Monique Pretorius

Senior Management Associate, Spearhead Training, U.A.E.

Monique Pretorius is a South African national, with a proven track record in Customer Service, Sales and Management. Her Gulf experience began in 2000 when she moved to the U.A.E. to work for the Rotana Group in Abu Dhabi.

Monique’s working career began in 1990 when she joined the South African Police Service, working her way up to a middle management position. She served for seven years in the police, before deciding to change careers in 1997. She believes her police experience taught her a great deal about conflict management, being non-discriminatory in providing top level service, and being a good communicator. Her view is that her work as a police officer was “the best ever Customer Service experience!”.

In 1997, she decided to pursue a career in hotel management. This involved studying Hotel Operations and Management at the Institute for Hospitality Training in Cape Town, and joining a leading Cape Town Hotel on a management development programme. Following two years in this post she moved to the U.A.E. to take up a position in Abu Dhabi with the Guest Relations team at the Abu Dhabi Grand Rotana. She was subsequently promoted to a more senior position at the Al Bustan Rotana, Dubai.

Due to her husband’s work requirements, she returned to South Africa in 2003, where she managed the front desk teams of three Spas in the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront, the Radisson, and the Commodore Hotel, in Cape Town.

Monique’s growing interest in training and leadership skills, and her passion for people development, encouraged her to join The Institute for Hospitality Training in Cape Town in May 2007. This position involved working as a facilitator conducting Customer Service training workshops including Leadership, Effective Communication, and Complaint Handling and Conflict Management. Monique was part of the training team that conducted Customer Service Training for all the First National Bank branches in South Africa. The Institute also trained various government departments in Time Management, Telephone Etiquette, Event Management, and Motivation In The Workplace.

Monique believes that people are an organization’s biggest asset. Her ‘hands on’ experience as a police officer taught her that good leadership skills, passion, dedication, patience, empathy, good communication skills, and decisiveness, are what separates the ‘good leader’ from the ‘mediocre’. She uses her own leadership and motivational skills in her training, believing that all training needs a solid foundation before new skills can be learned and internalised.

Her experience of working and training in retail and service outlets, where top customer service was a priority (banks, hotels, shops, health spas, etc.) has given her an excellent perspective, and real life case studies to quote in the training room.

It is her belief that customer service is the main differentiator between organizations today, and that this will only increase as we progress through the 21st century. That is why she feels it is important for companies to examine their leadership principles, their customer service quality, and the attitudes of their front line staff.

Monique’s warm personality, enthusiasm, and ‘hands on’ practical approach puts people at ease in the training room, and stimulates and motivates them to want to learn. She is committed to achieving results that not only meet, but exceed, the training needs and expectations of her delegates and clients.

Due to her husband’s relocation back to the U.A.E., Monique returned to Dubai in 2008.

She is an accredited facilitator through the Education, Training and Development Practices Sector Education and Training Authority in South Africa.

In 2009 Monique joined Spearhead Training as a Senior Management Associate.

Monique is able to deliver the following courses for Spearhead:

Management & Leadership
> Developing Management Skills
> Supervisory Management Skills - For 1st / 2nd Level Supervisors
> Leading High Performance Teams
> How To Conduct Effective Meetings

HR Management & Training
> Train the Trainer - Group Training Techniques

Customer Service
> Customer Focused Management
> Etiquette For Excellent Customer Service
> Improve Your Telephone Skills - How To Win & Keep Customers
> Telephone Skills & Customer Care

Personal Development
> Brilliant Body Language!
> Be A Better Listener - Active Listening Skills
> Developing Effective Interpersonal & Communication Skills
> Self & Time Management
> Assertiveness Skills (& Dealing With Difficult Situations)
> Understanding Emotional Intelligence

Business Writing Courses
> Report Writing - How To Structure A Report For Maximum Effect

Sales & Marketing
> Presentation Skills - Making A Powerful Impact On Any Audience

Administrative Skills
> The Perfect PA - For PA’s & Executive Secretaries