Verashni Pillay Email and Phone Number
Verashni Pillay personal email
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Verashni Pillay is a South African media owner who is passionate about digital and the future of journalism. She is the founder of explain.co.za: a digital communications agency, and a partner news website with a WhatsApp-driven portal offering accessible and empowering news for those who don’t usually follow current affairs. It was named the best news literacy project in Africa in 2021 by the World Association of Newspapers. The company broke even in its first year and has seen double-digit revenue growth since. She was previously the Head of Digital at talk radio station, POWER 98.7, editor-in-chief of the Mail & Guardian and inaugural editor-in-chief of HuffPost South Africa. Under her helm all site's traffic consistently grew, as did the M&G print circulation – despite a depressed climate. In all her senior roles, she actively pursued strategies to grow revenue and develop new products. She cut her teeth in digital journalism with Media24 for several years before joining the M&G digital team in 2009 as a reporter. She has also worked as a media consultant and trainer in various newsrooms, specialising in digital journalism, social media and convergence. Verashni is a recipient of a CNN African Journalism Award, an OSF journalism fellowship, the Mandela Washington Fellowship and was named one of BBC’s 100 women globally. She selected to the South African Media Innovation Programme in 2020 and the Solution Journalism global network's LEDE programme in 2022.
Explain.Co.Za
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FounderExplain.Co.Za Mar 2019 - PresentJohannesburg Area, South AfricaVerashni's award-winning startup aims to reach new audiences with accessible and entertaining information, which empowers them to hold power to account. This includes explain.co.za which publishes explainers and The Weekly Wrap - a WhatsApp channel that summarises the news via text, audio or video. The latter was named the “Best Project for News Literacy” in Africa at the 2021 Digital Media Africa Award, run by the World Association of Newspapers. Go to www.explain.co.za/subscribe to subscribe.The agency division of explain.co.za also offers high-value competitive rates for digital communications and social media and content marketing work, specialising in assisting mission-driven organisations. Think of explain as the thinking client's agency, bring a journalistic heft to your marketing. We have attracted a steady stream of high profile clients since launching in 2019. Mail info@explain.co.za to enquire about our services.
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Head Of Digital: Power 98.7Power 987 Jul 2017 - Sep 2019Johannesburg Area, South AfricaVerashni hired a digital team and conceptualised a comprehensive digital strategy for the station whileinvestigating new ways to make an impact within the content and news space. She set up the station’sfirst digital department and relaunched every aspect of the station’s digital properties and holding company, MSG Africa, including podcasts, streaming, and editorial solutions, along with leading regular in-depth special reports and investigations. Verashni’s work also included consolidating legacy contracts where there was duplication, and cost-cutting.
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Editor In ChiefHuffpost South Africa Nov 2016 - Apr 2017Johannesburg Area, South AfricaVerashni was the the inaugural editor-in-chief of The Huffington Post South Africa: the publication's 17th international edition and first in subsaharan Africa. She oversaw a team of reporters and editors with a focus on politics, news breaks, lifestyle, entertainment, video and highly accessible digital journalism.
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Editor In ChiefMail & Guardian Oct 2015 - Oct 2016Johannesburg Area, South AfricaVerashni stepped into the role of editor at the M&G after the company had been through enormous upheaval, including retrenchments and plummeting circulation. In under a year she recruited a new, energised team within the newsroom, stabilised and grew overall circulation to consistently increase the publication’s paying readership, and positioned the publication for a paperless future. Digital subscriptions have been driven up by 80% and comprised 20% of total subscriptions under her helm, and the M&G was the only print publication to increase its year-on-year circulation for three consecutive quarters in the year she was there. She rebuilt the web team and relaunched the web properties. She managed the publication across all platforms, including tablet editions, digital, social media and print. This involved overseeing nine sections and 59 people and directly managing 12 senior editors. -
ColumnistMail & Guardian Dec 2014 - Sep 2015South AfricaShe focused on writing and columns, for which she would later win an award, as well as broader digital work within the industry. She worked as a digital consultant for Media24’s City Press newspaper from January to April, where she worked closely with the online team on their processes and editorial outputs, a new site design and digital strategy, and recommendations for the editor Ferial Haffajee. She also co-founded a successful social media training business in this time called Social Weaver, and trained journalists at major media groups across the country. She also did the research for a book on race by Haffajee. She went on a travelling sabbatical with her husband halfway through the year for three months.
