The team
Samantha Perry
Founder & MD
Samantha is the owner and founder of SJ Perry PR, a small, independent agency that specialises in providing public relations, media relations and content creation services to small to medium-sized businesses and agencies. Samantha is a specialist ICT content creator with 20-odd years’ experience as a journalist and PR professional. She holds a Masters degree in ICT Policy & Regulation from the University of the Witwatersrand and has completed an eMBA at Quantic School of Business and Technology. Samantha co-founded and ran an initiative called WomeninTechZA, which aimed to bridge the gender diversity gap in the tech sector, and in that capacity sat on the UN Office for South South Cooperation Women in Tech program secretariat.
Ansie Vicente
Account manager
Ansie Vicente is a media professional with more than 30 years’ experience across newspapers and magazines (custom, trade and consumer), as well as in PR and marketing.
She has done strategic and tactical planning and execution of communication plans and publications for clients as diverse as ITWeb, the Mail & Guardian, MultiChoice Africa, the Legacy Hotel Group, NFTfi, Mindjoy, Root Platform, OfferZen, Microsoft, HP, Google, Euphoria Telecom, Peach Payments and the Human Sciences Research Council.
She holds a Higher Diploma in Journalism and Media Studies from Rhodes University and lives in Johannesburg, where she is a keen backyard vegetable gardener.
Renée Conradie
Media strategist
Renée Conradie started her career at a computer bureau where she worked on various computer systems across commercial and stockbroking firms. After Y2K, she changed career path and joined an IT-focused PR agency.
She combined her tech knowledge with PR and took many brands to press. Under The Shuttleworth Foundation umbrella, startups such as translate.org.za, The Freedom Toaster, MobiLearn, M4Lit, Siyavula and The Village Telco. The introduction and launch of Obami.com will remain a memorable success. Some other highlights include working with multinational tech clients IFS, Oracle, Symantec, MediaTek and WorldRemit.
She loves working with the media and lives for cats – somewhere in Jo’burg.
Chantel Coetzee
Operations assistant
Chantel Coetzee supports the head of SJ Perry PR, Samantha Perry, as an operations assistant. Her background includes community management and her focus is on social media strategy, client reporting management, and enhancing the company’s online presence.
Chantel combines her professional responsibilities with travel, working remotely while exploring new cultures.
She loves crafting engaging content, from ad copy to thought leadership pieces, whitepapers, and eBooks.
Pip
Office manager
Pip takes her role as office manager at SJ Perry PR very seriously, and focuses on chasing tails, attacking mice and sleeping on keyboards.