Sian Marshall-Benzie, Creative Manager and Designer

Performance Appraisal – 17 November 2010
I'm impressed with her autonomous approach to her work and the fact that she gets on and takes care of 1st Contact's print needs as well as looking for additional work.She has an indepth knowledge of traditional print design and a wealth of experience. Her work is efficient and effective and meets deadlines. Sian is often shares solutions and problem solves proactively and looks to exceed her "customers" expectations. She comes up with new ideas and is always willing to listen to others opinions and ideas. Sian has certainly built effective working relationships with her colleagues and this is reflective in the positive feedback she receives from them. She is a good listener and always contributes in meetings.
Sian, thanks for all your efforts and hard work, it certainly does not go unnoticed and is much appreciated. Gary K ( MD)

Reference
“Sian is extremely professional, creative and was an excellent mentor and trainer for the younger members in the Design and Web team. I will gladly recommend her to any future employer and she’d be an asset to any company.” 7 July 2010 Scott R (IT & Brand Manager at 1st Contact Limited)

Reference
“During her time at Maskew Miller Longman, Sian was a dedicated and diligent team member with excellent software knowledge and standards of work. Sian has gained considerable depth of experience in book publishing and I’m sure she would be a great asset in any position requiring similar skills. I would not hesitate to employ her services again and wish her all the best in her future career." Richard Mac (Design Studio manager)

Performance Appraisal – 26 April 2010:
Sian has excellent job knowledge and is very experienced and skilled in her field. She has exceeded the company’s expectations by taking on many additional responsibilities that fall outside of her primary role. Sian is excellent at managing deadlines and has never missed a deadline in her life. She is also very proactive, efficient and organised. She works extremely efficiently and productively and never fails to deliver. No matter how big or small the task is. She is excellent at managing her time and delivering against the expectations of the businesses.  Sian is very proactive and always comes to our internal creative and strategy meetings prepared. She is full of ideas and provides solutions to many problems. She has a very friendly and cheerful disposition and is very polite and warm to all of the businesses. She always delivers according to her promises and is extremely reliable and hard working. It is in Sian’s nature to initiate new ideas and to challenge the status quo, which she is still upholding, but she needs the opportunity to be able take more control. Sian is very much a team player and looks out for the interests of the team. She is very bubbly and full of positive emotion and her team mates enjoy working with her. Sian is extremely personable. She has a very clear and direct communications style and is considered a senior member of staff. Gary K (Managing Director)

Testimonial 3 March 2010:
Outstanding work ethic. It is so easy to take what Sian does for granted! We are lucky to have her!
 She always goes the extra mile with a smile on her face.
She is incredibly proactive and no matter how small the task, she will put in everything she has to ensure that the outcome is of the best quality. She is extremely talented and has a bubbly and positive disposition. Sian is extremely productive and produces a huge volume of work every day, she has also taken on many other additional responsibilities and has never failed to deliver. Sian has never missed a deadline ever! (anonymous staff award nomination)

Testimonial  November 2009:
Professional manner and efficient. She goes the extra mile and always gets things done on time and as quickly as possible. she is also creative and inspiring, always looking to improve things! Great work on the interchamps artwork in SA! 
Ernst J (Financial manager)

Appraisal  28 Oct 2009
Sian is extremely thorough and proactive about finding solutions to problems that come up and is extremely reliable – she gets the job done properly. Sian has a lovely manner and way with people – this has come up in her 180’s. The team feel that she is a real team player and brings a great vibe and spirit to the team.
 Sian’s team really enjoy working with her and feel that she is a great team player. She has a natural enthusiasm and approaches all of her tasks with a positive attitude. Sian is also very keen and eager to grow and I believe that she is very open to constructive and intelligent feedback. Cath S (Brand manager)

Appraisal– 25 Nov 2008
Sian is superbly efficient and never fails to deliver. She is brilliant at managing the expectations of the rest of the business in terms of delivery and always meets her deadlines accurately. She produces a high volume of work. She is very agile and adaptable, where she will always provide options and solutions to a problem or issue at hand. Sian has a wonderful demeanor  and way with people and is incredibly efficient. She is a fantastic all rounder and is able to take on a myriad of different tasks and jobs. It is very rare to find a creative who has a strong business logic and who is structured and reliable in the delivery of work. Sian is always on the look out for new ideas and is super efficient at implementing them. She is very agile and flexible and adapts well to change. Sian is a superb team player and brings a very warm and crucial and honest element to the brand team. She does have a tendency to take things personally, which can create unnecessary stress for herself. She does accept constructive feedback very well. She is an excellent communicator and always contributes valuable insights and input at every meeting. Sian is very positive and brings a light a crucial energy to her team. She approaches all of her projects and tasks with positivity and enthusiasm and at the same time is very honest and constructive when offering feedback to the team and the rest of the business.
Sian is an incredibly valuable asset for our team and the business. Her adaptability, experience as well as her warm and constructive manner adds a crucial component to the brand team. Cath S (Brand manager)

