{"id":17344,"date":"2023-10-17T12:00:39","date_gmt":"2023-10-17T10:00:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/getitmagazine.co.za\/joburg-north\/?p=17344"},"modified":"2023-10-17T10:25:13","modified_gmt":"2023-10-17T08:25:13","slug":"what-katie-did","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/getitmagazine.co.za\/joburg-north\/blog\/2023\/10\/17\/what-katie-did\/","title":{"rendered":"What Katie did"},"content":{"rendered":"

Some women opt for \u2018sensible\u2019 when they\u2019re packing their travel bags. Not Katie Mohamed, CEO of BrandFusion and founder of the W-Suite. She\u2019ll always go for glamour.<\/strong><\/h4>\n

That\u2019s not surprising, given that she lives by the mantra, \u201cTry to be the best version of yourself every day.\u201d<\/p>\n

Katie\u2019s best version is impressive, indeed: She may have grown up in the small KZN town of Richmond, but she is very much a citizen of the world.<\/p>\n

This isn\u2019t by accident \u2013 although she\u2019s the first to admit that much of her career success came about through serendipity. \u201cWhen you come from a small town, the city is endlessly seductive. I felt like I had spent much of my early life being put in a box, and as soon as I turned 26 and got divorced, I was no longer content to stay inside that box,\u201d Katie says. She moved to Durban, where she got her first taste of the media industry and she so loved working as a broadcaster on a local radio show.<\/p>\n

From there, Joburg beckoned. In love with the idea of being financially independent, Katie took on a job in sales and marketing at the SABC. It was a heyday for the industry, and she lost no time making the most of everything this thrilling world had to offer. Soon, she had distinguished herself as a top performer in her field \u2013 but why stay there when you can dazzle in other areas? That\u2019s the philosophy that saw her move into production. \u201cI\u2019d been privileged to work on some really big projects, like the FIFA 2010 Soccer World Cup, and I felt like I\u2019d peaked in that part of my career. I needed something new,\u201d she explains.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s how the door opened to becoming host on the TV show No Reservations, then producing and hosting Food With Friends \u2013 until she started BrandFusion, leveraging all her skills to offer integrated marketing services.<\/p>\n

Her dynamic career has given Katie plenty of opportunities to explore the world \u2013 and she\u2019s made the most of them. Starting with her very first overseas trip to New Orleans (which she won through her achievements at MTN), to this year, when she\u2019s collected an enviable number of stamps in her passport, she gets something out of every country she visits. \u201cMy trip to Palestine was wonderfully spiritual; while I remember my times in New York for their endless energy,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

Her favourite thing about travel? \u201cIt makes you realise that the world is so much bigger than yourself,\u201d Katie muses. \u201cI think that, as you get older, travel becomes even more of an experience because you\u2019re happy to take time. I like just standing in front of the Mona Lisa, wondering about the magic and mystery of her smile, or looking at the White House and thinking of all the history that resides there. It takes you back in the continuum of time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Katie\u2019s tips for the perfect trip<\/strong><\/p>\n