Keketso Banda’s journey began in the quiet rhythm of entry-level ambition when she joined Digi Cars Group in December 2023 as a cadette. Like many early career paths, it started with learning, observation, and small responsibilities that gradually built confidence. But what set her trajectory apart was how quickly she moved from participation to ownership, stepping into roles as Hostess, Marketing Assistant, and Senior Brand Officer, where she helped shape customer experience and manage digital content for the Chery brand as well as broader group engagement.
Her work contributed directly to strengthening the local presence of Chery in South Africa, particularly through dealership marketing at Chery Sandton and Northcliff. What made her progression notable was not just the speed of her growth, but the scope of her responsibility, bridging on-the-ground retail marketing with fast-moving digital storytelling.
Then came the moment that shifted everything outward, geographically and emotionally. Her first international journey began at OR Tambo International Airport, marking her first flight ever. From there she travelled alone to Hong Kong, before continuing onward to Beijing. What should have been a straightforward business trip became a personal threshold, where uncertainty and excitement collided in real time.
“I was anxious,” she recalls. “It was my first time flying, my first time leaving the country… I didn’t know what to expect.”
But as the journey unfolded, fear gave way to curiosity. The structure of airports, the intensity of long-haul travel, and the unfamiliarity of new environments gradually became less intimidating and more like chapters in a larger unfolding story. By the time she moved onward to Wuhan via China’s high-speed rail network, the experience had already begun reshaping her sense of scale and possibility.
At the global headquarters of Chery in Wuhan, the abstract became tangible. The brand she had worked with daily through campaigns, social media, and dealership storytelling was suddenly not just a logo on a screen but an entire ecosystem of innovation, robotics, and industrial ambition.
“I follow their pages. I see what they do online. But now I was there… in their home,” she said. “It felt like an out-of-body experience. Like… am I really part of this?”
Inside the headquarters, she encountered a level of scale that reframed her understanding of her own role back in South Africa. What had once felt like isolated digital campaigns now connected to a global system of manufacturing, design thinking, and future mobility strategy. It was not just inspiration, but perspective, the kind that changes how everyday work is interpreted.
“They have plans. Big plans. You can feel it when you’re there.”
Outside the professional environment, cultural immersion added another layer to the experience. Meals became unexpected moments of discovery, from unfamiliar dumpling fillings to surprising food combinations that challenged expectation. Even simple interactions, like learning to say “ni hao ma,” became meaningful markers of adaptation, small linguistic bridges in a vastly different environment.
Yet behind the travel and cultural exposure was a foundation of measurable performance. Her selection for the international experience was not incidental. It followed strong results in managing and growing the Chery Sandton and Northcliff digital presence, contributing to recognition of the dealership group among top-performing teams in South Africa.
On a global stage, she also participated in a content and live broadcast challenge, delivering exceptional results that placed her at the top of the leaderboard, ranked globally for Top Posts and globally for Live Broadcast. It was a moment that validated not only her creative execution but her ability to compete in a high-pressure international environment.
“I was overwhelmed,” she says. “It didn’t feel real.”
Keketso Banda’s journey ultimately reflects more than individual success. It reflects a broader philosophy within Digi Cars Group, where potential is not only recognised but actively developed, and where careers are shaped by exposure, trust, and opportunity. From cadette to global brand officer, her path shows how quickly a career can evolve when performance meets possibility, and how far it can stretch when given room to move beyond expectation.
