Robyn Hobson: South African Grit to Global Success
In this episode we dive into Robyn Hobson’s journey from growing up in South Africa to being a global marketing superstar.
One of the key points discussed in Robyn’s podcast episode is the resilience instilled from her upbringing in South Africa. This lead her to ultimate success of being a CMO of a startup in the United States. She also explains her journey across the globe from Africa to China and how the encourage her entrepreneurial mindset. Robyn also gives her advice on growing company culture, building relationships, and sensitivity training. She also gives her insights on the best places to checkout in Capetown, South Africa and some of her favorite neighborhoods!
Direct quote from Robyn herself:
"My career has been anything but boring! I interned at a digital marketing agency that was home to some of the best creative minds in Africa, dove into the deep end at a mobile technology start-up that successfully exited, learnt how vital a crisis communications plan is at a low-cost airline, dipped a toe into corporate waters, ate far too much chocolate launching a FMCG brand, started a business, studied, spent time scaling a global EdTech company, and then ...started marketing Sprinter vans. ”
Robyn Hobson has had an exciting and varied marketing career spanning over 13 years. She started off interning at a digital marketing agency in Africa, getting hands-on experience with top creative talent. Her next move was joining a high-growth mobile technology startup as one of their first hires. When the startup successfully exited, Robyn decided to branch off on her own, launching a digital marketing consulting firm and attracting major clients like Africa's premium lifestyle retailer.
After getting a taste for entrepreneurship, Robyn joined the corporate world as the Social Media Manager for Woolworths. She quickly grew their online community to over 500,000 fans, making it the largest in Africa at the time. Never one to get too comfortable, her next challenge was crisis communications and PR with a low-cost airline.
During this time, Robyn also completed her MBA from the University of Cape Town's Graduate School of Business. Her education and experience prepared her for VP of Marketing and Sales roles at companies like Mobile Guardian and now Remote Vans, where she gets to combine her love of startups and marketing.
Robyn's over a decade of experience has led to recognition like the Bronze Stevie Award for Female Executive of the Year, being named a U35 Marketing Rising Star, and becoming a finalist for B2B Marketing Excellence. She also mentors young entrepreneurs and judges major marketing award shows.
As her diverse career path shows, Robyn isn't afraid to dive into new challenges and industries. She's a marketer who thrives on growth and uses every experience as a chance to learn. Whether it's a scrappy startup or a global corporate brand, Robyn brings insight and creativity gained from across industries. Her curiosity and passion for marketing shines through in every role.
Put Foot Foundation: https://www.putfootfoundation.org/
Remote Vans: https://remotevans.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robynhobson
Twitter: @robynhobson
Linkedin: @robynhobson
