From a dining room to SA’s top-ranked PR agency: PR Worx marks 25 years
Twenty-five years after Madelain Roscher left a senior corporate communications career to launch PR Worx from her dining room, the independent South African agency has celebrated its silver jubilee after being ranked the country’s leading PR agency in a survey of 13,200 corporate clients.
Founded on 13 October 2001 with one employee, PR Worx has since expanded its reach across Africa, earned 57 PRISA PRISM Awards, and established itself as a leading name in corporate communications, brand building, and crisis management.
The agency celebrated its 25-year milestone at Hotel Sky in Sandton on 15 October, bringing together more than 100 business leaders, clients, media representatives, and friends of the business.
For Roscher, the anniversary is a testament to the challenges of sustaining an independent business in South Africa, where commercial success demands considerably more than ambition alone.
“Starting a business is relatively easy. Keeping it relevant, profitable, and respected for 25 years is an entirely different sport,” she told guests during her anniversary address.
“Sometimes, it means knowing when to walk away. We’ve declined business that looked wonderful financially but would have cost us our independence, our reputation, or our sanity,” she chuckled.
Roscher was 30 when she resigned as Head of Global Communications at South African Airways (SAA), having written the business plan for her new agency while sitting on the jumpseat of an aeroplane.
A newspaper article about her departure from SAA unexpectedly led to a call from PR Worx’s first client, Comair, which represented British Airways, operated by Comair in South Africa, and kulula.com.
What began as a one-woman entrepreneurial gamble soon grew into an agency handling some of the country’s most recognisable brands and challenging reputational issues.
Over the years, PR Worx’s campaigns have included the South African launches of Domino’s Pizza and Krispy Kreme, communications supporting the relocation of 33 rescued lions from South America, and many high-profile, highly publicised corporate crisis interventions.
Today, the agency continues to adapt to changes in how businesses communicate and protect their reputations, particularly as artificial intelligence transforms the way people discover and evaluate information about organisations.
This emerging challenge was central to a keynote address by Dr Iqbal Survé, Chairperson of Survé Group Holdings, who warned that technology cannot compensate for a lack of corporate credibility.
“Visibility can be bought. Credibility must be earned,” he said.
Survé argued that AI-generated assessments of businesses will increasingly draw on their publicly available records, making credible journalism, ethical conduct, and verifiable information more important than ever.
The evening also featured an address by Dr Zizamele Cebekhulu-Makhaza, Chairperson of the Safer South Africa Foundation (SSAF) and former President of POPCRU, who praised Roscher’s commitment to addressing social issues, including gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF) through her recent #WearRedSA campaign. Adding to Roscher’s sentiments in raising awareness of GBVF, Dr Cebekhulu-Makhaza said the next demand must be better responses from institutions, practical support from employers, and better prosecution rates for perpetrators.
PR Worx Commercial Director Tyronne Henning paid tribute to Roscher’s hands-on leadership and personal commitment to the agency’s success. “Madelain has never been the kind of CEO who sits in an office and watches everyone else do the work. She’s in the thick of it with us, and if something needs attention at five in the morning, she’ll be the first person to pick up the phone.”
Hosted by Mrs South Africa 2022 and its current Head of Special Projects, Jo Judnick-Wilson, the black-and-gold celebration combined the glamour of Hotel Sky’s Sandton setting with live saxophone music and an aerial performance. Guests enjoyed a selection of wines and sparkling wines generously sponsored by historic Stellenbosch wine estate Blaauwklippen, whose contribution added another distinctly South African touch of luxury to the silver-jubilee festivities.
Looking to the future, Roscher says she is determined that the agency’s greatest achievements are still ahead.
“Twenty-five years ago, I started a business. Today, I stand here as the founder of an independent African agency that has more than earned its place in this industry.”
“Twenty-five years is a wonderful achievement. But I have absolutely no intention of allowing it to become our greatest one.”
