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Paul Howes - The 1-minute Resume

My most important qualities? I’m enthusiastic, honest and ethical and, once I’ve committed myself to a person or a project, fiercely loyal. I’m also very curious, which makes me willing and able to learn.

I earned a National Diploma in Marine Radio Communications & Electrical Engineering and a Higher Diploma in Radar Maintenance from the Cape Town Technicon in 1989 and then spent some years at sea with the Merchant Navy.

I’ve done many things since then - and over the past eight years I’ve worked mostly in media sales and marketing - but I’ve never lost my love for the ocean.

In ‘93 I opened a surf shop in Knysna - Nirvana Trading - and later formed Ocean Blue Surf, which had two clothing labels and a businesses making surfboards. I travelled a lot to surf in those days, and this lead to an import- and export- business for surfing products.

Nirvana Trading became a role model for the surf industry because of our diverse approach to the sport: we involved ourselves in event organisation and sport management, surf contests, fundraisers, sponsorships, surf schools and clubs.

A highlight - in ‘96 we won the Knysna Chamber of Business’ Service Excellence Award (and managed to hold our position as nominees over the next two years). Then in ‘98 we successfully opened our first franchise store in George and I sold the business in ’99 and went on to concentrate on exporting. For this I spent some time in England.

Back in Knysna in 2000, I involved myself in the media business - starting with my association with writer Martin Hatchuel of the ground-braking publications Cape Tourism Update and Cape Welcome. Here I handled all advertising sales in the Eastern and Western Cape Provinces, trained and managed a small sales team and assisted with printing, distribution and marketing (by, for example, attending the Tourism Indaba).

I followed this up with short-term contracts for Your Travel Companion (where I helped launch a new official tourism publication for Cape Town); at Picasso Headline (corporate publications like McGregor’s Who Owns Whom and the Map Studio’s Street Guides); and as a freelancer for Zelpy Media (an outdoor digital media company - where I sold advertising on projects like the A1 Grand Prix in Durban, the Nedbank Million Dollar Golf Challenge at Sun City, the Rand Easter Show in Jozie and South Africa’s Cricket World Cup - where, because I was selling by phone to Australian companies, I often worked from midnight to 7 a.m. …)

In 2003 I was head-hunted by TBM Communications - a company that installs plasma screen advertising and information boards in major public areas - as their general manager for Cape Town. From here I went on to become sales, marketing and general manager at Red Cherry Adventures – a corporate team building and events management outfit with a bistro café, conference centre and motorcycle adventure company based in Port Elizabeth (it’s a company that’s known around the world for events like Enduro Africa [yes, you have heard of it - the princes Harry and Wills were involved in it in 2008] and the KTM Rally Raid).

The sum of all my experience means that I have an extensive network of contacts in the tourism, surfing and corporate markets - all built on the foundations I built as the owner of Nirvana Trading.

The personal stuff, you say?

… Well, I’ve had loads of experience as an adventurer - with Outward Bound and Veld & Vlei I got into mountain climbing, abseiling and canoeing; I was chosen for the South African Selections for the famous Camel Adventure in ’94; and, in my merchant marine days, I was an RTTM (a ruff and tuff tug man) - having, for example, completed a 5-day offshore survival course (with distinction, naturally).

And, you see, I still live to surf.

I was born on 7 April, 1965; I’m a South African Citizen; I speak, read and write both English and Afrikaans; I hold code 08 & 02 driver’s licenses and I’m in perfect health (thanks for asking).

CONTACT ME
084 455 0733
nirvana@lantic.net
107 Bliss, Marine Drive, Summerstrand, Port Elizabeth, 6001

COURSES I’VE COMPLETED

Outward Bound Adventure Trust – Lesotho
Veld & Vlei
Camel Trophy – South African Selections
Offshore Survival, H.U.E.T, Firefighting & First Aid Course (Cert no.SC/SA0057/0530)
Global Maritime Distress & Safety System General Operators Certificate (00-501-128-4)
Rigging Course – Module 1 M&M Training (Cert no.BRC 844)
Heartsaver/ CPR Course (Resuscitation Council of South Africa)
Microsoft Office

OKES WHO’LL VOUCH FOR ME