Jacqui O'Sullivan | Influence 100
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Jacqui O'Sullivan

Executive, Corporate Affairs
FNB
South Africa

 

Earlier this year, Jacqui O’Sullivan left her role as head of corporate affairs and sustainability for MTN, Africa's largest mobile network operator and one of the continent’s most respected brands, after nearly six years in the job. Her latest role is a challenge in a new sector, banking, as she is now leading corporate affairs as South Africa’s First National Bank (FNB), one of the country’s big four financial institutions. 

O’Sullivan told PRovoke Media last year, “There are two non-negotiables I have when I join a company: one is that I only report to CEOs, which is a requirement because if you report to the CEO you are always on the executive committee, which means you are able to keep your finger on the pulse. And the second thing is that internal communications has to sit with me, for all the reasons that have already been discussed.”

Her background goes some way to explaining how she came to view communications as mission critical. She has worked in high-stakes, issues-rich sectors including media, aviation (covering both airports and airlines), the oil and gas sector and telecommunications (both fixed line and mobile). She has worked on crises ranging from multiple emergency aircraft landings, a hijacked plane, air side heists, deaths and births in airport terminals, mining accidents, fires and large politically-fuelled protests. Before joining MTN, she was managing executive of group communications and brand marketing at another South African telco, Telkom.