Get to know me in 7 – Simone

1. Name and Job title: Simone Strahle – Chief Marketing Officer.
2. Describe yourself in 3 words: I would say I am passionate, always striving to give 100% in everything I do. I am curious, always looking at ways to expand my horizons, learn new things and get new inspiration. And I would like to think I stand with both feet on the ground, am empathetic to people in my surroundings and to always try to understand different perspectives.
3. Why did Wilderness rebrand: Over the course of almost 40 years we have collectively created a powerful business model that marries conservation with hospitality. This business model has enabled the upliftment of hundreds of communities and the protection of our wild places and the species that exist within these. There are so many communities and so much wilderness in the rest world that would benefit from the same formula so, with our goal to double the amount of land we help protect by 2030, we are looking to grow our footprint both within Africa but also outside of the African continent. As we prepare for this growth, we need a strong guest facing brand that resonates with existing and new audiences and creates an emotional connection to the brand.
4. Why did we shorten our name: With our aim to take the brand global, we need a name that can work in any geography and for any experience we create. We offer so much more than just safaris and our name needs to reflect this as well as our existing and future destinations. Wilderness also captures the whole reason we exist – to protect and share this wilderness.
5. What are our new camp names: We are adding the Wilderness name in front of all our camp names so that guests can more easily remember us. For us to grow our Wilderness brand and inspire guests to travel across our portfolio and across our destinations, we are putting more focus on Wilderness. The camps will keep their individual identities and their original name, but we are adding Wilderness in front of each. For example, Mombo will become Wilderness Mombo, Linkwasha will be Wilderness Linkwasha, and so on. Guests travelling with Wilderness will now know there is a Collection of camps within our portfolio, each offering a unique experience.
6. When are our new uniforms arriving: Our amazing new uniforms are in production, and will be shipped to regions in February 2023, with the aim of reaching all our camp staff by March.
7. Best rebrand moment: The very first rebrand presentation I did in camp, in Botswana – where the Savuti team embraced us with such open and warm arms and celebrated the news and the new brand with dancing and singing. It was the first real moment where I realised how this new brand will represent a new chapter in the Wilderness story and that we are all part of something so important.

Thank you for sharing your story with us Simone!