Dr Phumzile Mmope

Phumzile Mmope started school at the age of four and at 18 entered the world of work as a journalist. In 2000, she moved to the field of corporate communication as Editor: Corporate Publications at UNISA.

Her extensive knowledge and experience in the higher-education sector span over 16 years, including 10 years’ strategic management experience at executive level.

In January 2016, she joined Stellenbosch University (SU) after a rewarding nine-year journey at North-West University (NWU) as the Executive Director: Institutional Advancement.

While at the NWU, her role expanded to integrate strategic communication, brand positioning, and stakeholder relations in fundraising with the aim to attract support in order to ensure the development, advancement, and sustainability of the NWU. She counts the successful development and implementation of the NWU’s brand positioning strategy, which included an evolved logo, new pay-off line, visual identity, unique brand architecture, and an aligned brand proposition, as one of the momentous highlights of her career.

Her portfolio at Stellenbosch University includes developing and implementing strategies for key stakeholder relations, corporate brand identity, and integrated communications.

Phumzile is very passionate about the strategic role of communications and branding at universities, and her credentials attest to her passion in this regard. She is a published author of a book titled: ‘Engaging the workforce’. She obtained a master’s and PhD in Communication Studies cum laude at NWU. Her doctoral study focused on the communication role of line managers in enabling strategic alignment at multicultural, multilingual, and transformed universities in SA.