alva extends global footprint to Sub-Saharan Africa

alva, the leading global corporate reputation and stakeholder intelligence company headquartered in London, has expanded its operations with a new office in South Africa, effective 1^st March.

Following on from the successful launch of its New York office in early 2016, alva is delighted to expand its presence to South Africa, demonstrating the firm’s commitment to having local on-the-ground expertise in key markets globally. South Africa will form the initial hub in the region from which to grow operations across the continent. 

alva has experienced rapid growth since it was founded in 2010, already working with 40% of the FTSE 100 and many Fortune Global 500 companies. South Africa has always been an important market for alva due to the firm’s strong affiliation with clients in the mining, metals and minerals sectors, many of which are active or based in Sub-Saharan Africa.  

alva prides itself on its close relationship with its clients, understanding the issues that matter to them and ensuring its media monitoring and analysis solutions are customised to their needs. Establishing a permanent presence enhances this relationship by ensuring clients have direct access to an expert with extensive knowledge of the region, its business environment and local stakeholder concerns.  

Alberto Lopez, the Founder and Chief Executive of alva, said:

Whilst alva already has an established small client base in Sub-Saharan Africa, we are thrilled to announce the appointment of Jonathan Saulez as our regional Managing Director and on-the-ground presence for alva in the region. Our exposure to and knowledge of this vibrant economic hub is very exciting for alva and we foresee many long-lasting business relationships been formed.

Jonathan Saulez, Managing Director Sub-Saharan Africa added:

We are seeing an increasingly empowered world with social conscience and ethical practice high on the corporate agenda. Online media platforms only serve to accentuate the importance of sound decision making within corporate boardrooms whilst we see the Corporate Affairs role rapidly evolving and growing in importance. Stakeholders simply must be engaged at all levels, including communities, customers, clients, regulators, investors and the list goes on. Those companies that manage stakeholders effectively have the best route in enhancing corporate reputation.

In South Africa we have the added dynamic and indeed commitment of several high profile business leaders wanting to step up to the plate and make a difference in what is a challenging political and economic environment. Many of our leaders are focused on change for the greater good, which inevitably involves partnering with key stakeholders. I am convinced that alva’s journey thus far places them in a unique position to assist companies intent on managing corporate reputation and stakeholder engagement.

 alva is at the forefront of reputation intelligence, providing businesses with a full understanding of how they are perceived amongst numerous stakeholders and influencers.

Our innovative proprietary content analytics technology aggregates all publicly available content in real time, globally, 24/7. Our experience has shown that for reputation to be managed and enhanced successfully, real-time data and brand insight is vital, due to the many information sources available to stakeholders and their increasingly complex connectivity. With access to accurate stakeholder intelligence you can proactively manage your brand and company reputation, comparing and contextualising against your competitors.

For more information on this news release, please contact:

UK: Monica Kruglianskas
+44 (0) 203 735 9790
Monica.kruglianskas@alva-group.com

SA: Jonathan Saulez
+27 (0) 82 824 0885
jonathan.saulez@alva-group.com