Machine director appointed acting president of IFICA

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Browning-de Villiers currently serves on IFICA’s Advisory Board.

The move comes with the announcement that IFICA’s founding president, Adesh Chetram, has chosen to step down in his operational capacity and will join IFICA’s Advisory Board.

Chetram will continue to provide guidance to Browning-de Villiers and the management team in his role on IFICA’s Advisory Board.

“I am excited to take over from Adesh in an acting capacity into 2026, and to deepen my operational involvement in the incredible work of IFICA, championing the discipline of internal communications on the continent,” says Browning-de Villiers.

“I am delighted to be able to pass on the baton to someone such as Sarah, already so well entrenched in IFICA, and with deep experience in internal communications,” adds Chetram., who says he remains committed to IFICA in my role on the Advisory Board.”

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Well-positioned to support IFICA

At Machine/Publicis Groupe Africa, Browning-de Villiers leads the Centre of Excellence for internal communications, B2B, content marketing and CRM and loyalty.

She was the co-founder of the IAB SA’s Digital Content Marketing Committee, and is experienced not only across internal communications, but also in leading industry bodies.

“Sarah and her team of internal communications specialists service clients across the globe, so she is well positioned to support IFICA and its network of internal communications specialists,” says Lesego Kotane, Machine’s managing director.

“Employee engagement and experience are critical for the success of any business, which is why we believe wholeheartedly in investing in the specialist discipline of internal communications, and partnering with IFICA.”