Johannesburg, 23 Feb 2017
Lauren Timmer-Somer is now head of marketing and brand communications at Ricoh SA, in addition to being head of communication and interconnectivity technology services.
Timmer-Somer increases her portfolio at the local operation of the 81-year-old global business, bringing nine years of experience from her previous role with the company in the Netherlands.
"Lauren brings a clear understanding of the new methods of marketing that reach customers directly to her role," says Jacques van Wyk, COO of Ricoh SA. "She developed a great deal of experience in her roles in Europe in identifying customers and engaging them directly about the range of solutions that meet their specific needs."
"Innovation links the two roles I perform at Ricoh SA," says Timmer-Somer. "Marketing is in the grips of a digital revolution that is also at the core of a general business change. Ricoh has embraced that change since the business long ago moved beyond printers to bringing customers end-to-end solutions and a new way of working that meets their current and future needs as they engage increasingly digitalised customers of their own."
"My approach at Ricoh SA will be marketing automation," she says. "Today, marketing is all about time management. It boils down to who gets the first mover's advantage, who engages with customers more often, and who converts leads faster."
Timmer-Somer has an international marketing background and was previously personally responsible for establishing Ricoh as a dominant player in the IT services market in the Netherlands. Her intimate experience of these operational responsibilities prepare her for her role in South Africa, where many companies are keenly adopting digitalised mobility and challenged by the new ICT reality.
She has also previously worked closely with sales management and other stakeholders to develop lead scoring criteria in the CRM system to drive new business across numerous sales channels, in creative development, and communication and PR teams.
"Ricoh SA has shifted from being a technology product provider to being a services-led business meeting the demands of organisations today that demand new ways of working," says Timmer-Somer. "While we internally reflect that shift through various complementary service lines, our customers benefit from commercial and graphic arts, office productivity, managed print, managed document, process, and communication services."
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