Mutinta Musokotwane:Seasoned Marketer

Mutinta Musokotwane

By Winston Muleba II

SEASONED marketing executive Mutinta Musokotwane-Chikopela says anyone can discover and create a powerful personal brand. 

She says creating a personal brand is about how a person packages him/ herself, and stands out in the crowd, adding that personal branding is key to getting noticed in a rapidly changing and competitive world. "It is about marketing yourself and your career as a brand."  

"The concept is important if you are ambitious and intend on going places. But if you want to just be part of the wallpaper, personal branding might just be a waste of your energy. If you get it right, you will stand out of the crowd and a lot of opportunities will come your way," she says. 

Mutinta, who turns 39 in September, is the wife of singer Runell (real name Tarcissius R. Chikopela).

She was born to Kebby Musokotwane who served in various portfolios in the UNIP government.

"My mother is Regina Musokotwane who has served this country as MP for Katombora on the UPND ticket. I am among the luckiest women to have married Chikopela, the love of my life. It has been a good journey. There are few men like him. I am also mother of Kunukuya, Utazimya and Mumena. I am also daughter to late Kebby Sililo Kambulu Musokotwane and Regina Muzya Musokotwane," says Mutinta 

Mutinta adds that she has six siblings. "(My brother) Noel lives in New York with his family; Dr Kebby Musokotwane lives right here in Lusaka also with his family; Maston lives in Canada with his family, then me. After me comes Eason who sometimes lives at the farm in Makoli and other times at Musokotwane village with his family, then Moono and Tengwera who both live with mum right here in Lusaka. I do also have some other siblings from my dad's side."

She is Catholic and congregates at Mary Immaculate Parish on Leopards Hill Road and sometimes at St Emmaus Spirituality Centre, also on Leopards Hill Road. 

"I had an amazing childhood. This is to say I had great relationships with both parents and I still have a great relationship with my mother. I went to St Mary's Primary School (now Mary Queen of Peace) from grade one to grade seven, and later went to St Joseph's Secondary School grade eight and part of grade nine. The family then moved to Canada where I attended Great Lakes Christian College. Our lifestyle was one of a close-knit family. My siblings and I had our fights but we always had each other's back. I grew up with three older brothers and one younger one for some time and this turned me into a tomboy. I used to walk long distances to play soccer with boys. That was so much fun. You wouldn't picture it now when you see me in my dresses and high heels. My younger sisters came much later and sort of softened me up somewhat - or so I think, but if you asked them they would tell you a different story. My parents were very strict yet raised us to be humble. We always had lots of cousins living with us because my parents believed in extended family and educating as many as possible. Many holidays and many Christmases we spent at the village. As a youngster, I didn't think this was very cool but now that I am older I really do appreciate how my parents raised us. Even though we had a lot of house help, we were taught to do house chores. You would be amazed if you found me at home. I am completely domesticated," says Mutinta. 

Mutinta says she did not really know what she wanted to study before completing grade 12. 

"I wasn't one of those people who knew from day one what I wanted to study. I was just sort of gliding through school. When I was much younger, I thought I wanted to be an air hostess. Thank God that didn't last long. I couldn't possibly manage living out of suitcase. I finally studied marketing. I sort of stumbled upon it. When I went to Zambia Institute of Management in search of higher learning, I honestly didn't know what I wanted to study. On offer were accounts, IMIS and marketing. Accounts and IMIS were non-starters for me so I settled for marketing. All I can say is God's hand was at play because I was born to be a marketer. I love it," she says. 

With such a career background, Mutinta says she  faced some challenges at college. "The only major challenge I faced at college was that I didn't want to study. I was meeting new people and life was rather interesting. Generally my lifestyle was one of a typical college student's or rather what should be typical. I attended all my classes and seminars as required, even though more times than not I wished I could hang out with those who chose to hang out over attending class. While in college however, I made some deep meaningful friendships that are still adding value to my life today. I made friends like Doreen Chanda-Winkle and Angela Dube. I will forever love these girls. By the time I was done with college, I had a postgraduate professional diploma with the Chartered Institute of Marketing. Through the years I have done other courses to add to my experience. I have also recently been studying for my MBA with the Edinburgh Business School - Heriot Watt University. That being a case, I had no option but to overcome the challenge. I think what drove me to study is the fear of failure. The fear of failure actually paralyses me and drives me in a lot of my endeavours,” she says. 

She says she is involved in a lot of activities and had a brilliant career path. 

