EXECUTIVE APPOINTMENTS

Public Relations agency PR Worx names Shannon Henning as its new MD

By our African Marketing Confederation News Team | 2025

Henning leverages 15 years’ experience within the business to run day-to-day operations, while CEO Madelain Roscher focuses on expansion.

South African-based public relations agency PR Worx has appointed Shannon Henning as its new Managing Director.

Photo: PR Worx

Henning has been with the agency for 15 years and worked closely with CEO and founder, Madelain Roscher, for much of her career. In recent years, she has headed up PR Worx’s crisis communications, government relations, and client portfolios for high-net-worth individuals.

She has now formally stepped into the Managing Director role to lead the agency’s day-to-day operations, oversee client service delivery, and accelerate innovation across its various services.

Roscher remains CEO and will focus on strategic growth and business development, including rolling out plans to expand the agency’s presence elsewhere on the African continent.

“Shannon has been my right hand for many years, and she’s more than proven that she’s ready to help lead our business into its next chapter,” says Roscher in a press release. “She’s a natural leader with the confidence and instincts that this role demands.”

Entrepreneur and businesswoman

Apart from being an experienced PR professional, Henning is also an entrepreneur and businesswoman in her own right.

In 2024, inspired by her passion for problem-solving, she founded MamasTouch, a company that produces weighted sleeping suits for young children. This runs as an independent business.

Comments Henning on her new role: “PR Worx has been named Africa’s Best on multiple occasions. For years, I’ve had the privilege of doing this alongside Madelain, learning from one of the most respected leaders in our field.

“Now, as managing director, I’m extremely proud to be leading such an incredible, award-winning team as we set our sights even higher, both as an agency and on behalf of our clients.”

Henning holds a BA in Communications and Psychology from North-West University in South Africa.

The PR Worx client base includes mining company Anglo American, health business Novartis, financial services company WesBank, MasterCard, Samsung, and snack brand Doritos.

Pre-conference masterclass discusses taking African brands to the world

Participants challenged to identify, articulate and commercialise the cultural assets that make their brand ready for a global audience.

Three people stand side by side in front of a sports direct backdrop the woman in the middle holds a blue and orange 'sports direct' sign

Africa’s first Sports Direct retail store opens its doors in Nairobi

Second outlet planned for Nairobi before year end, with Nigeria, South Africa and Morocco said to be future target markets.

Person wearing a beige sweater holds a phone with a translucent search bar reading 'search' and microphonecamera icons in the foreground

Search is fragmenting – credibility and trust create the new visibility

Online search behaviour has changed significantly with the rise of AI. How can African brands adapt to this new marketing landscape?

Person shopping at a deli counter holding an orange shopping basket in a cheese section of a supermarket

The move toward future-ready food packaging where materials meet AI

Researchers propose a framework for packaging that senses, learns and acts – making packaging an active, AI-powered tool against food waste.

Conference stage with a woman in a patterned dress speaking to an audience large screens display '' logos and banners for a marketers conference with 'institute of marketing in malawi' branding on stage panels and backdrop

Malawi’s marketers urged to put trust at the heart of the profession

Country needs marketers to build recognition and consumer trust around Malawian products and national brand, says Deputy Minister.

Lingerie brand creates street-stopping advertising in Manhattan

Fashion brand suspends giant lingerie high above the city’s streets, using shadows to create a moving billboard for pedestrians and motorists.

We know AI influencers aren’t real – so why do we trust them?

Researchers describe AI influencers as having a ‘dual identity’. Consumers evaluate both ‘person’ and ‘technology’ identities at once.

Hotel receptionist assisting a guest at the check in counter with a gray suitcase nearby behind the desk

Why trust has become a critical asset for hotel industry marketers

Reputation and trust, once modest influences on hotel choice, have become some of the strongest predictors of patronage, study finds.

Three people in formal attire pose for a photo at an awards event a woman in a pink dress holds a trophy while two men in suits stand beside her against a gold confetti backdrop

FNB bank’s eBucks programme dominates the 2026 SA loyalty awards

South African brands are increasingly setting the global benchmark for customer loyalty strategies, organisers say.

Portrait of a man with short black hair and a beard wearing a black button down shirt against a light gray background

Zambia’s strongest creative ideas are emerging from local truths

Global influences among younger consumers are still present, but they are being filtered through a distinctly Zambian lens.

Yellow humanoid robot at a bakery counter inspecting a display of donuts on display in front of glass cases

Consumers have doubts about products when they’re designed by AI

Researchers find that lack of perceived ‘genuine care’ is the mechanism connecting AI involvement to lower trust ratings.