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Going for it

Wisdom is a girl’s best friend

Evany van Wyk



In her current role as Bank Windhoek’s communication practitioner for electronic and new media, Veno Mbuende has found that no two days are alike.

Her day comprises of community management and responding to social media enquiries and comments.

With social media being a key part of her role, Mbuende constantly stays up-to-date with the latest online and social media trends, which allows her to identify topics to explore.

“Our team has regular, if not daily, brainstorming sessions and engagements on various aspects for upcoming campaigns for the development of the next phase of the social media calendar,” said Mbuende.

Clearly a passionate soul, Mbuende cannot stop talking about her work experience.

“My job is about connecting Bank Windhoek with staff and customers on social media.”

Mbuende admits that finding your feet, especially in a new industry such as social media, can be a challenge.

“You then realise there is trial and error and what works for one brand is not necessarily going to work for another. It is all about perfectly tailoring strategies and efforts,” she explained.

She added she is passionate about social media because the platform allows her to instantly disseminate information to a mass audience.

“In this digital world, we are fortunate enough to share information at a click of a button. I find this very exciting,” she said.

Born in Namibia, Mbuende grew up in Botswana and retuned to Namibia in her teens.

She attended the University of Namibia (Unam) and obtained a bachelor’s of arts degree in media studies and English, specialising in public relations.

Mbuende describes herself as an ambitious individual, thus running her own business and putting her stamp on something she created is her ultimate goal. She does, however, realise that sitting around twiddling her thumbs will not make her dreams a reality.

“I am always working on a ‘passion project’. Currently, it is an application that I am designing and developing, and I cannot wait to see it come to life,” she said excitedly.

Mbuende wishes she knew more about app development, but she is actively learning that it is not as easy as it looks.

“It is something that needs to be explored and there are so many opportunities in that space, especially for young Namibians,” she said.

How did she reach this level of self-assurance? Mbuende says the one thing she would love to have told her younger self is: “You have so much to offer, so never let anyone make you doubt yourself.”

Her future plans include becoming an expert in social and digital marketing and communication. “I just happen to be fortunate enough to be in a position where my knowledge is constantly being developed. I am grateful to Bank Windhoek for giving me this opportunity,” she said.

Her most treasured advice is that of her mother, who always says: “Go for it girl.”

She believes that doing something and failing is better than not doing it, and wondering whether it is could have been.

Mbuende said to be with a company like Bank Windhoek, which recognises the importance of emerging platforms, is quite the blessing.