Sarah Gooding

Managing Director, South Africa

As managing director of WE Communications in South Africa, Sarah Gooding is responsible for the agency’s internal operations, developing the agency’s brand-based communications, such as crisis and reputation management, and assisting brands with purpose-based storytelling.

With 18+ years in the industry, Gooding’s knowledge spans the tech and consumer sectors. Gooding began her communications career with London PR agency Firefly Communications in 2002 before returning to South Africa. There, Gooding worked at Text100 with the Microsoft South Africa team, managing enterprise and home entertainment PR. During Gooding’s three-year relationship with Microsoft, she was responsible for launching Xbox into the local market. She has worked with a variety of consumer brands within the EMEA region, including Coca-Cola, HP, LG, Discovery Channel, Proctor & Gamble, Dimension Data and Citrix. At WE, Gooding works closely with South Africa’s leading mobile operator, Vodacom, as well as Microsoft Middle East and Africa and Hitachi Vantara, to name a few. After scooping up five wins at the African Excellence Awards in 2018 and seven SABRE South Africa Awards in 2019, WE became the most awarded agency in South Africa. A top-three finalist for PR Professional of the Year at the African Excellence Awards, Gooding has also gone on to judge and present at the South African PRISM Awards. Gooding is part of WE’s Brands in Motion and WE’s Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (B-BBEE) journey in South Africa. This initiative helps improve the lives of the WE Foundation Trust beneficiaries, who are pupils St. Mary’s, a top private school for girls.

When Gooding isn’t being a “soccer mom” to her three children, she hits the road for some running relaxation. She completed her first Ironman 70.3 in 2019, and she’s ready for more. A lover of travel, Gooding enjoys embracing Johannesburg’s beauty and experiencing new cultures and cuisines abroad.

Events & Interviews

Unpacking Privacy in Public Relations, Speaker, PRCA Africa, July 1, 2022

Communicating Brand Purpose for Competitive Advantage, Keynote, APRA, May 26, 2022

How Can Brands Meet Expectations?, Speaker, PRCA International Summit, March 24, 2022

One Africa!: March to Economic Integration and the Role of Public Relations in the Era of COVID-19, Speaker, APRA, May 26, 2021

WE Communications Creates New Leadership Roles in South Africa, Interviewee, PRovoke, Feb. 19, 2020

The Huge Opportunity From Political Chaos, Interviewee, Campaign US Live, June 17, 2019

Purpose-Driven Storytelling Drives Communication, Interviewee, BizCommunity, May 30, 2019

Articles

The Biggest Shift in PR Over the Past Decade? Living Purpose, PRWeek, Mar. 22, 2021

A Clarion Call for Change, Business Live, Sept. 17, 2020

Why These Rolling Blackouts are an Opportunity for Brands, BizCommunity, Feb. 26, 2019