About Me
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I have written creatively for as long as I can remember; essays, short stories and more recently a novel (under review at several publishers & looking for a home).
For 17 years of my life I also worked in the corporate sector as a day job, holding a number of positions managing departments in the fields of customer service, parts supply, general administration and reverse logistics. I learned a lot about business writing in this time and developed valuable skills like report writing, creating and presenting proposals etc. I now work as a full time writer, undertaking diverse projects in both the fiction and non-fiction categories. Mostly I write articles, promotional material, web copy and any other interesting assignments that come my way. Most of my fiction is written for my own purposes, but I have done some ghost writing & proofreading for others as well. For me writing both creative and factual material works well together, my factual writing benefits from a conversational, fiction style voice and my fiction from greater organization and structure. My key focus area is working on assignments that combine my love of creative writing, expertise in non-fiction writing and business experience in a multi-faceted yet complete solution for my clients. Email: darrell@darrellcuthbert.net
Mobile +27 (0) 72 225 8074 Skype: Darrell.Cuthbert MSN: darrellc@live.co.za To download a copy of my Curriculum Vitae (Resume), click the link below - or scroll down to read a copy of it online.
Curriculum Vitae – Darrell Cuthbert
Profile: • Passionate writer, blogger and reader • Creative mindset • Social animal – love meeting and sharing ideas with interesting people • Good PC and internet skills • Child of the outdoors - when I’m not working I’m often to be found camping, hiking or just standing outside staring at the sunset Career Aspirations: • To indulge my passion for all kinds of writing; practicing, learning new skills and exploring as many genres and styles as I can in the process • To combine my passion for writing with my knowledge of and experience in the business world and provide a service to businesses needing creatively written content • To expand my knowledge of social media and their importance as a premier marketing space today and into the future. Goals: • Continue to establish myself as a leading writer of articles and other online and offline content – being respected for the quality and integrity of my work • Continue to develop a network of content and business clients with whom I have established mutually beneficial relationships • Complete and publish my current in-progress novel (currently at second draft stage) • Complete and publish my second collection of short stories and become recognised as a leading figure in this genre Contact Details: Telephone (Cell) +27 72 225 8074 E-mail darrellc@wordtiffie.com Location Durban, South Africa Occupation Freelance Writer – Self Employed 3 December 2009 – Present • Generating marketing and promotional copy (local & international), directly for clients and through freelance agencies. • Writing and submitting short fiction to as many markets as possible, online and offline • Assisting others (including a local writers group) prepare work for self-publication; manuscript formatting, cover design, liaise with POD publisher and other parties, set up social media presence etc. • Business writing – providing a service for smaller businesses that do not have writing skills as a core competency (e.g. smaller, more technically focused businesses with no in-house marketing / PR people). • Specialized service for small to medium sized local businesses with little or no internet presence • Website registration & assistance with setup • Write all site copy, based on information supplied by client • Generate weekly blog content & post to social media (Facebook / Twitter etc.) • Assist with setting up social media accounts, growing following and managing interactions Corporate Career History Defective Returns Manager – LG Electronics South Africa 1 December 2008 – 2 December 2009 Responsibilities: In my role as head of the returns department at LG Electronics SA I was responsible for the overall defective returns process - from customer claim, through the reverse logistics chain until resale of subgrade goods. Volume handled was approximately 3,000 units per month. Key areas of responsibility included: • Overseeing the Return for Credit team (1 supervisor & 5 claims clerks). This team was responsible for capturing & initiating credit claims received from customers by fax, email etc. as well as handling the admin component of all subsequent processes • Overseeing the collection of all claimed units from customer premises & return to LG warehouses in JHB, CPT & DBN (operational issues handled by a co-ordinator who reported directly to me) • Directly managing LG Defective Return Warehouse (10 warehouse staff) in JHB & supporting the CPT & DBN warehouses. Warehouses were responsible for receiving & inspection of returns &, after credit is passed, dispatch of products to seconds dealers • Analysis of units being returned by model / store etc to ensure unnecessary claims & returns are kept to a minimum • KPI management & reporting results to top management Parts Manager – LG Electronics South Africa 1 August 2005 to 30 November 2008 Responsibilities: In my role as head of LG Parts Department I was responsible for the purchasing, importation, storage & distribution of all spare parts for all LG products in Southern Africa. Key areas of responsibility included: • Predicting demand for spare parts for all consumer products supplied by LG Electronics S.A. • Setting minimum, maximum & re-order levels for spare parts • Maintaining adequate stock levels to ensure immediate fill rate targets are kept. • Ordering of spares from Overseas Branches and local suppliers • Reconciling arrivals against orders and inspecting goods for suitability • Overseeing of binning, storage and dispatch of spares • Ensuring that repairs awaiting spares and back-orders are kept to a minimum • Managing a staff complement of 8 permanent & 7 temporary workers (including 1 supervisor) • Controlling the distribution of spares to local branches & service agents, as well as agents in Namibia, Zambia, Botswana, & Swaziland • Overall control of LG Parts Inventory • Preparing management reports on departmental performance / KPI’s The Soundlab (Pty) Ltd (Custom Electronics Importer / Distributor): 15 April 2004 to 31July 2005 Administration Controller – Responsible for all support services including: • Invoicing • Deliveries • Warehouse / Stock Control • Building & Vehicle Maintenance • Supervised Service & Parts Function Sony South Africa 1 December 1998 to 31 July 2003 • 1 December 1998 - 31 October 1999 : Branch Spares Controller (Durban) • 1 November 1999 - 31 March 2000 : Deputy Manager, Parts (JHB Based) • 1 April 2000 - 31 July 2003 : Parts Manager • Retrenched at the end of July 2003 Due to outsourcing of spare parts function. Samsung Electronics South Africa 1 January 1993 to 30 November 1998 • January 1993 - July 1994 : Customer Service Co-Ordinator. • August 1994 - November 1995 : Acting Service Manager. • December 1995 - April 1998 : Service Manager - Gauteng. • May 1998 - November 1998 : Assistant Manager – Spares Dept. South African Meat Board 1 July 1990 to 31 December 1992 • July 1990 - March 1992 - Abattoir Official. • April 1992 - December 1992 – Hides & Skins Grader Military Service • National Service 1988 - 1989 (Provost School - Voortrekkerhoogte) • 5 camps completed therafter Education Queensburgh Boys High School 1983 – 1987 (Natal Senior Certificate / Matric) Northdene Primary School 1981-1982 Sarnia Primary School 1975-1980 |
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