Pillay completed her honours degree in journalism at Rhodes University as a Media24 bursary holder and worked at
News24 before joining
Mail & Guardian in 2009. She left
Mail & Guardian in 2014 to focus on digital journalism and consultancy work and was appointed editor-in-chief of
Mail & Guardian in 2015.
HuffPost SA general manager,
Charlene Beukes, says Pillay is an award-winning journalist who has excellent managerial and business experience and several innovative digital media solutions under her belt. “She has a reputation as a pioneering journalist with strong commercial focus and an ability to build effective teams.”
Pillay says she’s excited to work for an international brand like
The Huffington Post given the incredible opportunity it presents. “I am looking forward to creating meaningful journalism across a number of verticals in a pure digital format, and recruiting a strong team to do that.”
“Hard news in this country can sometimes be alienating to certain audiences.
HuffPost gives us the chance to reach new audiences and tell the stories that need to be told. While it's difficult to leave the
Mail & Guardian, it's comforting to come back to Media24, who gave me a head start in my career,” says Pillay.
Pillay has won numerous awards, including the CNN MultiChoice
African Journalist of the Year Award and several Standard Bank
Sikuvile awards. She is one of 76 young Africans included on American First Lady Michelle Obama’s leadership programme and one of the participants in the BBC’s 100 Women project.
Media24 also announced that
Huisgenoot assistant editor, Pieter du Toit, has been appointed deputy editor of
HuffPost SA.
“Verashni and Pieter are the perfect duo to head
HuffPost SA’s editorial team and turn the publication into a formidable player in the local media landscape,” says Beukes.
For more information, visit
www.media24.com.