Heidi joined Hollard in May 2013 and her role at Hollard includes all group brand activities including marketing and communication, internal communication and culture, digital marketing and e-commerce and sponsorship as well as being Exco champion for the group’s Customer Centricity and Loyalty initiatives.

Heidi is a Member of Vega Brand School National Advisory Council and Advisor and friend to Umuzi Photo Club (youth activism and upliftment). She served as a Board member and Deputy Chairman of the Marketing Association of South Africa and as Board member of ABC (Audit Bureau of Circulations). She has judged the Association for Communication & Advertising’s APEX awards, the FM AdFocus awards and the AMASA Roger Garlick Innovation in Media award.

Jerry has more than 20 years experience in brand marketing, and has held executive-level positions in both agency and the corporate sector. His experience encompasses strategic and operational leadership, as well as leading key marketing campaigns across the important customer segments and industry sectors.

His previous agency experience includes that of MD of FCB JHB where the agency was twice named Agency of the Year during his tenure, and later as CEO at The Jupiter Drawing Room JHB. He was previously the Group Marketing Director at the SABC, and GM: Global Brand at South African Tourism.

Jerry is the vice-Chairman of the Association of Communications Agencies (ACA) and a Member of the Board of the Loerie Awards. He is a Judge of the Bookmarks Awards, The Loerie Awards and PRISM Awards.

Katherine has had an enormously rewarding, 16-year career in marketing. She has worked for the First Rand Group (including Rand Merchant Bank and FNB Corporate Bank), and has been an MD of an advertising agency. In addition, Katherine worked in the retail environment for JD Group, where she was the Group Marketing Executive.

Her career path moved in 2013 into Group Strategy at Alexander Forbes and she drove Group Innovation as well, running an internal programme which has already yielded some game changing business cases and innovations in the financial services industry.

Katherine holds a degree in Marketing and a post graduate qualification in strategic development.

Lisa Thomas has an extensive understanding of the financial and legal sectors. She has managed marketing teams within several corporates including RMB Private Bank, Investec, Norton Rose Fulbright, Nedbank Capital and consulting to clients including Werksmans, PwC and Nedbank Business.

She has worked in both client and agency marketing and communication and has established skills of successful marketing and communication campaigns, including media management and crisis communication.

Lisa studied a Bachelor of Economic Sciences majoring in Commercial Law, Marketing and Business Management.

Lisa has recently started using her experience to benefit her philanthropic passions, which saw her move to Goodbye Malaria, where she has joined African entrepreneurs in solving one of Africa’s biggest problems, malaria.

Madelain Roscher, the Managing Director of PR Worx is no stranger to the PRISM Awards having won 24 in four years!! She was also the first person in South Africa to receive the Lifetime Achievement Award.

Recently awarded as the 2017 Woman of the Year: Media, Madelain’s keen eye for attention to detail, extensive communication and marketing experience, professionalism and a sizeable client base across both sectors, will stand her in good stead as judge on the PRISM panel.

In her spare time Madelain is a wife, mom, mimi, women empowerment advocate, hair icon, a pantsuit aficionado, and a lover of life!

Maritha Pritchard is a Lecturer in the Department of Strategic Communication at the University of Johannesburg. Her published research interest is social media and she has presented on the topic at several local and international conferences, including at the PRISA annual conferences. Maritha has over 20 years’ industry experience in public relations and has lectured for over 10 years in public relations, media studies and journalism. A past PRISM award winner, Maritha regularly conducts industry workshops, including PRISA CPD workshops in social media. She will graduate with a Doctorate degree in September. Her thesis focused on social media and reputation management.

Using her BA Psychology degree, brand management, image consulting background, coupled with her unfailing intuition and connection with you, Natalie Jayne can assess exactly who you are and what your authentic personal brilliance is.

