Flow PR is Flow Communications’ sister company formed in late 2010 with public relations and reputation management expert Shoni Makhari at the helm as CEO.
Shoni describes himself as having an insatiable appetite for knowledge, and said he entered the marketing environment to be exposed to the world.
What he loves about PR is it forces him to keep his finger on the pulse at all times.
“I love that PR dictates you must know everything about the people and the brand you are promoting, otherwise it won’t be appealing,” he says.
Shoni started his career as a financial journalist specialising in banking and insurance. During this time he was awarded a sponsorship for a press fellowship at Cambridge University, where his research project examined the possible future of insurance.
Shoni has worked as a PR practitioner for many companies and agencies including Meropa Communications, Empowerdex, Nedbank, Manning Salvage, Lee Inc. and helped with the launch of Virgin Mobile in South Africa.
He then ventured into his own business, Underline Communications, which is how he met Flow Communications. “We had a number of clients in common and often joined forces to provide holistic communication solutions on a variety of projects,” he explains.
For Shoni the decision to join forces with Flow was easy. “We had already established a close working relationship and there were strong synergies. Flow is a powerful brand and I have the utmost respect for the company’s leaders, their integrity and dedication. I knew that by joining Flow we would forge a successful partnership, and leverage off each other’s strengths to deliver the highest standard of service to our clients.”
So far Shoni says he has enjoyed the challenge of starting up Flow PR. “Because I love what I do and the people that I do it with, it’s more exciting.”
His vision is to grow Flow PR into an excellent agency that does not just practise damage control but helps businesses prosper. “We want to be an agency that changes mindsets and influences perceptions, and doesn’t just provide the sugarcoating.”
His short-term goal is for Flow PR to attract the best talent and become a powerhouse in communication and reputation management.
In his spare time Shoni watches sport with his friends, catches up on the latest theatre productions and reads up on cosmology in his quest to answer why we are on Earth.
If Shoni wasn’t running Flow PR he would be travelling the world, meeting new people and hiking up mountains.