Felix Erken – Junk Mail Marketplaces CEO
Felix Erken is the CEO of the Junk Mail Marketplaces group, a company related to classifieds in South Africa. From starting out in classifieds as a paper drop (delivery cyclist in 1981) to navigating through the cutthroat, competitive but highly exciting, big profits promised digital tech-based world classifieds find themselves in now, Felix has built a solid classifieds business geared for growth and amassed a wealth of experience within the amazing world of classifieds. “After 25 years in classifieds, I thought I’d seen it all, but hell I ain’t seen nothing yet.”
Gilbert Peret – Head of Finance
For Gilbert’s role in the business, there are certain soft and hard skills that are important to have. In terms of soft skills, the first one will be leadership skills. As the 2IC in the Junk Mail Marketplaces group, leading by example in the way he conducts his business. Communication skills are also very important, as staff need to know what to do and when to be most efficient. Another very important soft skill is adaptability. In this ever-changing world, people need to be change fit.
The hard skills are just as paramount to Gilbert’s job at Junk Mail. The first will be technical skills. Gilbert has a degree and an honours degree in Financial Management obtained from the University of Pretoria, and he also has a membership with SAIPA.
Analytical skills are also an integral part of his job as the numbers need to be analysed and strategic decisions made. Management skills are also important and ties in with leadership skills. Managing staff to get the best out of them in these trying times is a true sign of perseverance and success.
Francois Labuschange – Head of Marketing, Data, and Automation
Francois Labuschagne is the Head of Marketing, Data and Automation at Junk Mail Marketplaces. He manages a team of experienced digital marketers and administrative staff who performs all the marketing duties required to ensure the growth of key KPIs aimed at improving results for our customers. Francois believes in teamwork built on the basics of each individual team member’s strengths, capabilities, and personalities to foster a work culture that is enjoyable with staff who perform at maximum capacity.
Francois has managed a variety of successful projects separate from the Marketing, Data and Automation, including product management for the Junk Mail, Job Mail, and Auto Mart platforms and third-party service integration with these products.
Francois has worked in the ever-evolving digital marketing industry since 2007 and has gained an extensive amount of experience in the field. Francois holds a B-Tech Degree in Sport & Exercise Technology from the Tshwane University of Technology.
Tanya de Bruyn – Auction Manager & Product Manager for Automotive Portals
Tanya begun her career with the Junk Mail Marketplaces group 13 years ago in 2009. She started in the distribution section as Marketing Manager and after nine months, moved over as Sales Manager for the Junk Mail product. Additionally, she ran the Johannesburg office as General Manager.
Tanya later made the move over to Auto Mart where she served as Sales Manager and was a part of the digital products’ start-ups. Eventually she became the Group Sales Manager in charge of Truck & Trailer, Auto Mart, AgriMag, and Job Mail, and she had five managers reporting directly to her.
Sales is Tanya’s strength and training of sales staff is something she has always been passionate about. One needs to be detailed and on point at all times.
Tanya currently occupies the roles of Auction Manager and Product Manager for the automotive portals (Auto Mart, Truck & Trailer, and AgriMag). She directly manages the auction department, which consists of auctioneers and administrators.
Knowing how to read body language is crucial and managing your team on an emotional level will always get the best results. It’s important to understand what drives and motivates them.
Tanya’s hope for these brands is to make them number one in online auctions in South Africa. She wishes the same for the normal buy-and-sell platforms and wants to reinforce them as the one-stop shop for all your needs as a buyer and a seller
Willem du Plessis – Senior Sales Manager and Head of AgriMag
Willem du Plessis is a pragmatic professional who is passionate about sales and building positive and meaningful relationships. He likes getting the most out of employees by creating circumstances where they exhibit their best qualities through focusing on their strengths.
He is a natural leader, an inspiring coach, mentor, and motivator who believes that success happens when you help others succeed.
Key learnings Willem relies on include a combination of project management and product innovation backed by certification in digital marketing, sales, and management.
Lynette Lotter – Truck & Trailer Sales Manager
Lynette is passionate and success driven, with over 10 years of experience at the Junk Mail Marketplaces group.
Lynette is currently the National Sales Leader for Truck & Trailer, where she oversees a powerful, professional sales team and drives sales for this industry leading advertising platform. Lynette has a proven track record of leadership abilities and is highly focused on driving team quotas in alignment with the interests of the company.
Lynette is truly passionate about her work and is always eager to grow and be better. She enjoys using her skills to guide her sales team to be the best of the best, to increase revenue/sales for the company, and to contribute to always improving customers’ leads and experiences with the Junk Mail Marketplaces group.
Renate McBride – Auto Mart Tele-Sales Manager
Renate is the Tele-Sales Manager for Auto Mart and she works with her tele-sales team to drive team quotas in alignment with the interest of the company. Renate believes that her exceptional customer service, communication skills, and the ability to build rapport with her team and clients consistently conveys her competence.
Renate’s previous experience as a customer-focused IT Desktop Technician, Support Administrator, and Call Centre Manager moulded her for her role as Sales Manager and she uses the knowledge she has gained to great effect.
Renate is a Certified Microsoft Professional, which has enabled her to efficiently manage her team and lead them to reaching and exceeding monthly KPIs and ensure customer satisfaction. Renate’s goal is to build on and enhance the reputation of Junk Mail Marketplaces as one of the leading digital advertising and marketing platforms in South Africa, which strives to bring buyers and sellers together.
Michelle Coetzee – Payroll & Human Resources Administrator
Michelle’s current title is Payroll and HR Administrator for the Junk Mail Marketplaces group.
Her areas of expertise include processing of payroll, compliance and best practices, HR infrastructure, and policy and procedure development and implementation.
As an ambitious individual with over five years in her current role, she understands that developing and implementing innovative ideas to improve administrative processes benefits all employees.
Prior to her current role, she served in various capacities within the company with a total tenure of over 15 years.
Riaan Laidlaw – Auto Mart Field Sales Manager
Riaan is a seasoned professional with over a decade of experience in sales and marketing. He has a proven track record of driving business growth and building strong client relationships. With a keen understanding of market trends and customer needs, Riaan excels in developing effective sales strategies and delivering results. As the Field Sales Manager at Auto Mart, he leads a dynamic team and is dedicated to achieving excellence in every aspect of the sales process.
Louide le Roux – Sales & Recruitment Manager
Louide has recently re-joined the company after she went abroad for a few years. Before she left, she was the Training and Recruitment Manager for the company, giving sales, motivational, system, and how-to-pursue training to sales representatives. She is currently the Sales and Recruitment Manager at the company and manages both the Job Mail Sales Department and the Talent in Action Department.
In Job Mail, sales are of course key and here Louide encourages and motivates her sales team not to just sell, but to also deliver good customer service to ensure clients sign up again and again and again. Louide has extensive experience in recruitment and believes it is her pragmatic approach and the fact that she values individuals that contribute to the company. Louide’s main expertise lies in her knowledge and her facilitating the recruitment process from start to finish. When dealing with Louide, you will experience an excellent sense of humour, empathy to help those around her, and someone who has brilliant communication skills. Louide’s motto is: “You cannot help everyone, but everyone can help someone”.