"I somehow always find myself as chairperson of various committees. In the recent past I have been chairperson for the Zambian Institute of Marketing Kitwe Chapter and Lusaka Chapter. I have also been the chairperson for the Crested Crane Academy PTA and the chair for Cavmont Capital Bank Pension Trust Scheme. These platforms have not only improved my leadership skills but also helped my listening skills. What interests me is that I never applied to be in any of these positions but in all cases people chose my name - sometimes in absentia. That has helped with my confidence levels because I began to appreciate and see that people saw a certain potential in me that I didn't even know existed. I have had a brilliant career. Firstly I had one of the coolest jobs at Mondo Music where I was marketing manager/artist and repertoire (A&R). I was part of the beginning of the "next era" for Zambian music. It was an amazing time. I built brands such as Black Muntu, Shatel and JK. After my stint at Mondo, I moved to Celtel. While at Celtel, I worked under one of the greatest marketers Zambia ever saw; the late Chrispin Kagulurah was what every marketer should be. He wasn't afraid to explore. He gave me wings. Together we came up with the biggest promotion that Zambia ever saw - we gave away a house. Ever since that time, all promotions in Zambia have revolved around that theme but nothing has been bigger. He also taught me to take risks. We ran an Independence Day promotion to allow customers to make free calls. It was crazy and the network couldn't handle the congestion for long but the adrenaline was great. Celtel and Zain were great training ground for me. I travelled the whole country building the network and launching different products and services. I was also privileged to work in various portfolios such as PR, CSR, Events and Promotions. I took the rotation very seriously and it has helped me to have a rich CV and be a well-rounded marketer. I also had the privilege of working with one of the most special human beings that anyone can ever meet. His name is Louis Lubala. In terms of leadership, Louis is up there with Mandela. Louis allowed me to fly where others had tried to clip my wings. He was objective, fair and allowed people to think and create. God bless him wherever he is. After Celtel and Zain, I moved into the banking sector. I saw a job ad in the paper for head of marketing for Cavmont Bank and even before I applied, I knew the job was mine. I was attracted to the job because the brand was so bland. I knew I would be able to change that and that the journey would be exciting. I was also attracted to Cavmont because I knew it would be a different training ground altogether. Cavmont had never had a marketing department and as head of marketing I had the opportunity to recruit, to improve my performance management and succession planning. It was also great to work on brand manuals and other processes and procedures. I am very grateful for the time I spent there. I am now at BancABC and that is another training ground on its own. Generally I have had an amazing career and have met amazing people along the way. Besides that, my husband and I have owned a company called Showdown Entertainments since 2004. We have a full-fledged audio and video studio. We have published albums such as Exile's 7 days, Kmillian's Escape and Bryan Lyamba's debut album called Bryan. Showdown Entertainments has also been the home of Runell's albums i.e Uwamunobe, Walishuka, Addictive, No Limits, etc. We have also done jingles for organisations such as Airtel, ZICTA, Scaling Up Family Planning (SUFP), National AIDS Council and PANOS to mention but a few. Beyond the studio angle, we are also experts in marketing, communications and public relations consultancy. We have had many successes in putting together roadshows and events. We have facilitated team building and strategic planning for organisations. Other companies that we have worked with are Zesco, ZICTA and Communication Support for Health (CSH) and A1 Outdoor," says Mutinta. 

Mutinta says she has been building the Mutinta Musokotwane brand. 

"Perhaps if you consider the name change to Mutinta Musokotwane- Chikopela you could call it a rebrand but nevertheless the product has remained the same. Personal branding for me was really a natural progression. I chose to take personal branding seriously because I wanted to be the best at what I do. I wanted to leave a legacy. When someone thinks marketers or communicators in Zambia, I want my name to be top on that list. I knew that the world is competitive and that unless I work towards that specific goal, my dreams would not come to fruition," she says. 

She explains how one can discover and create a powerful personal brand. 

"One does not discover a powerful personal brand. A powerful personal brand has to be built. The most important thing is to know what you want to be. What sort of a brand do you want to be? What is your vision? You also have to have an amazing set of values that you set for yourself. Otherwise you could be building a brand that people may not want to associate with. You will also have to be thorough and pay attention to detail. Do not take anything for granted. In the long run, all your actions add up - the way you dress, smell, talk, etc," says Mutinta. 

Mutinta says many people think that personal branding is only for political, entertainment and sports personalities. 

"That's where they get it wrong. I am not a political, entertainment or sports figure but I have taken personal branding very seriously and it has worked wonders for me," she says. 

She says some of the benefits of strong personal branding are the sheer satisfaction of having achieved something great. "You won't have to apply for jobs - jobs will look for you; Certain doors open for well-known names. Other opportunities will also come your way because the market will know your worth and your value," says Mutinta. 

Mutinta explains how one can promote their personal branding. 

"Everyone has a circle of influence and they can begin to promote their personal brand there. Start with your immediate family and close friends. Increase your circle to work - volunteer to do some works that people shun. Speak up in meetings - when you notice a problem, ensure you raise it by providing a solution. Be trustworthy, reliable and punctual to all whom you interact with. Start small. Grab any and every opportunity that allows you to showcase your skills and brand. Even small opportunities in the long run add up to exposing your brand. To give an example, (National Arts Council chairperson) Mulenga Kapwepwe is among other people with a great personal branding," she says. 

She offers advice to Zambians, especially the youths, with regards to personal branding. 

"I will start with general advice and then zone in on personal branding. Life is a journey - your own journey. You will not be young forever so be careful the decisions you make. Decisions made today will affect the rest of your life. Start to save and invest now - it is the best favour you will ever do yourself. Marriage is hard but extremely rewarding work so make sure you marry for the right reasons. The wrong reasons will make your life downright impossible. Marry a friend - someone you can talk and laugh with. About personal branding; know who you are and create a set of values that resonate with a solid set of principles. Work towards being part of a generation that changed the face of the country. Work against this useless work culture that has become part of our DNA as Zambians; Be on time - always and most importantly, stand up and be counted," she says. 

Mutinta says she has many role models and gets inspired by different people at different times. 

"My husband is one of my biggest role models. His work ethic is amazing. He works really hard and will do what it takes to be the man he has set out to be. His interpretation of life also inspires me. He is really deep. My mother and my late mother-in-law also inspire me. Both married extremely young, coming out of humble backgrounds to raise children who have flourished. Being a mother now, I know that it's not such a big deal to be a female with a child after all. Anyone can bear children but to raise solid families the way these two women did in their circumstances is mind blowing," she says. 

She says she would want people to remember her as a person who got the job done. "Through the years, people have formed their own opinions of me - some not so nice but I consider it a Zambian thing so that's alright, but no one can say I didn't get the job done. I want people to remember for being the change I wanted to see," says Mutinta. 

Your personal brand is what differentiates you from others. Consider rebranding yourself. It's that simple. You can do it. For comments;mwenyamuleba@gmail.com / 0966 461 943/0950 594 050