A heart for empowerment

Marketing graduate with a passion for communications
Wetumwene Shikage
Hilma Petrus, Sanlam Namibia’s newly appointed marketing consultant, is responsible for the planning and execution of communication and stakeholder engagement activities of the company and its subsidiaries.

Her core duties include planning and executing the company’s digital marketing strategy, managing internal communications, developing and producing electronic and print newsletters and all internal publications as well as handling social media management and executing Sanlam’s corporate social responsibility programme.



Background

Petrus is a marketing graduate with a passion for communications, as seen from her previous work experience. Prior to joining Sanlam, she served as the internal communications specialist for First National Bank (FNB) Namibia.

In 2020, Petrus joined the Office of the First Lady and the One Economy Foundation as an executive assistant and communications officer. Driven to stand out, she was instrumental in helping rebrand and launch the foundation’s four brands, where she handled the social media across all brands and facilitated the website development and content creation for the foundation.

Having a heart to implement empowerment initiatives, Petrus throughout her adolescent years volunteered for the Special Olympics, where the opportunity to mentor people with different abilities presented itself. There, she assisted with events management for youth activation as part of ensuring that Namibia sent confident athletes and speakers on international stages and sports events.

Additionally, Petrus works with Ngandu Events alongside other young and talented individuals to cultivate platforms for creatives from the Kavango regions to produce, promote and sell their art to the broader market. This is done in hopes to one day sustain their families and rise above their socio-economic situation.



Getting the call

The excited marketing consultant said she is grateful for the opportunity to work at Sanlam.

“I will do everything in my power to contribute to the growth of the company. I am excited to serve and advance within the Sanlam brand,” she said.

Petrus added that she looks forward to growing her career with opportunities to learn and advance personally and professionally.