 Petrus de Kock |
On Wednesday 18 November Brand South Africa and Business Report will host a breakfast dialogue to announce South Africa’s performance in the 2015 Anholt Nation Brand Index. The Nation Brand Index is the only analytical ranking of the world’s national images and reputations.
Dr Petrus de Kock, Brand South Africa’s general manager of research, will present the results and unpack South Africa’s competitiveness in the context of the most recent World Economic Forum Global Competitiveness Index, and the Mo Ibrahim Index on African Governance.
The dialogue will include a panel discussion with economist Dr Iraj Abedian and media monitoring expert Tonya Khoury.
The details of the dialogue:
Date: Wednesday 18 November 2015
Time: 07h30 to 09h30
Venue: Park Hyatt, Rosebank
About economist Dr Iraj Abedian
 Iraj Abedian |
Iraj Abedian is the founder and chief executive of Pan-African Capital Holdings. He was professor of economics at the University of Cape Town, before entering the business sector in 2000. He has served as a consultant on economic policy issues to public and private sector organisations in South Africa as well as internationally. His involvement in policy development in South Africa includes the transformation of the Development Bank of Southern Africa (1995), the RDP White Paper (1995), Growth, Employment and Redistribution (Gear 1996), Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF 1997/98), the Presidential Review Commission (PRC 1997/98), membership of the President’s Economic Advisory Panel 2006-2009 and Economic Advisor to Minister of Mineral Resources (2010 to 2012).
Abedian is a prolific researcher and author of numerous articles and academic books.
In 1999, Abedian was based at the International Monetary Fund in Washington DC, working on issues related to fiscal vulnerability assessment. In January 2000 he joined the Standard Bank Group at their head office in Johannesburg as group chief economist. He was appointed director and group economist in April 2000, and was a member of the Standard Bank Group EXCO. In 2003, Association of Black Securities and Investment Professionals awarded him the title of “Top Economist of the Year”. As of March 2014, he is an honorary professor of Economics at Graduate School of Business, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, Port Elizabeth.
He also serves the following organisations and companies:
• Chairman of the Board: Bigen Africa (Pty) Ltd (April 2009 to date)
• Member of the Board of Directors of Munich Re of Africa. (2005 to date)
• Member of Board of Capital Fund Ltd (May 2011 to date)
• Member of the Advisory Board of the Auditor General of the SA Government.(2006 to date)
• A Trustee of the Global Legacy Trust (2014)
About media monitoring specialist Tonya Khoury
 Tonya Khoury |
Tonya Khoury has over 20 years’ experience in media monitoring and client liaison and is widely regarded as one of the foremost experts in the South African and African media monitoring industry.
Khoury is the founder and managing director of ROi Africa, a media monitoring company that uses cutting-edge technology to identify trends across media platforms. Her wealth of knowledge and experience means she is a regular guest speaker on Carte Blanche, Radio 702, SAFM, Chai FM, North West FM and 2 Oceans Vibe.
Trained as a lawyer, Khoury started her monitoring career Newsclip until her entrepreneurial flair took the upper hand and she started Jisani Digitrack, the first black empowered media monitoring company in Africa.
“I’m an entrepreneur and that is something deeply ingrained in me,” Khoury says. “Passion and attitude is everything – these are attributes you either have or not – and I believe that it cannot be taught, like skills and knowledge. I have experienced that all these aspects are important, but the former two are crucial and have been essential for my career and life as an entrepreneur.”
Khoury believes the South African media monitoring industry needs a shake-up, as well as a move away from the advertising value equivalent, or AVE, as a measurement tool. “We have to be faster, sexier, more effective and more interactive,” she says.
“Media interaction has to be lightning fast. You have to be quick and, more importantly, consistent. You have to fully understand the media monitoring industry.”
Media monitoring is not a “nice to have”, she says, but an essential tool for business, especially in crisis situations. It is impossible for an individual to keep track of a story running out of control, as there are simply too many outlets. This job calls for specialists, in the form of media monitors, as negative brand reputation messages require immediate attention across all spheres.
“I am not only an entrepreneur – I am also a South African,” Khoury says. “Africa is my home. I’m privileged to call myself a South African, and I’m hugely proud of what my country has achieved. I’ve been fortunate to travel to parts of the rest of Africa and I want more, I want to take a solution that is much needed into the rest of the continent.”
