Esther Sisi Dlamini
Johannesburg
Summary
A Seasoned Tour Consultant with over 5 years’ experience. Curating exclusive, high-end holiday destinations and experiences, with expertise in luxury travel arrangements.
Overview
7
7
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work History
Senior Travel/Tour Consultant
Merchantry Worldwide
01.2019 - Current
- Focused on tailor-made itineraries, such as private, once-in-a-lifetime adventures, and ensured attention to detail in every element to foster loyalty and provide exceptional value.
- Leverage Exclusive Partnerships through collaboration with specialized providers to offer access to unique, high-end locations.
- Curate experiences that are one-in-a-lifetime, such as private tours, e.g. Blue-Train excursions to Vic Falls. Focusing on themed luxury and offering special comforts such as top-tier rooms, fine dining and premier spa experiences.
- Working for a high-end boutique travel consultancy, and crafting exclusive, bespoke, and seamless holiday experiences that emphasizes personalised luxury over standard amenities.
Director/Principal Consultant
EHC Consulting (Pty) Ltd
- Formulated and implemented talent sourcing and recruitment strategies to enhance organizational hiring effectiveness.
- 360 Degree End-to End Talent Sourcing of Executives and Specialists.
- Executive Search and Specialised Skills Recruitment; utilizing behavioral and technical interview methodologies.
- HR Management: Job profiling and grading, Salary grading, Performance Management- Talent Mapping, candidate pipeline planning, research.
- Facilitated employee training programs to enhance skills and career growth.
- Developed and executed customer retention strategies through relationship management to strengthen client loyalty.
- Identified and leveraged strategic relationships at individual, account, and organizational levels to advance business development initiatives.
- Oversaw change management and transformation project for clients, dealing with processes, staff and systems change for clients.
Director/Principal Consultant
Executive Placements
Johannesburg
- Developed new business model to attract clients into Executive Placements CRM using Siebel CRM methodology.
- Introduced the Sales Pipeline Model.
- Increased revenue and profit.
- Expanded client database and maintained strong relationships between clients and candidates.
- Designed training program to enhance team skills and improve overall performance.
- Determined performance goals, providing crucial feedback on methods to reach milestones.
- Executive Search and scarce skills recruitment.
General Manager (GM) - Public Sector
ABSA Business Banking
- Translated ABSA Group strategy, ABSA Business Bank (ACBB) strategy, and Sector specific strategy into actionable business and operational goals.
- Working together with BD and Intelligence, adopt a Sector Value proposition and support in pitches and presentations.
- Assess opportunities for Sector related growth in new service and product areas and their potential impact on Absa.
- Led Sector teams to develop programs and procedures that improved quality, cost, and client service.
- Take joint responsibility for bottom line impact with sales, and directly for market share growth, sub-sector financial performance and monitoring against competitors.
- Positioned Absa Public Sector within industry by marketing company and achieving business targets and objectives.
- Public Sector Group Strategy and Customer Value Proposition.
Executive Manager: Corporate Sales Management (Government and Key Accounts)
TELKOM SA
- Primarily achieve sales targets for Government Sales and Key Accounts market segment.
- Manage the Corporate Account Management team of 5 Senior Managers and 28 Corporate Account Managers responsible for the primary high-level interface between Telkom and its corporate customers.
- Manage Telkom’s strategic interface with customers to position the company for competition.
- Drive and motivate the sales team ensuring that they perform to contracted targets.
- Set performance standards.
- Defend and grow revenue base/value added services.
- Interpret and implement business plan.
- Analyse and segment portfolio.
- Identify targets.
- Define goals.
- Utilise relevant information.
- Compile and implement strategy and sales plan for both: National Government account plan and Key Accounts.
- Manage Performance of both sections: Set performance standards, Communicate desired outcomes, Monitor progress, Evaluate/measure results of the section, Implement corrective action.
- Increased Telkom's revenue from R1bn to R.5bn and VAS to R3bn.
- Signed and sealed a deal with SARS for a VPN Solution valued @ R850m, IEC @ R1.5m, SAPS @ R1.8m.
Business Development Manager (Sales)
UNISYS SOUTH AFRICA
- Primarily achieve Sales Target split between quota and gross profit margin quota.
- Management and ownership of the sales function.
- Maintain and manage account plan.
- Lead and participate in account reviews and strategy sessions.
- Understand Corporate products/programmes with a view of implementing the relevant programmes within the account.
- Manage, prepare and present sales proposals to Key Customers to secure business.
- Accountable for successfully negotiating and closing business deals in order to advance Unisys in the market place.
- Orchestrate formal sales planning activities resulting to comprehensive documented account plans for Key Accounts.
- Co-ordinate and effectively manage resource personnel with a given sales opportunity.
- Enhance communication for effective internal and external communications.
- Effectively manage customer expectations in order to maximise satisfaction.
- Initiating and managing sales activities that will achieve assigned financial targets.
- Management of tender process, responses and new business development.
- Incorporate customer interaction at all levels, establishment of trustworthy and effective business relationships, Building strategic customer relationships.
