Congratulations to our January High Five Award Winners
Our winners were:
Paul Achungo (East Africa: Regional Sales Coordinator):
Paul is a dedicated coach and motivator, he consistently provides guidance, leadership, and inspiration for excellence. He has personally overseen sales activities, supported various processes, and inspired the team to continually improve. As a regional coordinator, he is deeply passionate about projects like the Kenya Primary Education Equity in Learning (KPEEL) Program, earning him the nickname “Mr. KPEEL” due to his fervent pursuit of leads and funding to ensure sales. His dedication extends to the Uganda market, where he has invested significant effort and passion.
Rita Nyanchera (East Africa: English Editor):
Rita demonstrates remarkable agility in getting titles through KICD for corrections and ready for print, ensuring they hit the market swiftly. She embodies a first-to-market, customer-focused attitude. Known as the “Queen of NPPE and KICD approvals,” she completes all her KICD corrections promptly and always with a warm smile. With her, it’s never a dull day.
Walied Manuel (Field Service Engineer):
One of Walied’s strengths is collaboration, especially with remote teams. He often takes urgent calls while commuting to or from work when systems fail, always doing everything possible to resolve challenges. His committed, selfless service, along with his patient and positive can-do attitude, gives the team peace of mind.
Sharon Wentzel (Accounts Payable Manager) and Kimberley Erasmus (Accounts Payable Clerk):
Both Sharon and Kimberley demonstrated tenacity and dedication during the submission process to ensure timely vendor payments. They consistently went above and beyond their duties, and their calm, friendly, and approachable demeanor made them invaluable team members, creating a positive and collaborative work environment.
Kia Arendse (Sales Enablement Intern):
Kia exceeds expectations in keeping our e-retailers satisfied and efficiently handling eBook queries, especially when the publishing team was heavily occupied with submission work.
Gaironesa Ganief (Publishing Editorial Lead):
Gaironesa has the ability to navigate complex situations with poise. She is not only a source of innovative solutions, but also a pillar of support for her colleagues. Her unwavering dedication and positive attitude is contagious, boosting team morale even during the most challenging phases of projects. She exemplifies the qualities of a true leader and innovator.
Martin Endemann (Senior Digital Specialist) and Helga Schaberg (Digital Publisher):
Martin and Helga produced the first AI text-to-audio generated product for SA. Demonstrating innovation, grit, and collaboration, Principles of Human Resources Management became the first South African product to feature a text-to-speech component. Using AWS Polly, text-to-speech technology, to create an audio version of the book, they collaborated to produce 334 audio files, covering approximately 83,000 words and 220 pages.
Wasema Mathews (Managing Editor):
Wasema is an excellent communicator both internally and externally. An external supplier remarked, “The handover and content was well managed by Wasema, who maintained constant communication.” She is recognised for her relentless dedication, hard work, curiosity, and solutions-focused approach.
Jeane de Bruin (Managing Editor):
Jeane was nominated for her exceptional hard work and dedication as the artwork coordinator during the submission process. She created simple processes for monitoring and managing the process from start to finish. Her efforts were recognised by both the internal team and external suppliers, resulting in a stunning final product. Thank you for representing us so well!
Linda Roos (Dictionary Publisher):
Since the WOTY announcement, Linda has made numerous TV appearances, including on Expresso and Channel Africa, and has been interviewed on various radio stations. She has demonstrated remarkable dedication by attending media training, collaborating with our PR agency to prepare for different interview scenarios, and stepping into the spotlight, despite it being outside her comfort zone. She has represented the OUP brand with expertise, striking the perfect balance between trusted knowledge and elegance, while keeping the conversations relatable.