PUBLIC RELATIONS

Pan-African PR group makes internal appointment to fill key role

By our African Marketing Confederation News Team | 2024

Cairo-based Rania El Rafie becomes Vice President of Public Relations and Strategic Communications for APO Group.

Pan-African communications consultancy and press release distribution service, APO Group, has appointed Rania El Rafie as Vice President of Public Relations and Strategic Communications.

El Rafie, an Egyptian, is the first candidate to be promoted to this role from within the company, and the youngest person ever to hold the position.

She joined APO Group as Account Director in 2020 and was promoted to Group Account Director shortly thereafter. In the last three years, she has been responsible for managing the company’s most prestigious accounts, delivering success for both her clients and the company.

“Rania and her team provide a gateway to the media, and are responsible for supporting some of the biggest global organisations operating in Africa today,” APO Group says in a media statement released last week.

Rania El Rafie. Photo Credit: APO Group

Among the group’s clients are FIFA, Canon, Nestlé, TikTok, Jack Ma Foundation, Liquid Intelligent Technologies, Marriott, AstraZeneca, European Investment Bank, Afreximbank, Islamic Development Bank, Vertiv, NBA and Basketball Africa League.

A unanimous choice for the position

“Rania’s performance as Group Account Director made her the unanimous choice among the APO Group leadership team when the position of VP of Public Relations and Strategic Communications became available,” the company says.

“In her time at APO Group, she has already played a pivotal role in two award-winning campaigns for Canon Central and North Africa at the PRovoke Africa SABRE Awards, Africa’s leading Public Relations Awards.

“Rania was also heavily involved in further SABRE Award success, thanks to her work with The Jack Ma Foundation and the International Organization for Migration (IOM).”

Prior to joining the APO Group, El Rafie was the Regional Account Director for Ketchum RAAD Middle East Dubai, managing client PR accounts and providing strategic counsel to prominent clients such as Etihad Airways, Nissan, P&G, and CNN.

She also spent five years at J. Walter Thompson PR in Dubai.

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