Entrepreneur - Management Consultant- Community Builder

TIRORATONE

Resume

About Tiro

Tiro Ratone is a social entrepreneur who has carved his teeth in a variety of major FMCG organisations in SA, in Marketing and Sales. He later established a Management Consulting firm which provided services in both the public and private sectors. He has vast experience in business strategy, project management and related fields, both in SA, SADC region, COMESA, Europe and Asia, stretching more that 20 countries.

A Wits Business school graduate, he sat on number of boards and trading entities in the Gauteng government and other parastatals. Among others, he sat on the board of Omnimeta Australia and served on the board of KGA Life for 6 years before he was appointed as Chairman of the Board of Directors in 2020. He established Tiro Funeral Solutions in 2011, which provides Affordable Funeral Insurance Cover and Quality Tombstones.

He is on the forefront of transformation, compliance and other initiatives which put the interest of the consumer at the centre of what we do and foster a consistent drive to restore the dignity of the industry and services provided. We currently have 11 branches in Gauteng and 1 in the Free State with a plan to expand to other areas. We manufacture from our factory and install in 7 provinces.

Areas of Expertise

Strategy Formulation and Implementation – Sales, Marketing and Operations – Human Capital – Organizational Development and Leadership.

Guiding Principles

My personal philosophy is that life, work and moral values are inseparable. I believe that we must recommit humanity to a vision of shared destiny and collective effort for a better world.

 

I was born into and inherited a beautiful world. I commit myself to make sure that one day when I’m not around, I have played my part to ensure that I leave behind an even more beautiful and better world!

Tiro Ratone

CHRONOLOGY

1983 – Matriculated at Tseki Senior Secondary School
1987 –  Completed a (3)  three year Secondary Teachers’ Diploma at Sebokeng College of Education
1988 – Employed as an Educator at Thuto-Tiro Comprehensive High School in Sebokeng for 3 years
1993 – He joined Eskom as Skills Development Facilitator.
1994 – Motivated by a thirst for change and challenge, he left the Education and Training environment and moved to FMCG, where he was employed at Coca Cola as a Sales Representative.
1997 – Appointed Brands Portfolio Manager for Schweppes SA, responsible for customer/consumer marketing and operations in the four (4) bottler operations spread across the newly formed nine provinces and neighboring countries.
1998 – Recruited by South African Breweries and enrolled into a Management Development Programme and later appointed Sales Manager in the then East Rand Region.
2001 January – An opportunity arose in Industrial Marketing with PG Bison where he was appointed Divisional Director with responsibilities spreading across the national footprint and the SADC region, with further responsibilities in the technology procurement function in Germany.
2002 – Resigned from P.G. Bison at the end of 2002 and established Tiro & Associates Consulting, a management consultancy outfit that he has grown to a sizeable knowledge-based organization which had a solid client base in the Public and Private Sector across Gauteng. (GSSC, Gauteng Department Public Transport Roads and Works, Gauteng Enterprise Propeller, Johannesburg Roads Agency, G Fleet, Ekurhuleni Metro, Spoornet,  Gauteng Department of Economic Development, amongst others)

Tiro spearheaded the establishment of Impophoma Infrastructure Support Entity and also led a team that was responsible for the Gauteng licensing re-engineering process.

After having been in the Consulting and Marketing space over a decade, an opportunity presented itself in the financial services sector where he set up Tiro Funeral Solutions, a 100% black owned funeral insurance institution with is growing in leaps and bounds, where he is the Executive Chairman.
Coupled with the financial services leg of the business, together with his wife Matshediso Ratone who is the Chief Operating Officer, they own and run a granite tombstone manufacturing facility and five (5) tombstone retail outlets in South Gauteng

Further Studies

Tiro has expanded his skill set and knowledge base by passionately seeking credible academic qualifications over the years and has attained the following qualifications:

1996

Sales & Marketing Management course (IMM)

1997

Brand Management

1998

Project Management

2000

Management Advancement Programme (MAP)

Tiro Funeral Solutions

International Experience

Tiro has extensive international business travel experience under his belt after having led numerous delegations to the four corners of the world. His experience ventures are as follows:

COMESA and SADC

 He was in the project team that did work in East Africa (Uganda, Tanzania & Kenya) with COMESA – 2001.

PG BISON

As part of his responsibilities at PG Bison, all business development and joint venture projects in the SADC region and East Africa fell under his ambit..

RESEARCH IN GERMANY

He did industrial research on the procurement of technology and equipment in Germany (Dortmund, Frankfurt, Bielefeld, Stuttgart and Munchen) – 2001.

CHINA BUSINESS DELEGATION

 In his capacity and member of a number of boards and advisory committees, he was part of a government/business delegation to China (Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong) with specific focus on infrastructure development– 2005.

NETHERLANDS DELEGATION

He led a delegation to the Netherlands to benchmark on best practice on ‘Public Passenger and Goods Transportation’, met captains of industry from the Benelux countries (Belgium, Netherlands and Luxemburg) to discuss partnerships – 2006.

SWEDEN DELEGATION

He was part of a delegation that was hosted by Volvo in Gothenburg, Sweden to negotiate a supply agreement – 2006.

JAPAN

Hosted by Komatsu at Imazu Island (Engineering and Hi tech roads equipment).

 

 

Galleries

Here is Tiro's life in color. Browse the images below.

Community Development and Family

Tiro’s passion for community development and inherent focus on Education and improvement of the well being of others, he has been involved in a number of initiatives within the community.

Through dedicated slots on different radio platforms, community development is the permanent and central theme which he facilitates.

He participates in the AME church’s youth and other relevant community development programmes, and performs a role of keynote speaker.

He is married to Matshediso Ratone and they are blessed with four (4) children.

Memberships

Tiro is affiliated with the following organs:

  • Member

     Wits Graduate School of Business Alumni

    Member
  • Member

    South African Market Research Association

    Member
  • Member

     Member of The Progressive Business Forum of the ANC

    Member
  • Member

     Wits Graduate School of Business Alumni

    Member
  • Member

    South African Market Research Association

    Member
  • Member

     Member of The Progressive Business Forum of the ANC

    Member

 

Board Memberships (past and present)

Director Omnimeta Australia

Served as Deputy Chairman of Omnimeta South Africa (Pty) Ltd

Marimba Technologies Pty Ltd

Impophoma Infrastructure Support Entity

Emoyeni

Currently a Non-Executive Director of KGA Life

Tiros’s Leadership Values

Connectedness, compassion, empathy, integrity, humility, reasonableness and a determination to be effective are the keys to attuned leadership.

(Inspierd by Dr Reuel Khoza )

Current Business Ventures

 Tiro Funeral Solutions


Tiro is currently the Executive Chariman of Tiro Funeral Solutions which provides affordable funeral cover. The successful entity has become a household brand held close to the hearts of the communities that it serve because of its efficiency and transparency.

 

Tombstones

 

Tiro Funeral Solutions also offer high quality tombstones as an additional service to its basic operations. Families are now capable of affording their loved ones dignified memorials with a solid guarantee at affordable rates.

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