Summary
Overview
Work History
Education
Skills
Honors And Awards
Work Availability
Languages
Websites
Timeline
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Michelle Nontokozo Sidambe

Michelle Nontokozo Sidambe

Associate Director – Qualitative
Randburg,GP

Summary

Customer strategic and insights-driven professional with 10+ years of experience delivering impactful, data-driven solutions across FMCG, finance, and telecom sectors. Expert in managing end-to-end insight projects, client engagement, and data interpretation to inform business strategy. Proven ability to lead high-performing teams, strengthen stakeholder relationships, and thrive under pressure in deadline-driven environments.

Overview

7
7
years of professional experience
2008
2008
years of post-secondary education

Work History

Associate Director

Mobile Digital Intelligence (MDI)
04.2023 - Current
  • Developing and executing research projects across the African region to explore consumer behavior, category trends, and market opportunities in different industries.
  • Partnering with senior marketing teams and brand managers to co-create integrated research solutions aligned to business and brand objectives.
  • Interpret client data to deliver actionable business intelligence that informs product, marketing, and CX strategies.
  • Providing valuable insights and actionable recommendations aligned with clients' research and business objectives.
  • Serving as a key client manager within the African region, ensuring client needs are met, and expectations are exceeded.
  • Collaborate closely with clients to understand their business challenges and objectives.
  • Driving revenue generation by delivering high-quality research proposals, fostering long-term client relationships, and contributing to the renewal of key clients.
  • Leading the end-to-end project lifecycle from proposal writing, project design, fieldwork, data synthesis, reporting, and presentation.
  • Preparing detailed proposals and developing innovative methodologies tailored to client requirements.
  • Collaborate with suppliers to gather essential information, and prepare precise project costing.
  • Build and maintain strong relationships with suppliers to enhance project outcomes.
  • Design and develop research questionnaires for both quantitative and qualitative studies.
  • Create mobile-compatible discussion guides and engagement tasks for qualitative and quantitative research.
  • Deploy quantitative and qualitative tasks on mobile platforms, and conduct digital interviews.
  • Facilitate qualitative discussion groups, and conduct in-depth interviews via digital platforms.
  • Ensure projects are executed within budget, and adhere to predetermined timelines.
  • Presenting strategic insights to C-suite stakeholders, cross-functional teams, and regional forums, influencing marketing and product direction.
  • I currently manage and mentor a growing qualitative team, currently overseeing 2 professionals with varying experience levels.
  • When I joined the organisation, I was a 1-man team, however in the 2+ years I managed to scale up and assist in designing and implementing internal operating processes, including project management frameworks, role clarity protocols (who does what, when), and reporting routines to ensure smooth running.
  • By formalizing internal qual processes and growing the team, I’ve helped the organisation scale its qualitative capacity, respond faster to client needs, and unlock new growth opportunities in high-impact regional studies.
  • Set and track individual KPIs aligned to broader business goals, providing regular performance feedback and coaching.
  • Facilitate professional growth through tailored learning opportunities, on-the-job upskilling, and stretch assignments.
  • Create structured workflows and resource planning to ensure timely, high-quality project delivery.
  • Promote a collaborative, accountable, and psychologically safe team environment.
  • Act as a sounding board and escalation point, supporting team members in managing client demands, project challenges, and workload balance.

Client Success Manager

Smoke Customer Intelligence
07.2019 - 03.2023
  • Maintained and deepened 10+ client stakeholder relationships across industries, contributing to a 25% uplift in account renewals.
  • Managed key accounts in insurance, medical, utilities, and finance sectors from onboarding to renewals.
  • Identified upsell and cross-sell opportunities.
  • Led client workshops and insight presentations, highlighting strategic implications based on data.
  • Ensure effective client onboarding through the incorporation of training and product demos.
  • Management of client accounts via the online CRM tool (HubSpot).
  • Management of client contracts and driving renewal negotiations.
  • Driving client value by developing meaningful client relationships that promote retention, delight, and loyalty.
  • Supporting client’s needs and becoming a trusted advisor based on the services offered and industry insights.
  • Proactively analyse client data and compile reports providing insightful trends on customer, product, brand and business performance.
  • Ongoing industry research & learning to understand better and support clients’ needs.
  • Contributing towards sales through the identification of upsell and cross-selling opportunities.
  • Project management of new services and offerings on existing accounts.
  • Work closely with the internal team - Support, Research and Professional Services, Support Operations, Developers, Projects, and Implementation teams to deliver excellent client experiences, co-create insights that drive strategic decisions.
  • Represent the Voice of Smoke CI’s clients to provide input into Eyerys (software program).
  • Ownership of client instances and product expert providing input to design and product enhancements.
  • Management of internal communications and stakeholders associated with the assigned accounts, including the overview of all incidental operational ticketing activities.
  • Drive strategic alignment, through the provision of insights and client support. This would also include service recovery, client complaints, escalations, and requests, which support client retention, renewals, and expansions.

Account Manager

Kantar
04.2018 - 07.2019
  • Effective management and oversight of operational activities for research projects from inception to execution and final presentation.
  • Building strong working relationships with all client stakeholders, incorporating communication plans for the effective management of all tasks and activities.
  • The compilation of strategic proposals and assisting with overall department targets i.e., sales and retention.
  • The design of guides and interview schedules which include innovative methodologies e.g., ethnographies / online dear diary studies and so forth.
  • Field work supervision [Client liaison/ Moderating/ interviewing].
  • Qualitative Analysis, and report writing.
  • Delivered strategic insights for FMCG and personal care brands, including consumer sensory testing, packaging feedback, and product innovation research that influenced go-to-market decisions.
  • Supervised and mentored three junior researchers.
  • Reason for leaving: Career Change and Growth Opportunity.

Education

High School -

Petra High School

Degree & Honours - BA (Strategic Marketing Communications)

University of Johannesburg

Short course - Customer Experience Management

University of Pretoria

Skills

Stakeholder & client relationship management

Honors And Awards

  • Nominated best performing employee of the quarter, 10/01/17
  • Identified as a high performing employee, 03/01/18

Work Availability

monday
tuesday
wednesday
thursday
friday
saturday
sunday
morning
afternoon
evening
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Languages

English
Bilingual or Proficient (C2)

Timeline

Associate Director

Mobile Digital Intelligence (MDI)
04.2023 - Current

Client Success Manager

Smoke Customer Intelligence
07.2019 - 03.2023

Account Manager

Kantar
04.2018 - 07.2019

Degree & Honours - BA (Strategic Marketing Communications)

University of Johannesburg

Short course - Customer Experience Management

University of Pretoria

High School -

Petra High School

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Michelle Nontokozo SidambeAssociate Director – Qualitative