From her extensive exposure to the image and style trends abroad as a result of her wide travels, working for the prestigious fashionTV brand, TV presenting, life coaching and workshop facilitating, amongst her many other pursuits, Natalie has gained much experience in assessing people and what elements bring out the best in them. Her strengths also lie in strategy formulation and advisory: developing strategies for marketing, advertising, branding, public relations and corporate social investment.

Jacqui O’Sullivan is the Managing Executive of Group Communication and Public Relations at Telkom. She is an experienced strategist who has worked across both internal and external communication.

Jacqui has an intimate knowledge of the South African media landscape and an extensive network of journalists and influencers.

Jacqui started her career as a newspaper reporter at the Star and then joined Talk Radio 702 (now 702) as a radio producer, but found her true calling in corporate communication. Prior to joining Telkom, she served as the VP of group corporate branding and communication at Sasol.

Aviation was Jacqui’s “work home” for more than five years – working for Airports Company South Africa and South African Airways in senior positions.

She holds a BA in English and Politics from the University of Stellenbosch.

Jonathon is founding director of Proof Communication Africa, a specialist consultancy focused on science, technology, energy, engineering, innovation, policy and agriculture. He started Proof in the UK in 2004 and opened its first Africa office in Johannesburg in 2010. Jonathon is a former journalist who previously served as a judge of the equivalent professional awards for the British PR industry. Proof was a winner of a PRISM award for best publication in 2015.

A 20 year industry veteran, Kevin Welman was made Managing Director of FleishmanHillard SA in October 2007.

He is responsible for managing the 70-strong team in SA and overseeing FH’s growth in sub-Saharan Africa. His client duties include strategic counsel, strategy drafting, and crisis and corporate reputation management.

While his background is primarily in Financial Services he has a passion for digital communication and believes firmly in telling great stories.

FleishmanHillard is one of the leading communication agencies on the planet with over 80 offices and 3000 staff. FH is owned by the NY-Listed OmniCom Group.

Lucy Balona is currently the Head of Marketing & Communication of the Cancer Association of South Africa (CANSA). She studied the art of communication and earned a National Diploma in Public Relations. Her business experience includes public relations, sponsorship, internal communication and client relations garnered at public relations, marketing and sports agencies. She has also worked in the office automation industry as well as the City of Johannesburg in the Commerce and Industry department.

Lucy’s current role includes managing media and overall strategic communication, cause-related programmes as well as providing extensive training to staff and volunteers regarding CANSA’s programmes. She has received the CANSA 2014/15 Gold Senior Leadership award.

Marilyn Watson has more than 22 years’ extensive public relations and communication experience, 19 of these in a senior management capacity.

In May 2010, Marilyn Watson founded Cinnamon Communication, a company offering end to end communication solutions.

She has vast experience in Crisis and Issue Management, and the formulation and implementation of communication and public relations strategies and social media in Mining, ICT, Medical, Retail, Construction, Government, Entertainment and Scientific environments.

Megann has been running the JHB office of Atmosphere since joining the award-winning consultancy in 2010. She has over 20 years’ experience in public relations and communication. She has worked on strategic public relations programmes for multi-nationals and local blue chip companies across several industries. Megann has experience in corporate, financial and consumer PR, including healthcare and she has performed investor relations activities (including IPOs) for clients in the healthcare, telkom and mining industries. As part of her management remit within the business, she heads up the African expansion project for Atmosphere.

Nicola Chaning-Pearce, founder of Tynago Communications, has had public relations in her heart for many years. With over 20 years’ experience in the profession, across the full spectrum of disciplines – marketing, advertising, public relations and journalism – her true passion has always been public relations. Now, managing a boutique public relations consultancy, Nicola’s unswerving dedication to her clients – breathing, living and building their brands at every opportunity – is just one of Tynago’s core principles.

Professionalism, commitment, attention to detail and a passionate, enthusiastic approach to getting the best results possible for clients – these are Nicola’s personal work ethics that she injects into the Tynago team.