Biography: Thato Madimane - Wilderness Safaris Sales Manager North America

Thato Madimane has been a part of the Wilderness family for 10 years. Thato’s career at Wilderness began with an internship and has progressed to Sales Manager, his passion for people and our world making him a true Wilderness ambassador.

Born and raised in Mohlakeng, Johannesburg, Thato embraced growing up in an urban-bundu, exploring the great outdoors next to his home, watching hares, jackrabbits, guinea-fowl, snakes, scorpions and other wildlife in their natural habitat. In Thato’s words, “One could argue that I am a bona fide bush baby! Those were the best years of my life, and certainly where my love for nature and the outdoors began”.

After matriculating from Randfontein High School, Thato wanted to explore the world, and this motivated him to study for a National Diploma in Tourism Management at the University of Johannesburg. Majoring in Tourism Development and Cultural Tourism, this is where his love and appreciation for impactful tourism began. Thato joined Wilderness Safaris in 2009 as an intern before successfully progressing to a Senior Consultant in the Africa Reservations team. This was an extremely influential part of his life as he was given the opportunity to travel, and learn about as well as engage in conservation tourism.

Thato’s career followed a new direction for the next two years when he accepted a position at CGI, one of the largest global IT solutions and business consulting firms, based at Standard Bank South Africa’s headquarters in Johannesburg. This corporate journey taught him valuable life lessons on pushing boundaries and navigating different working challenges. Thato was welcomed back to Wilderness Safaris in 2016 and progressed to Sales Relationship Manager in 2019, he has never looked back.

Thato thrives on meeting new people, discovering new places and immersing himself in new adventures. He considers himself South African at heart but a global citizen by nature – with both fuelling his passion for literary pursuits. He aspires to a degree in literature where he can combine his love for life, nature and languages.

Thato values his role as a Wilderness Safaris Sales Manager and has the following to say: “This position resonates with who I am at my core. I get to meet new people, share new ideas and experience new places. Above all, my reason to believe is our Children in the Wilderness programme. I am truly proud to work for a company that not only conserves our most precious wilderness and wildlife, but also cares about the wellbeing, education, and upliftment of underprivileged children in Africa. Knowing that the little I contribute makes a difference to their lives, keeps me going”.