Farewell to Tina

It is with great sadness that we tell you that Tina Monteiro, publisher of this magazine, has passed away.

Charleen Clarke, editorial director of this magazine, recalls that she first met Tina about three decades ago (long before SHEQ Management came to be). “Tina was selling the advertisements for a magazine called Transport Management, which closed down many years ago. I was contracted by its publishers to edit the magazine. When I met Tina, I was absolutely blown away by her prowess. I’d honestly never encountered a better salesperson!”

Two years later, Charleen stopped editing Transport Management because she was approached by the Road Freight Association. “They wanted me to edit their magazine, FOCUS on Transport and Logistics (SHEQ MANAGEMENT’s now sister publication). I took on the project. However, the understanding was that I would be able to buy FOCUS from the Road Freight Association. This made sense; the association was not a magazine publisher.”

Once the opportunity to buy the magazine came up, Charleen’s first call was to Tina. “I needed someone who could sell the advertisements. I am a journalist by nature. My area of expertise isn’t sales. However, it certainly was Tina’s!” she recalls. It is thus that the duo started working together, with Charleen running the creative team and Tina being responsible for sales.

The business grew – catapulting FOCUS to South Africa’s leading commercial vehicle magazine – new staff were employed and soon Tina managed a team of salespeople. However, she always kept her eye on the ball. She loved the business of sales! Often, she would write the proposals for the sales team, and even visit clients with one of her team members.

Charmont Media Global then started publishing its second magazine: SHEQ Management. Like FOCUS, it became the leader in its market. Tina was, once again, responsible for selling the advertisements – along with her team. She did this with aplomb!

She was very caring as well. “I entered the world of work as an intern, straight out of university, at Charmont Media Global,” says Jaco de Klerk, editor of SHEQ Management and assistant editor of FOCUS. “I didn’t know what to expect and had been waiting nerve-stricken since 06:30 in the parking lot – as not to be late on my first day of work. This is where I first met Tina.

“She arrived, gave me a tour of the whole office and sat me down at her desk after she made a cup of coffee for me. We chatted for a while and she reassured me that I shouldn’t be stressed, that the whole team would help and that her door would always be open.

“This rang true through all the years that we worked together, for colleagues, clients and contributors.”

We’re sure that Jaco wasn’t the first and last person who Tina had helped to feel at home during her inspiring career.

Charmont Media Global’s business, however, wasn’t only about publishing. Over the years, many events took place – and Tina loved being involved in organising them. One of her favourite events, by far, was the FOCUS Truck Test. She played an instrumental role in the organising of truck tests and she loved getting involved in the entire process – including the weighing of the trucks and their loads and then the actual testing of the trucks.

The two magazines were also present at many industry events over the years – and Tina loved that too. She loved seeing the readers and advertisers and having a good old natter.

Sadly, those natters are now over. Tina has left us – probably for a better place. Our sincere condolences to her friends and family. Tina, we will miss you!