“It takes years to build a reputation and minutes to ruin it.”
Many would recall the scandal of Bell Pottinger: the reputation-laundering firm that ruined its own reputation.
One of the most notorious PR firms in history, Bell Pottinger represented clients like Oscar Pistorius, after he was charged with murder; FW de Klerk, when he ran against Nelson Mandela for president; and Alexander Lukashenko, the Belarusian dictator.
Circa 2016, the firm that worked with dictators and oligarchs deliberately inflamed racial tensions in South Africa—and destroyed itself in the process.
Behind the takedown?
A young, Black woman from South Africa Phumzile Van Damme who was often told that “people don’t like progressive women”, and accepted that being “heckled, attacked” was just part of the job.
This week’s #BillionDollarMoves is a turn from my usual billionaire, funder & founder guest list, but in every way, a Billion Dollar Mover I needed on the show.
ABOUT Phumzile
Van Damme’s fire foray into the fight against disinformation was featured in the documentary “Influence,” which charted the rise and fall of controversial global PR firm Bell Pottinger and her role in bringing it to justice resulting in its ultimate demise. The film premiered at Sundance Film Festival in 2020. In the same year, Van Damme was invited to join the International Grand Committee on Disinformation, an international array of legislators, policy advisors, and other experts who work together to forge global alliances that bring shared, effective strategies into the battle against online disinformation, hate speech, and electoral interference.
In September 2021, Van Damme founded and coordinated South Africa’s first electoral disinformation monitoring project. She is expanding her work to include elections around the African continent and aims to roll out similar programmes for the 2023 elections in Zimbabwe, eSwatini and Liberia.
A former Member of Parliament in South Africa, Van Damme was elected to Parliament at 31 and served on the Communications and Digital Technologies committee as Shadow Minister and a National Assembly Whip.
She has spoken on various platforms about disinformation, including at the UNDP, the UN Commission on the Status of Women and Stanford University.
Van Damme’s achievements have not gone unnoticed, and she has received many accolades for her work. Recently she was awarded the prestigious 2022 Vital Voices Global Leadership Award for her work on electoral disinformation and holding social media platforms accountable.
Her other achievements and accolades include:
– Forbes Magazine Top 20 Youngest Power Women in Africa
– 2013 Mail and Guardian Top 200 Young South Africans
– 2019/20 Vital Voices fellowship.
– 2021/Munich Security Conference Young Leader Twitter @zilevandamme
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Disclaimer: This podcast is an expression of personal opinion and does not represent the opinion of the host Sarah Chen-Spellings (SCS) as an investor personally, her firm Beyond The Billion (BTB) or any company discussed. These discussions are for informational purposes only, including any mention of securities or venture funds; and does not constitute any investment, legal, tax advice. SCS or BTB may hold currently, or in the future, direct or indirect interests in the featured companies or funds. No guarantee of any kind is implied or possible where projections of future conditions are attempted.