Her appointment is one of a number of executive staff changes at the agency. They include:

Ø the departure from the company of Mr Donald Kau, who has resigned;

Ø the appointment of Mr Patrick Gearing, as Operations Director;

Ø the promotion to Director of Mr Yogin Devan, head of Meropa’s Durban office; and

Ø the promotion of Ms Joanne Smith to head of Meropa Private Sector business division.

“We are delighted to welcome, Wendy Tlou to the agency,” says Meropa chief executive Peter Mann. “She is exactly the right person to spearhead our growth into the future. She is a proven communications professional with a strong consulting history which suits our clients.

“Her career at South African Tourism included developing and implementing the global communications strategy, the internal communications strategy, as well as SA Tourism’s issues management plans.

“Wendy has experience in corporate and brand communications, local and global media relations and issues management. She is a well-qualified stakeholder manager with a strong network of contacts, including extensive contacts in Government.

“She is a hardworking, determined individual who has an enormous contribution to make. “

He added: “Meropa is sad to see Donald Kau leave to take up a corporate challenge in Cape Town, and would like to thank him for the enormous contribution he has made over the past five years. We wish him well.”

The promotion of Patrick Gearing to direct the operations of Meropa, as with all the appointments; are part of Meropa’s succession plans.

“Patrick has proved himself as the head of our motoring and mobility clients over almost four years. He is an able administrator and will work with Wendy Tlou and our Johannesburg-based divisional heads to run and develop the business. He and his colleagues in Cape Town and Durban will report to me and to the Board.”

Mann added: “We are also delighted that Joanne Smith, who has been with the agency for four years has been promoted to head our private-sector practice. She is a dynamic individual who has proved herself through sheer hard work.

“Yogin Devan, who is promoted to a director of Meropa Communications, is a former journalism colleague and a 13-year PR veteran. He joined Meropa in 2009 as the head of the Durban office. We are delighted to appoint him to our Board.”

Meropa is South Africa’s pre-eminent public relations consultancy. It services a blue-chip client base and is the only South African PR consultancy with wholly owned offices in Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban and Port Elizabeth