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Associate EditorMail & Guardian Aug 2013 - Dec 2014Johannesburg,In September 2013 she was promoted to associate editor of the entire newsroom and focused on full-time reporting at a senior level. Verashni covered major events for the website and the newspaper including the 2010 World Cup, elections, as well as key political conferences.
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Deputy Editor: OnlineMail & Guardian Nov 2010 - Aug 2013Johannesburg Area, South AfricaIn November 2010 she was promoted to deputy editor for the website. She was tasked with overseeing and commissioning all editorial content online, coordinating and managing the online editorial team and spearheading convergence with the newspaper, while editor Chris Roper focused on the larger strategy and commercial aspects of the division. She managed the work of reporters, multimedia producers, sub-editors and those working on social media and citizen journalism. She co-led the team that put together the award-winning Nelson Mandela tribute microsite for the Mail & Guardian in 2010, and helped lead the editorial component of the redesign and relaunch of the Mail & Guardian online in early 2012. She has covered major events for the website and the newspaper including the 2010 World Cup and the local municipal elections as well key political conferences. The coverage included news reports, analysis as well as presenting, conducting interviews on camera and directing and scripting accompanying online videos. She was also tasked with pioneering an open newsroom philosophy at the M&G, which includes hosting weekly live videos, as well as planning for increased data journalism.
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Managing EditorMail & Guardian Oct 2009 - Nov 2010In October 2009 she was recruited by the M&G and began working as an online journalist. Noting the need for better digital processes, she submitted a proposal for overhauling the department which was accepted. Two months later she was made managing editor online and asked to implement the new strategy. Her roles included: - Overseeing production of unique content for the site- Running daily news diary - Writing for the website and the paper across several beats- Weekly column
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News24 JournalistMedia24 Feb 2007 - Oct 2009Cape TownIn 2006, she received a full bursary from South Africa’s biggest media company, Media24, to do her honours and in return worked for the country’s largest news website News24 upon graduating, from 2007 till October 2009. As the site’s first original content reporter she set up reporting systems, drew up a large contact list and produced features, news, profiles and more. In 2007, she was awarded a media fellowship from the Open Society Foundation and funded to produce a series of articles on economic development and justice where she tracked the unfolding issues of land reform in South Africa. In 2009, she was the only reporter covering the country’s general elections for the site, and produced a series of video interviews and written profiles with the leaders of the country’s biggest political parties. She also completed courses in narrative journalism and a Harvard executive course on digital innovation during this time. She also completed a course in narrative journalism with Butch Ward of the Poynter Institute and a Harvard executive course in digital innovation, both held in South Africa in 2007.
Verashni Pillay Skills
Verashni Pillay Education Details
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Business Administration And Management, General -
Digital Communication And Media/Multimedia -
Journalism Practice
Frequently Asked Questions about Verashni Pillay
What company does Verashni Pillay work for?
Verashni Pillay works for Explain.co.za
What is Verashni Pillay's role at the current company?
Verashni Pillay's current role is Media entrepreneur | Multi Award-winning editor and journalist | Speaker | Digital communications consultant..
What is Verashni Pillay's email address?
Verashni Pillay's email address is ve****@****ail.com
What schools did Verashni Pillay attend?
Verashni Pillay attended Texas Mccombs School Of Business, Harvard Business School, Rhodes University, Hu University Of Applied Sciences Utrecht (Hogeschool Utrecht).
What are some of Verashni Pillay's interests?
Verashni Pillay has interest in Children.
What skills is Verashni Pillay known for?
Verashni Pillay has skills like Online Publishing, Journalism, Storytelling, Newspapers, Newspaper, Feature Articles, Social Media, Editorial, Newsroom Management, Digital Publishing, Political Reporting, Columnist.
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