After matriculating in South Africa, Candice moved to the US in 1998 on a swimming scholarship to Louisiana State University, later graduating at Florida State University. After working for three years in Florida, she returned to South Africa and began running golf events for The Pro Shop. A chance meeting with an Investec employee at a golf day resulted in an opportunity for a new career at Investec Bank. Fourteen years later, she’s head of marketing at
Investec Life.
What do you do at Investec?
My main role is to develop and execute the brand and marketing strategy for Investec Life. This entails close alignment with distribution and product development. I also manage client experience and work very closely with Private Banking in addition to sitting on the Investec Life Manco.
What did your swimming career teach you about life?
I was a talented swimmer as a child and that was my passion and focus. I made the Commonwealth team to go to Kuala Lumpur in 1998, but three weeks before we were due to go, they downsized the team and I was cut. In my mind I had my journey plotted out. ’98 Commonwealth Games and then in 2000 the Sydney Olympics.
Being cut from the team affected my confidence, but I’m glad I still went to the US to swim and study, because my life would have been completely different if I hadn’t. I also missed qualifying for the 2000 Olympics by a couple hundredths of a second, so in this way swimming taught me tenacity and built resilience. I learned that losing and failure is not the end of the world, and often helps you become a better version of yourself. You have to learn to fail first before you can succeed.
Why did you return to South Africa?
After spending seven years in the US studying, then working within a small sports PR agency pursuing incredible opportunities, I started to miss South Africa and my family. I came home on a three-month sabbatical and within three weeks, I knew I wanted to stay.