Mariken Jansen van Vuuren
Mariken Jansen van Vuuren is head of marketing at the Global Wealth Group
What did you want to be as a child?
Either an artist or an archaeologist.
What would you be doing if it wasn’t for marketing?
Forensic anthropology.
How did you discover marketing?
I’ve always had a passion for storytelling. I studied journalism and design, but the business and marketing classes fired up my passion for this industry. I ended up changing majors a year later and completed an honours in strategy at Vega.
Any life-changing epiphanies?
Don’t talk yourself out of something before you’ve adequately tried to talk yourself into it first. Sometimes, doing something imperfectly is better than doing nothing.
Songs that should be the soundtrack of your life?
This changes daily, and jumps between songs and podcasts. Today it is Cover Me in
Sunshine by Pink.
Favourite artist?
There are too many to call out by name. I appreciate art in all its forms. I especially appreciate art with a more vital message, because, to quote Banksy, “art should comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable”.
Read any good books lately?
My top books this year are: The 5am Club by Robin Sharma; HBR’s 10 Must Reads on Strategy; Who Moved My Cheese? by Spencer Johnson; and
Dare to Lead by Brené Brown.
Guilty pleasures?
I never feel guilty about anything that brings me pleasure.
Lessons Covid-19 has taught you personally and professionally?
Personally, I learned that patience is a virtue, that family should always be a top priority, and that we can still thrive even when we are in survival mode. Professionally, I learned that there is a need to slow down and reconnect with a simpler lifestyle made possible through remote working to fight burnout.
Creative projects you’ve worked on or wish you had?
The most fun was the Lipton Ice Tea raining dancefloor, where we built a dancefloor that went from being under a light mist to a full-on downpour, depending on how many times people tweeted. I wish I could have been part of the “Fearless Girl” campaign.
Your professional superpower?
The ability to see the bigger picture and plan for it.