Former Designer in my team
"Hi Sian
Just thought I’d just take the time out to send you a personal email and Thank you for everything you’ve done for me, I really enjoyed my time working with you as I’ve learnt a lot from you and I’d really like to believe that the the reason I’ve advanced so quickly as a designer is you.When I started at 1st Contact I was inexperienced and wasn’t really confident about the design world as I spent much of my time at Cambridge been treated like junior staff, But after spending a year working by your side, You showed me everything from dealing with printers to designing a concept from scratch, Which makes me eternally grateful to you for not only helping me as a designer but helping me gain confidence as a person and in my career.
Thank you so much for everything and I hope that one day we could work together once again, All the best for the future and please keep in touch."
Shaun A (Graphic Designer)

Appraisal – 05 Jun 2008
Sian has got a lot of print experience and has picked up very quickly on the responsibilities required of her in her role. She has done a great job to date and I have no doubt that she will continue to do a great job to develop the Brand in the future.
Her time management is excellent, and she prides herself in getting through jobs quickly. Sian has been excellent in coming up with new ideas and has done a great job in refreshing all the print adverts. She has been able to accept feedback and has formed good relationships with all of the staff and Managers that she deals with.
Her communication is good and she contributes well in the team meetings, giving a thorough round up of all required information.
Sian is positive in her role and she takes on even the small tasks with a passion and enthusiasm. Her job knowledge is excellent, where she really interogates each and every task to ensure that all the important details are ironed out to uphold the quality of each project. Scott R (IT & Brand manager)

Book Design and Publishing Reference:
Just to say how thrilled I am for you about this great opportunity. It’s been really lovely to see your growth, your passion and your commitment to your work. I Know that the next career step you’ll be able to consolidate on all that you have learned and experienced, and will build on that even Further.

Sian was employed by Struik as a Senior Book Designer from April 2003 to June 2005 and in that time proved herself an efficient and enthusiastic member of the Travel and Tourism Division with the capacity to work on a wide range of books that varied tremendously in terms of scope, tone and target market.
Sian’s strong sense of initiative and eagerness to go the extra mile proved to be her most distinguishing characteristics.Examples of this included the plentiful occasions on which she did extra picture research and sourcing, despite this not being her specific job. When asked to do new concept designs, she would invariably present a number of creative solutions to the design brief, and could clearly articulate the reasoning behind the various facets. In fact, true to her passionate nature, she would sometimes offer concepts for projects on which she had not even been briefed or which were allocated to other designers.
Sian’s technical skills and knowledge are strong, and she would often do retouching and colour work on image files herself, rather than send them to the repro house. This is indicative of the strong sense of ownership she exhibited over each of her books – a characteristic that instilled confidence in me as her manager, and ensured I entrusted her with the more complex projects.
Sian is an ambitious young woman who strives for excellence. She was an asset to my team and I wish her great success in the future as her career unfolds.
Please do not hesitate to contact me for more specific details of her performance during her time here at Struik Publishers.
Dominique le Roux
Publishing Manager: Travel & Tourism (formerly Editor of Out There magazine)

Reference:
Please feel free to list me as a reference based on
the Chic Jozi book. I will, of course, give you the best reference possible.
I think you did a good job. The book looks good
 and has had good feedback from the public. So well done
Best, 
Nadine
(Nadine Rubin - Formerly of Associated magazines)

Reference:
Dear Sian, It has been a delight working with you. Especially during the last book (The Art of African Shopping), I was convinced that you are truly a talented artist with a rare sensitivity to colour and design. I will miss you but am certain that your new career will be full of new challenges and rewards. I have many fond memories of our deliberations over font and colour — wouldn’t it be 'cyber kugel' that came to our rescue in the end.
Wishing you all the best things,
Adam (Levin) - Author