[Brand SA] Yvonne Johnston quits IMC
By Simone Puterman in Marketing | 1 comment
Yvonne Johnston is leaving the International Marketing Council of South Africa (IMC) at the end of April, IMC chair Wendy Luhabe announced today, Thursday, 10 April 2008. According to the press statement, Luhabe said this was due to a breakdown in relations between Johnston, the CEO of Brand South Africa, and the Government Communication and Information Service (GCIS). However, Johnston will continue to consult to the IMC to steer some of its present initiatives.
“The departure is by mutual and amicable agreement, and all parties have agreed not to elaborate further. I would like to thank Yvonne for her unremitting work over the past six years and for the enormous contribution she has made to building Brand South Africa,” Luhabe said in the statement.
Commented Johnston, “It was a great privilege to market my country, I am sad to leave but I wish it and Brand South Africa well in the future.”
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Jason Craig | Apr 14, 2008 | Reply
I think the GCIS had this coming for a while. This simply based on the raw fact that the Govt has no idea what is going on and is throwing money into the air and hoping that it works.
I once was at a conference of the IMC, with the 2010 launch and a guy from a media company, a Terrence Kommal (whom I believe is with SUTRA Magazine now, http://www.sutramagazine.net) brought to the attention of the CEO of the GCIS that the SA govt did not directly own its own tourism initiatives. This sparked great controversy and even brought the attention of Yvonne who at that time did not comment.
Yet after the event called Terrence (who was having drinks with me) to come further discuss this with her.
She let out that altough she was CEO, much of pressure and guidance still came from the GCIS and other ’stakeholders’.
She is fantastic and now a great loss to our country’s efforts!