Schumann, keynote speaker at IABC Africa

Schumann joined his first IABC chapter in 1978 and has actively served the association in different roles, including chapter and district officer; member of the international executive board; trustee of the Research Foundation; contributor to IABC publications; and frequent speaker at IABC conferences.

"We have the potential in the next decade to change how our world connects; how our profession enables people to be heard; and how our association empowers our members to create global conversations... we can make this happen if we have 20/20 vision of where we want our profession to be in the year 2020, and where we want to be as professionals. We must be the visionaries for our profession. We must, as an association, bring 20/20 vision to what our profession and our professionals must be in the year 2020. That's what IABC will focus on this year," says Schumann.

"The communication profession is in the midst of significant change as people all over the world discover new ways to connect; share information; and build relationships. Only when we gather to share ideas; experiences; questions; and learnings can we together advance the profession to where we can make a lasting difference to people and organisations. That is why the IABC, and participation in this conference, is essential for any communicator," continues Schumann.

Schumann is a senior consultant and principal for Towers Perrin based in Stamford, Connecticut. He formerly served as the firm's global communication practice leader and market leader for its Houston office. He is a winner of Gold Quill Awards from the IABC; an Accredited Business Communicator; and the co-author of two books on employer branding, Brand from the Inside and Brand for Talent.

This year's conference theme is "Right Message. Right Audience. Right Medium." and plans to feature a line-up of speakers providing insight into global communication strategies. Daniel Munslow, an IABC Africa board member who judged the 2009 IABC's Gold Quills Blue Ribbon Panel in San Francisco earlier this year, is the conference MC.

The speaker line-up also includes:

• Lindi Engelbrecht, chief executive of the Institute of Directors (IoD), will provide insights into the impact of the King III report on the communication profession, especially regarding engaging stakeholders. She is the keynote speaker on the second day of the conference;
  
• Dr. Amanda Hamilton-Attwell, IABC Africa president, will open the conference with an overview of stakeholder communication in Africa;
  
• Arthur Goldstuck, managing director of World Wide Worx, will assist communication practitioners in learning about new technologies and how to integrate them into business;
  
• Gert Schoeman, manager of communication and branding at Kumba Iron Ore, and Julia Leuner, project manager at HKLM, will unpack the hot topic of engaging with stakeholders in Africa;
  
• Heather Robinson, general manager of the Reputation Institute (RI) in South Africa, will share insights into what is driving reputations in South Africa and around the world. She will also identify companies that have built strong relations with stakeholders based on the RI's global research;
  
• Ian Rothman, professor at North West University and CE of Ian Rothmann and Associates, will deliver a paper on the extensive research he conducted on the drivers of employee engagement;
  
• Ingrid Staude, director of Words Worth Publishing, will speak on the challenges of giving stakeholders what they want;
  
• Logan Wort, group executive of Reputation Management at SARS, will explain how one goes about changing stakeholders' attitudes in order to engage them;
  
• Lorraine Lear, senior manager of Group Communication and Brand at Telkom, will look into leadership communication and why it is key to an effective engagement strategy;
  
• Melony Boucher, general manager of the Magazine Publishers Association of South Africa (MPASA), will share insights into the future of print media and how the traditional media landscape is shaped in South Africa as part of a panel discussion;
  
• Mike Stopforth, CEO of Cerebra, will join an esteemed panel to discuss the role of online media in new communication tactics on engagement;
  
• Nozipho January Bardill, MTN's communication director, will touch on 2010 and will address stakeholder relations; and
  
• Sophia Dower, content manager at Words Worth, will highlight the importance of the role that traditional media still plays in employee engagement.

For more information, go to www.iabc.co.za.