Brunswick Group announces leadership changes in South Africa | Brunswick Group
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Brunswick Group announces leadership changes in South Africa

Brunswick Group is pleased to announce changes to its management team in South Africa.

Marina Bidoli has been appointed Head of the Johannesburg Office and will oversee the growth, strategy and development of the South African business, in addition to focusing on strategically important client relationships.

Itumeleng Mahabane, who has served for six years as the Johannesburg Office Head, will focus on servicing clients across the African continent and growing Brunswick’s Public Affairs and Business and Society offers.

Public Affairs is increasingly integral to M&A and financial communications work, while the Business and Society offer is critical to helping clients demonstrate how they are driving sustainable, long-term value creation for all stakeholders.

Neal Wolin, Chief Executive Officer, Brunswick Group said:

“Since opening our Johannesburg office 23 years ago, Brunswick has grown organically into the market-leading corporate relations advisory firm helping organizations across the region address critical communications challenges.

As the challenges facing our clients continue to increase – the convergence of corporate, political and social issues creates more complexity and risk. Marina and Itumeleng, with their complementary multisectoral experience across media, consulting and business, are ideally placed to lead us on the next stage of our journey as we respond to that changing dynamic.”

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Rob PinkerChair, Emerging Markets

About Brunswick Group

Brunswick Group LLP is an advisory firm specializing in critical issues and corporate relations. Founded in 1987, Brunswick is an organically grown, private partnership with 23 offices around the world. For more information, visit: www.brunswickgroup.com.

Marina Bidoli

Marina has extensive experience in cross-border crisis work and transactions, as well as in media relations and corporate reputation management. She has advised clients and not-for profits across sectors and geographies and leads the South Africa cyber and crisis offers.

Prior to joining Brunswick in 2008, Marina led Group Communication at Sasol, the integrated energy and chemical company listed on the JSE and NYSE.  She was also an award-winning journalist and business editor at the Financial Mail. Marina was recognized several times as the Telkom ICT Journalist of the Year and in other technology journalism awards. 

Marina holds a BA (Industrial Psychology & Industrial Sociology) from the University of Cape Town (UCT) and an MBA from the Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS), which she continues to support as a guest speaker.  She was the founding editor of the GIBS Review and contributed to local and international publications, including Economist Intelligence Unit reports. She served as a judge on the respected Sanlam Awards for Excellence in Financial Journalism and the Siemens ICT African Journalism awards. She is a member of the 30 Percent Club Southern Africa, and works with Partners for Possibilities, an NGO that focuses on co-learning partnerships between school principals and business leaders.

Itumeleng Mahabane

Itumeleng has been working in media and communication for more than 20 years, including over 10 as a Brunswick partner and six as Johannesburg Office Head. He has advised on signature corporate action mandates, most notably AB InBev’s acquisition of SAB Miller, Old Mutual’s managed separation, BHP’s demerger and Lonmin’s Marikana crisis.

A former journalist and political economy columnist for Financial Mail, Business Times and Business Day, Itumeleng leads Brunswick South Africa’s Business, Politics and Society offer. He has published on political economy and Black Economic Empowerment.

Mahabane is a Trustee of Equal Education Law Centre and the Waterford Kamhlaba Trust, and a Director of the Social Justice Initiative.