Executive Manager – (Corporate & Policy Affairs)
SOUTH AFRICAN BROADCASTING AGENCY
Education
BBM- Bachelor of Business Management -
London School of University in Association With Association of Business Executive
03-2026
Leadership Programme -
INSEAD through Absa Bank
01-2004
Sales and Marketing Management Diploma -
Damelin Management School
01-1999
Advance Management Program -
Wits Business School
01-1995
Grade 12 (Matric) - Senior Secondary Teachers Diploma
Eshowe Teachers Training College
01-1982
Skills
- Client satisfaction
- Problem-solving
- Complaint management
- Tourism management
- Budget management
- Project management
- Customer service
- Sales strategy
- Market analysis
- Relationship management
- Social media
- Travel research
- Destination knowledge
- Sales negotiations
- Client amenities
- Client consultations
- Reservations management
- Geography
- Regulatory compliance
- Credit card payments
- Customs requirements
- Company branding
- Interpersonal communications
- Logistics support
- International reservations
- Insurance arrangement
- Travel industry expertise
- Leisure travel
- Air travel coordination
- Tour preparation
- Executive travel
- Hotel accommodations
- Resort partnerships
- Itinerary development
- Itineraries
- Flight booking
- Strong negotiation
- Special needs travelers
- Marketing
- Crisis management
- Microsoft office
Certification
• SA Tourism Specialist Programme
• SA Tourism Specialist
• Performance Management
• Remuneration Benchmarking
• Project Management
• Change Management
• SA Tourism Specialist
• Performance Management
• Remuneration Benchmarking
• Project Management
• Change Management
Core Skills
- Client satisfaction
- Problem-solving
- Complaint management
- Tourism management
- Budget management
Career Background
- Senior Travel/Tour Consultant, Merchantry Worldwide, 01/19, Present, Working for a high-end boutique travel consultancy, crafting exclusive, bespoke, and seamless holiday experiences emphasizing personalised luxury over standard amenities., Focused on tailor-made itineraries, such as private, once-in-a-lifetime adventures, ensuring attention to detail in every element to foster loyalty and provide exceptional value., Leverage Exclusive Partnerships through collaboration with specialized providers to offer access to unique, high-end locations., Curate experiences that are one-in-a-lifetime, such as private tours, e.g. Blue-Train excursions to Vic Falls.
- Director/Principal Consultant, EHC Consulting (Pty) Ltd, Executive Search and Specialised Skills Recruitment; utilising behavioural and technical interview methodologies., Talent Sourcing and Recruitment strategy formulation and implementation., Talent development., Relationship Management - Customer Retention strategy formulation and implementation., 360 Degree End-to-End Talent Sourcing of Executives and Specialists., HR Management: Job profiling and grading, Salary grading, Performance Management- Talent Mapping, candidate pipeline planning, research., Identified and leveraged strategic relationships at the individual, account and organization level to progress BD., Oversaw change management and transformation project for clients, dealing with processes, staff and systems change for clients.
- General Manager (GM) - Public Sector, ABSA Business Banking (Public Sector), Translate the ABSA Group strategy, ABSA Business Bank (ACBB) strategy as well as the Sector specific strategy into business and operational goals., Working together with BD and Intelligence, adopt a Sector Value proposition and support in pitches and presentations., Lead Sector teams to develop programs/procedures to consistently improve quality, cost and client service., Actively monitor progress of the business and operational goals by assessing performance against budgets.
- Executive Manager: Corporate Sales Management (Government and Key Accounts), TELKOM SA, Primarily achieve sales targets for Government Sales and Key Accounts market segment., Manage the Corporate Account Management team of 5 Senior Managers and 28 Corporate Account Managers., Drive and motivate the sales team ensuring that they perform to contracted targets.
- Business Development Manager (Sales), UNISYS SOUTH AFRICA, Primarily achieve Sales Target split between quota and gross profit margin quota., Management and ownership of the sales function., Lead and participate in account reviews and strategy sessions.
- Executive Manager – (Corporate & Policy Affairs), SOUTH AFRICAN BROADCASTING AGENCY
Timeline
Senior Travel/Tour Consultant
Merchantry Worldwide
01.2019 - Current
Director/Principal Consultant
EHC Consulting (Pty) Ltd
Director/Principal Consultant
Executive Placements
General Manager (GM) - Public Sector
ABSA Business Banking
Executive Manager: Corporate Sales Management (Government and Key Accounts)
TELKOM SA
Business Development Manager (Sales)
UNISYS SOUTH AFRICA
Executive Manager – (Corporate & Policy Affairs)
SOUTH AFRICAN BROADCASTING AGENCY
BBM- Bachelor of Business Management -
London School of University in Association With Association of Business Executive
Leadership Programme -
INSEAD through Absa Bank
Sales and Marketing Management Diploma -
Damelin Management School
Advance Management Program -
Wits Business School
Grade 12 (Matric) - Senior Secondary Teachers Diploma
Eshowe Teachers Training College