for all the South African executive communities.
“These days I’m managing my own intern, looking after around 10 websites, doing social media at events, interviewing executives, sending out weekly newsletters, providing stats for these weekly newsletters, drafting Indaba campaign mailers, presenting to the team, and also still handling those Indaba queries – although now there are also the HR Indaba and, this year, the IT Indaba as well.”
Vaphi says that this leap forward in his career has been extremely exciting, but comes with understandable anxiety as well. “When I look back at what I used to be doing, the place I’m in now is a place I’ve always wanted to be in. The fact that I’ve been trusted with the responsibility I have speaks volumes about the major strides I’ve taken to get here.”
Vaphi feels connected with the purpose of Executive Communities – “connecting finance, HR and IT executives, boosting their knowledge, networks and careers, through down-to-earth engagement, world-class events, and original content” – through his work sending mailers that deliver targeted and relevant information to the community.
Business benefits
He says that his best thing about working at Executive Communities is the open-door policy and hands-on support from management. “Working in a fast-paced business such as this one, one tends to become a bit overwhelmed, and knowing that putting your hand up doesn’t necessarily mean you can’t do your job, is quite reassuring.”
As an early employee of Executive Communities, Vaphi has seen the growth of the business from its startup phase to being an established company that looks after three active South African communities, and owns a sister business in East Africa as well. As a part of this evolution, Vaphi has been around for the professionalisation of the business’s corporate structures, and he lists the introduction of an annual bonus as a professional highlight.
“Ever since the bonus structure was introduced in 2019, it has proven to be an awesome incentive to work and push boundaries – not only to make the company a success, but also to enjoy the fruits of your labour during the December holidays,” he says.
Vaphi no longer pretends to bring a briefcase to work, but there’s much more on his plate. His growth alongside that of the business is a testament to how Executive Communities’ successes are reflected in its people.