Come and read the latest news from the organising crew
It’s a wrap! IABC #Converge21 was a 2 Day Virtual Conference from 20 – 21 April 2021 for professional communicators. We had attendees from 24 different countries & across 3 regions (Africa, Asia Pacific & EMENA).
2 days… 3 regions… 3 ways to accelerate your communication career.
This first-of-its-kind virtual event that took the “I” in IABC to a new level. Attendees from over 24 countries explored the future of communications with their peers from the Asia Pacific, Europe, Middle East and Africa regions.
Over two half-days, they bonded over fun cultural breaks and got a global perspective on communication in 2021 (and beyond) from leaders in their field. Instead of wall-to-wall webinars, we had roundtable group discussions with time to:
If you have more questions on this event, contact the IABC Region near you – Africa, APAC or EMENA.
Not just webinars. Join real conversations at one of our three different interactive round table formats - CONNECT, CREATE and COLLABORATE.
Senior comms leaders and SMEs, Doctors, TEDx speakers and authors. From Australia, South Africa, Hong Kong, Japan, Romania, Nigeria, Iceland & UK.
The topics YOU suggested, such as ESG, Technology, Purpose, Work/life balance, DE&I, Cultural competence, Neuroscience, Remote work, Leadership and Listening.
A wonderful variety of cultural breaks including interviews, personalities, quiz shows, music, networking and maybe even a spot of cooking!
Co-Founder The Intelligent Influencer, Co-Host of The Behaviour Report
Rated in “the top 25 C-Suite Speakers to watch” by Meetings & Conventions USA, Dan Gregory is a captivating speaker whose business acumen is matched by a rapier wit and rare human insight gained during three years on the road working on the US and UK stand-up comedy circuits – skills put to great use in front of millions of viewers as a regular on ABC TV’s “Gruen Planet” and Channel 7’s “Masters of Spin”.
He has created leadership strategies for global technology firms, designed performance strategies for C-Suite executives and driven engagement strategies for organisations as diverse as Coca-Cola, Unilever, the Royal Australian Navy and the UN/UN Women in Asia.
Dan is a thought leader in the world of Behavioural Trends and Influence and ultimately, helps smart people to be people smart.
Communication Consultant / Executive Coach and Director, Colinear
Trudy Lewis is a communication consultant and executive coach, and through her company Colinear, she helps leaders, managers and professionals to be engaging, have impact and influence by mastering effective communication. Her goal is to enable people to gain an edge and confidently take their leadership to the next level. She is a chartered practitioner and board member of the CIPR and co-hosts a podcast, Calm Edged Rebels.
Group Head for Corporate Affairs, Sappi Limited
André Oberholzer has been with Sappi for 19 years; has global responsibility for Sappi’s corporate and business communication as well as social impact, stakeholder, brand and reputation management.
His industry service includes chair of the IABC Africa region and regular judge for PRISA Prism awards and Africa and global IABC Quill Awards. He is the first person from Africa to be certified SCMP.
Prior to joining Sappi he worked for 14 years as a diplomat for South Africa.
Sappi, based in Johannesburg, is a global pulp and paper company with operations in South Africa, North America and across Europe.
Top 500 #AfricanDoers & Marketing and Communications Professional
Listed in the Top 500 #AfricanDoers 2020 list by Tropics Magazine, Zipporah Maubane is marketing and communications executive with over 26 years experience developing and implementing strategies to build brands and reputation in the Technology, FMCG, Petrochemicals, Logistics and Public sector.
Zipporah provides expert knowledge in using digital channels to drive customer connection, drive lead generation and sales, stakeholder engagement and employee communications. She publishes articles regularly on the digital economy, the impact of covid-19 in fast-tracking technology adoption, changing organisational culture and the boom of new digital businesses and revenue streams. She is a regular participant in women advancement dialogues and panels with her focus being on how women can use technology to empower themselves.
Zipporah has worked for multinational companies including The Coca-Cola Company, BP, Sasol and Altron, where she served as part of the executive team that led the turnaround of the technology company.
