Nikki Quinn, DTM

Relevant work experience and how it relates to Toastmasters and your role as a Board Member:

I have worked for a large multinational company in the marketing insights business for a sizeable part of my career.

During the last 20 years, having been in senior leadership teams spanning Operational, Commercial and Product Leadership roles, my skill set includes strong data analytics, team leadership, internal and external stakeholder management and change management. I have led multi-functional, multi-cultural teams responsible for serving demanding clients at local, regional, and global levels. As part of the Southern African Executive Leadership team for close to 15 years and more recently the EEMEA Retail Vertical Leadership team the experience I have gained has been invaluable.

During this time, my understanding of the behaviors and expectations of people across the globe has increased significantly, there are differences in my clients and team members expectations as well as Toastmasters members expectations.

I was a Director of IDC South Africa, and during this time we started operations of a multinational analytics company in South Africa, my main responsibility here was to set up the South African office.

The teams I have been part of have driven change in strategy and tactics and have continued to deliver on expectations and grow the business.

Through working with clients across the globe I have learnt more about differences in expectations and cultures.

I believe my experience in managing customers success, client relationships and change management will help me support the Toastmasters board as we continue to evolve and develop our plans for the next decade and beyond.

What experience do you have in strategic planning?

I believe that one of my leadership and management strengths is strategic planning.

Whilst the global organization that I work for defines the overarching vision and strategy, each region, country and business area must create their own strategies to ensure that objectives are met. I have been involved in contributing to these localized strategic plans for the last two decades.

Collaborating with retailers we often need to change strategy, and a great deal of agility is needed. Our clients have ever-changing needs, and our business continues to evolve into a more digitalized realm. At work, on an ongoing basis, I help our customers improve their performance and market share by sharing market insights and inputs, especially aligned to my understanding of their own strategic plans.

At Toastmasters, I have been exposed to the strategic plan of District 74 to grow to 250 clubs for several years, especially contributing as Club Growth Director in 2017/2018. I am also proud to be the District Director that made the official request of Toastmasters International to reform District 74 as part of the District

What experience do you have in the area of finance?

I am very confident in my experience in areas of finance.

Professionally, I have held both Operational & Commercial roles over the past twenty years, where I have successfully submitted and managed annual revenue and expense budgets.

In managing my team

What experience do you have in developing policies?

As I am personally in favor of well-written, fair and relevant policies for any organized environment, I have always taken an active role in contributing to their design and development, both professionally as well as in my local community and social organizations.

I acknowledge that my business and partnership programs with our suppliers, manufacturers and retailers is continually evolving, and that as a professional service provider we need to adapt and change. For more than 20 years, as a leader within my organization, I have been able to actively give input to policies around the handling and sharing data, pricing strategies and contracts with our partners.

In Toastmasters, being District Director during COVID-19, I am proud of the work completed under my leadership in developing policies and changes to the local Code of Practice to ensure that the responsibilities of the District were able to be met and that the Toastmasters year could be closed uncompromised.

What lessons did you learn from previous leadership positions?

I have learned so many lessons from previous leadership positions, however if I was to choose one that could be acknowledged as the most valuable to me it would be that: Nothing can be achieved alone, building a high-performance team is critical.

Another critical lesson that I have learnt is that the responsibility of mentoring and upskilling team members that are not fully equipped to perform their responsibilities lies with the leadership team.

The third of many more leadership lessons that I have learnt would be that all team members should be held accountable, and that continuous feedback, unfailing support and mindful monitoring positively serves team members in this regard.

What experience and key strengths would you bring to the Board of Directors?

I believe that I will bring the following experience to the Board of Directors of Toastmasters International:
my corporate experience in helping clients grow
my change management experience
my multifunctional and multicultural leadership experience

I am also confident that I will bring the following key strengths to the Board of Directors:
my expert understanding of the global marketplace
my in-depth knowledge of the Toastmasters strategic plans, governing documents and educational programs
my drive and ability to get things done

Why do you want to serve as an International Officer/Director?

I want to serve as an International Officer/Director because I believe in giving back. I would like to use this experience to contribute more to our organization so that more lives can be uplifted and made successful as mine has been.

The Toastmasters environment and educational programs have helped me elevate my career over the past 15 years, improving my executive presence and my ability to articulate my ideas with clarity.

Personally, I have come to experience more meaningful and deeper relationships because of the skills and knowledge I have gained from my Toastmasters experiences and the educational programs.

And for this I am most grateful and deeply appreciative.

What volunteer experience do you have outside of Toastmasters?

Member of Ward Council in The City of Johannesburg supporting our local city councillor along with a team of eight other residents

Supported local council in Voter Registration during the May 2024 South African General Elections

Head of Women in Leadership at Nielsen South Africa

Co-chair of GfK Middle East & Africa DEI initiative for 2 years

Chairperson of Trustees of Section Title (Owners Association)

Volunteer hours for Salvation Army Home for the Aged and Kitty & Puppy Haven

Have you worked with other Boards of Directors outside of Toastmasters? If so, describe your experience.

Whilst I have not directly worked with Boards, I have worked with Senior Leadership teams, including members of C-suite of suppliers to retailers and retailers themselves.

In your opinion, what are Toastmasters International’s major objectives and how would you work to achieve them?

It is my opinion that Toastmasters International has a clear vision to be the first-choice provider of dynamic, high-value, experiential communication and leadership skills development.

It is my understanding that the chartering of new clubs and recruitment of new members that we have achieved over the recent years has possibly not been sufficient to off-set poor retention rates.

In my opinion, if our organization would consider addressing more of targeted informed actions that would potentially satisfy member needs and club quality

Additional information about candidate:

I love and believe in the Toastmasters organization and unashamedly acknowledge that it has helped me immensely. I have remained a member for over 15 years to continuously improve my overall life, to succeed at work, at home and at play.

I work hard in the office, in my Toastmasters journey, in my donation of time and efforts to non-profit organizations and committees, and in spending time enjoying life with my partner, Stephen. I am proud of achieving and maintaining a healthy work-life balance as I continuously strive for a healthy life, physically, mentally & emotionally.

I have a close-knit group of friends that are important to me. Over the years, we have made time to meet, share and support each other. It brings me joy to know that these friendships will continue to last the test of time.

I have enjoyed the travelling to over 60 different countries in my life and particular love travelling in the African bushveld and the historic cities in Europe as well as my country of birth: England.