..:: AUTO REPORT AFRICA ::..
Related Articles
Like an eagle, experienced auto journalist, Toni Herbst, has landed a new deal with the Public Relations team of Suzuki South Africa as the Media Liaison for the Japanese brand.
Toni, who is well known in the industry across South Africa is joining the Suzuki PR team with 29 years’ experience in the automotive sector, most notably as General Manager: Public Relations for Peugeot Citroën and, in her last position, as General Manager for the SA Guild of Motoring Journalists.
“We are very excited to welcome someone with Toni’s experience and track record to the Suzuki team,” said Megan MacDonald, who recently took up the role of Head of Marketing and PR at Suzuki. “Toni is a beloved member of the industry and brings with her a wealth of experience and industry contacts.”
She will work closely with Megan in the PR team and takes over the responsibilities of Chelsy Pinto. Chelsy joined Suzuki in April 2018 and has taken on a more exclusive role in product planning at Suzuki. Megan, in turn, will look after all marketing, promotions and communications for the Japanese group in her more executive position.
In her new role as Media Liaison for Suzuki, Toni will look after all media activities for the brand, including new vehicle launches, vehicle test drives and all media enquiries.
“I cannot wait to join the Suzuki team and work on this exciting brand,” Toni said, adding, “Over the past couple of years, we have seen this brand grow into a top 10 brand with average monthly sales of more than 1 000 units, and it is still one of the fastest growing volume brands. It is a very exciting time to join and work on the brand.”
Toni is no stranger to Japanese automotive brands. She started her career as administrative assistant at Toyota South Africa Motors in 1989 and progressed rapidly through positions in administration, public affairs and then communications to her final position as Senior Communications Officer for Toyota.
From here, Toni joined Peugeot Citroën, where she worked as General Manager for Public Relations for nine years. Both here and at Toyota, Toni volunteered to assist with or manage the company’s corporate social responsibility activities and she quickly became part of the team at charities such Wheel Well, Rally to Read, Beeld Children’s Fund, and Meals on Wheels.
In her last role prior to a short sabbatical, Toni worked closely with motoring journalists and industry representatives as General Manager of the SA Guild of Motoring Journalists. At the Guild, she assisted the chairperson and committee with major industry initiatives such as the Guild Bursar Programme, the SA Car of the Year competition and the Journalist of the Year competition, while taking responsibility for all administrative duties.
Suzuki is South Africa’s fastest growing volume vehicle brand and a multiple recipient of the Brand of the Year award, as awarded at the Cars.co.za Consumer Awards, powered by WesBank. In support of its growing client base, this Japanese compact vehicle specialist is continuing to open new dealerships, including franchise dealers in rural areas across South Africa. The all-new Suzuki Swift and Suzuki Jimny have been selected as finalists in the AutoTrader South African Car of the Year competition.