All times shown are in Australian Eastern Standard Time (AEST). To convert to your local time, check out timeanddate.com. Please note that the programme is subject to change.
Come together. Right now. And get ready for IABC Converge. Grab a drink appropriate to your time zone and culture and have an informal chat with fellow delegates before the official start of IABC Converge.
Nolitha Fakude
Chair of Anglo American’s Management Board in South Africa
Dan Gregory
In his 2019 book 'Forever Skills', Dan Gregory and his co-author Kieran Flanagan researched the skills that were always going to be critical no matter what changes the world threw at us. These include the need to be more creative, more connected, and more courageous. But just how do we develop these skills and characteristics and what tools can we use to increase our competence in each of them? All great questions, and questions Dan will explain in this inspirational and thought-provoking presentation.
Welcome to the first of our cultural breaks. These are to give you insight into what life is like in different parts of the world and are a mix of pre-recorded, specially commissioned, and existing videos. For our first break, we’re focusing on Europe, the Middle East and North Africa (EMENA). EMENA is a breath-taking mix of vibrant cultures. In this break you’ll get insight into different European personalities, and there is also our Converge Cultural Quiz where you can watch three brave quiz contestants from IABC APAC, Africa and EMENA battle it out for the coveted title of Converge Quiz champion 2021. But first we start with a special guest: Duncan Laurence, winner of the Eurovision Song Contest 2019.
André Oberholzer
In a more complex, complicated, interwoven world with a multitude of stakeholders, strategic communication is a core driver of value for any organisation. André will unpack how communicators use their skills to work in obvious and less obvious ways to enable collaboration, build connections and create enabling environments which deliver value.
Let's have a taste of African life before wrapping up for the day. Your treat starts with the University of Cape Town with a wonderful and uplifting piece, and then we travel north to Nigeria. We’ll meet the wonderful Sola Abula (IABC Member from Nigeria) and Fireboy DML who has 600,000 monthly listeners on Spotify and whose songs have been streamed over 20m times.
Prashant Saxena
The closing speech before we head into the After Party! Prashant of Isentia shares his experiences over the course of the day at IABC Converge21 roundtables.
Welcome to the after party. Grab a drink that is appropriate to your culture and time zone and join the post-event conversation.
Welcome to day 2. Here is your chance to compare notes with fellow delegates before the formal start of the day. What was your highlight from day 1?
Dan Holme
Improving productivity and wellbeing with a new kind of employee experience
Trudy Lewis
In these times, what type of leadership do we need to see and how do we support and enable them to connect, engage and be relevant? Understanding and creating an environment for leaders to thrive may not be considered a communication issue, but in many ways, it is if we position ourselves to influence and guide through things like coaching, and by helping them to understand the importance of social and purposeful leadership.
More sessions will be added below as votes roll in! Confirmed topics todate...
Now let’s visit APAC - our biggest region. We’re kicking off with some jazz from IABC India, then an interview with the fantastic Kazuko Kotaki from IABC Japan. Then we have a solo guest appearance from apl.de.ap, previously of the Black Eyed Peas.
Zipporah Maubane
As pandemics and natural disasters are impacting economies around the world, how can the business communication professional leverage technology to help the business adapt and thrive while building reputation and great culture?
More sessions will be added below as votes roll in! Confirmed topics todate...
Cai Kjaer
It's (almost) time to say goodbye after an exciting two half-days.
Welcome to the after party. Grab a drink that is appropriate to culture and timezone and join the post-event conversation.
*Click here for the list of associations under the Global Alliance.
Nominal fee for all active IABC members worldwide
For members of AMEC, ICCO or Global Alliance associations*.
For those who aren't a member of any industry association
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Come and read the latest news from the organising crew
Come and read the latest news from the organising crew
We’re excited to announce that you can now register for
Kristy Christie Phone: +6 03 7874 7005 info@iabcconverge.com
Michael Nord
sponsors@iabcconverge.com
Dr Amanda Hamilton-Attwell
agenda@iabcconverge.com