Keneilwe (Ken): Thriving in a culture of learning:

At Safari Destinations, learning is the compass guiding every career. Ken’s journey began on the reservations floor, mastering systems and product with daily feedback and mentoring from her manager. As an understudy to Andrea, she learnt from the best!. Supplier educationals and in-house training sharpened her reservations expertise, while management and people-skills workshops shaped her leadership voice. Promoted last year from Senior Consultant to Team Leader, Ken has truly found her calling—and we are loving her in this role. With company support, she recently earned an MSc in Strategic Management with distinction. Her nextfrontier? Continuing as Team leader but also working alongside the Executive Team to apply her MSc research and help evolve our people practices.

Tlamelo: Driven to Grow and Empowered by Opportunity:

“I love being challenged—if I’m not learning, I’m not growing.” That’s how Tlamelo sums it up, and it shows. With experience in every part of the Accounts Department, he’s steadily built his career from Accounts Administrator to Tax and Finance Assistant Manager over eight years at Safari Destinations. His latest challenge ? Completing a company sponsored, MSc in Strategic Management. Tlamelo’s kept his manager on her toes over the years, consistently asking for new challenges and SD has been there every step of the way. Believing that development is also about exposure, Tlamelo’s growth is now focused on being part of groups fostering change at SD, such as the AI Thought Leadership Group,  driving our digital transformation agenda.

Tshepang: Recognising talent from the word go:

When Tshepang Botana joined Safari Destinations in 2015 as a receptionist, as a fresh tourism graduate, no one imagined she’d be leading departments seven years later. We spotted her spark early and backed her all the way. From admin assistant to now Assistant GM (and an MBA grad), Tshepang has brought talent and ambition together with determination and sheer hard work. Tshepang has grasped every opportunity afforded her. Reflecting on her recently completed MBA, Tshepang is quick to point out that her growth story cannot be told without Safari Destinations at the centre. “They weren’t just my employer and sponsor. They believed in my potential before I even submitted my first assignment”.

Tumisang: Building Botswana’s Leadership Pipeline:

Tumi’s promotion to HR Manager: Operations is more than a new title—it marks a proud milestone in Safari Destinations’ commitment to Botswana’s localisation strategy. Having started as a newly graduated understudy, Tumi embraced every opportunity to learn, grow, and lead. With belief in her potential, supported by mentoring, training, and progressive responsibility, Tumi has transformed promise into performance. Reflecting on her journey with her manager and mentor, she shared: “It’s incredible to think we’ve shared nearly 10 years. Your presence has been a steady light—supportive, kind, and full of heart. You’ve taught me so much.” We love Tumi’s growth story: a powerful example of how investing in future leaders today strengthens the company—and the country.

Faith: Leading with Cross-Functional Strength:

Faith’s climb from Reservations Admin to Marketing Manager (with a few stepping stones in between) is a blueprint for cross-functional growth at SD. What’s driven her ascent? Solid exposure and training in reservations, a wide variety of projects and work in Marketing, with progressive responsibility, combined with smart upskilling (hello, people management, project and strategic management courses), as well as what makes Faith unique: bold curiosity, the courage to ask, learn, and connect and to get the job done! With a manager (our lovely Carina!) that has given Faith the space to fly, she has had the fortune of multiple mentors in the business to guide and support her. The result is a highly accomplished Marketing Manager who strengthens the link between Sales, Marketing and Reservations.

Jed: Building a career at SD:

When you’ve got the spark and the right team, momentum builds fast—just ask Jed. He started in Reservations, where his flair for guest interactions and drive for improvement stood out. When Supervisor: Travel Experiences opened up, Jed was the natural choice. At SD, career development is intentional—career paths are planned, and internal promotion is encouraged. With his manager’s support, training and independent coaching, Jed grew in skill and confidence. Now he’s leapt into Sales, bringing his talent for connection and problem solving to a new space. From Reservations Admin to Assistant Manager: Sales in under three years—this kind of growth doesn’t happen by accident: we hire for careers, not just jobs, and turn that promise into action.

Climbing the SD ladder, the Keba Way:

Keba’s journey and advancement is what a career in reservations looks like at SD. Starting out as an administrator in Reservations, now 8 years later, she’s worked her way up the reservations career ladder to Senior Consultant and Assistant Team Leader. With access to excellent mentors, top-tier in-house reservations training, as well as training and coaching on her supervision, every step has come with learning opportunities to hone her craft. And one of the things we love about Keba: she’s always been clear about what she needs to thrive. Promotions at Safari Destinations aren’t about waiting your turn—they’re about showing you’re ready as readiness for promotion is assessed at each 6 monthly performance review. With her passion, smarts, and drive, she’s not just growing—she’s setting the bar for what’s possible.

Finding Her Voice: Lisa’s Leadership Journey:

Lisa may have started off soft-spoken and quiet. Through purposeful practice, Lisa has developed her voice through active participation in team meetings and training, self-assessments in reviews and feedback on educationals. Through these, her voice has emerged with calm clarity and thoughtful leadership. Once a reservations administrator and now an Assistant Team Leader and Intermediate Consultant, she leads with grace, delivers top-tier itineraries, and supports her team with steady assurance. Her voice may still be soft, but it resonates—shaping agent decisions, empowering her colleagues, and contributing meaningfully to our shared success. Lisa’s journey shows that empowerment isn’t accidental—it can be intentionally cultivated through reflection, feedback, and meaningful responsibility, allowing even the quiet strengths in our team to shine.