Transmission s her mission
THE BETTER CONNECTION ’
THIS week we speak to Shalate Portia Davhana, the media and corporate affairs manager at Huawei, who tells us about her job.
What does Huawei do?
We help people connect with their families, friends and business associates any time, anywhere, with any device.
Among other things, we specialise in providing carrier networks, enterprise, consumer and cloud computing as well as communication devices such as modems, mobile phones and tablets.
Basically we provide people with opportunities to enjoy voice and broadband services, regardless of their geographic location through our technological expertise.
What companies do you
engage with?
We provide a variety of technology products and services to telecom operators such as Cell C, Vodacom, MTN, Telkom and Neotel – including the deployment of 2G/3G services networks to some.
What is the competition like and what form does
it take in your field?
Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is a highly competitive industry that requires constant innovation because people’s communication needs change all the time.
Huawei invests 10% of its revenue in research and development (R&D) to ensure that we remain innovative, competitive and relevant to the market.
What does a typical day
at work entail?
My major responsibility is to develop and communicate messages in line with the company
’ s key business objectives and further ensure that those messages reach the intended recipients.
My job includes information research, copy editing, media relations and being a media spokesperson for the company among many other things.
What challenges do
you face?
South Africa is a developing country and the ICT industry has just made inroads into the larger parts of our society. The challenge is to raise awareness about the massive benefits that come with being a “connected” society.
What do you like and dislike about your job?
Like: The opportunity to meet people across the world. I also enjoy meeting journalists and exchanging knowledge and ideas.
Dislike: The nightmare of missing a media enquiry deadline or being misquoted.
What did you study?
I studied journalism at Tshwane University of Technology, majoring in English and print and broadcasting media.
Where did you work
before?
I was a communication manager for Advanced Technologies and Engineering, a local aeronautical engineering company.
That is where my first love for technology developed.
I started my career as an intern at Sunday World.
Any advice for young people who would like to do your kind of job?
A good command of the English language is necessary as most institutions require at least a B-Symbol for higher grade English for admission into journalism, public relations or media studies.