POLOKWANE – Rajdev is the Marketing Manager of Park Inn by Radisson Polokwane and took home the award for first runner-up as Limpopo businesswoman of the year in the corporate category during the recent Business Women Association of South Africa (BWASA) awards.
Rajdev moved to Polokwane in 2016 when she joined Park Inn by Radisson Polokwane. She shared that she is from a very close-knit family and it wasn’t an easy decision to move. “I spent 30 years in Durban and it was the biggest transition of my life. It was a scary move but it was challenging in a good way. It set me up to achieve more than I had set up for myself. Polokwane has been very welcoming and it taught me a lot about tradition and culture. Polokwane is very family-oriented which is why I gel with the city well. At work, there are challenges and setbacks every day but I always say that if your work doesn’t challenge you daily, then you are in the wrong space,” she said.
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She studied at the Durban University of Technology where she obtained a national diploma in public relations management. She did her in-service training at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) and that was how her career started.
“I did my training in my third year and, two years later, I got a permanent job at UKZN where I gained experience in communications, eventing, marketing and PR for the university. I was very lucky to go from studying and straight into a job.”
She worked at UKZN for nine years where she went from being the events coordinator, to conference coordinator, to assistant conference manager and then she decided to venture into the corporate world within the hospitality industry.
She started out at the Square Boutique Hotel and Spa for six months before she moved to a restaurant at the Durban beachfront where she was the event and marketing manager. A year later the opportunity to come to Polokwane opened up and she took the challenge of becoming part of the hotel’s opening team.
She added the recognition she receive from BWASA is a big highlight for her.
“When BWASA called to let me know I had been nominated, I didn’t believe it. I actually asked her why, and she explained they looked at the things I have done. Even when the portfolio was filled in and the interview with a panel was done, it still didn’t sink in until the evening of the awards,” she laughed.
She shared she didn’t anticipate getting nominated because she was not doing the work she does for recognition, hence it came as a surprise that people are actually taking notice of it.
Thabo Rafuthu, the General Manager of Park Inn by Radisson Polokwane, is very excited about the recognition Rajdev received.
“For a new hotel and the impact she made in setting up the marketing plan for the hotel and creating relationships, it’s amazing. The team started before I arrived so it’s quite humbling to see the relationships they have created in over a year to build this brand. For us, it’s very exciting that she was nominated and took home the first runner-up award. It’s always good to have one of your own go out and challenge other establishments in the industry,” Rafuthu said.
Rajdev explained the Radisson Group has a programme called responsible business where they take care of three categories: ‘Think planet, think people and think community’.
Through this programme they make sure they take into consideration the three pillars are looked after.
“We are committed to uplifting the community. We give back to the community, we don’t just donate but we get involved. We adopted a charity this year in Mmotong and we are going out there to show that we care.”
She plans to continue growing within the Radisson brand as she feels it provides a platform and environment conducive for growth.
