INBREC Africa was launched at an event held in Parktown, by INBREC Co-founder and Co-chairman Prof Dr Markus Renner and INBREC Advisory Board Member and Vuma Reputation Management founder and CEO Janine Hills.

Says Renner: “INBREC is a think-tank for leaders who are bringing forward the concept of brand and reputation in their various countries. It is a not-for-profit forum whose membership meets several times a year to share knowledge and information.”

INBREC membership is by invitation only, and offer industry-exclusivity to members, meaning they can share freely without their competitors being exposed to their branding and reputation experiences and expertise.

INBREC's Country Chapters are dedicated forums for senior brand and reputation executives of successful and highly respected corporations and organisations, which include the likes of Mercedes Benz, Allianz, and McDonalds. Participants meet three to four times a year to engage in a high level exchange of their experiences, share their expertise and exclusively learn from their peers worldwide.

In addition to the fledgling Africa chapter, INBREC has country chapters in Germany, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and plans to launch further chapters this year in the Benelux (The Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg) and Finland.

“We founded the INBREC Africa Chapter to further enhance the standard of reputation management and communication in South Africa and Africa by means of providing a forum for brand and reputation management professionals to network, engage and share their expertise and experiences. The reputation of a company is key to its success and good company reputations ultimately build our country’s reputation,” says Hills.

“Country of origin branding has proven to impact the brand of companies headquartered in that country,” says Renner, “So if you are headquartered in a country like Germany you get an automatic trust credit, whereas if you are a North Korean company trying to play in the global space you’d battle to sell your goods."

“South African and Africa companies face the challenge of selling to a global market and competing with the big nations that set the benchmark," he says. "They need to market their company and country brands outside of Africa. South Africa, for example, has a strong reputation as a leisure destination, which is good for tourism, but isn’t seen as a business destination. Business people consider security, safety, education, healthcare, infrastructure and the political environment, which is lagging somewhat.”

Membership of INBREC will give African brand and reputation professionals an opportunity to meet, learn from and teach their European peers, to the benefit of both groups, Renner says.

The Africa INBREC Chapter will meet twice a year – in February/March and October/November as well as joining the other INBREC Chapters at the annual Summit in Vienna next year. “We expect the group to grow between now and the first meeting, although it’s not about numbers, it’s about quality rather than quantity,” Renner comments.

“Overall,” he says, “The idea is to bring the disciplines of branding and reputation to a higher level, so that professionals in the sector will get top level management support and understanding of how brand and reputation impact the bottom line, for the benefit of the organisation and the country it is based in.”

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