Developing the business case for a sustainable future |
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Monica GraaffExpertiseAll in the area of sustainability: writing, publishing and editing; brand management and marketing; research and analysis; stakeholder dialogue; project management; exhibition and event planning and execution; conference design and planning; tourism development; advising local government; press strategy and liaison; teaching and lecturing; understanding of parliamentary processes. Previous experienceMonica has many years of practical experience in the media world. She has managed the branding and marketing of newspapers such as the Sunday Times, Business Day and Financial Mail and, as editor and publisher, has launched two consumer magazines, Out There and Mind Shift. Out There, a magazine about sustainable outdoor adventure, won 32 industry awards for editorial excellence while she was at its helm. Mind Shift is her most recent creation, published in association with the University of Cape Town’s Graduate School of Business. It is aimed at South African business leaders and focuses on sustainable development. Monica is the 2008 recipient of the SAB Environmental Journalist of the Year Award (print and internet). As a consultant, Monica led the City of Cape Town’s team to the World Summit on Sustainable Development in 2002, where one of her exhibitions won the best stand award. During this time she also played a major part in launching a number of new ventures: a tourism route of sustainable development projects in Cape Town (the Cape Care Route), an annual citywide Earth Festival, and a biannual international Enviromedia conference. Monica was once the marketing director of Conservation Corporation Africa, the leading ecotourism operator that pioneered the practice of environmental conservation linked to stakeholder engagement on the continent. During the 1980s, Monica was the press secretary to the anti-apartheid Leader of Opposition in the SA Parliament. She began her career as a journalist on the Cape Times and was seconded to lecture postgraduate journalism students at the University of Stellenbosch. Education2008: M.Phil Sustainable Development from the University of Stellenbosch (cum laude) 1991: MBA from the University of Cape Town 1982: B.Journalism Honours from the University of Stellenbosch. 1980: BA in Comparative African Government and Law, and Archaeology, from the University of Cape Town Other passionsMonica enjoys travelling, downhill skiing, hiking, sailing and cycling, and has a keen amateur interest in natural history. She is married to Johann Rissik whose interests include sustainable water management, rural development, natural building and botany. They have two children and spend part of the year in a straw bale house in the Karoo. |
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