Maja Rode is an account director at Corporate Image (www.corporateimage.co.za). With a Masters in International Business Administration from the University of Hamburg and qualifications in marketing and economics from UCT, she's a firm believer in the power of smart communication, of which she thinks there is a serious shortage in South Africa.

Maja believes that the days of PR being all about boobs and balloons are well and truly over, and that the discipline, driven by the increasing integration with social media platforms, will play an increasingly important role in the boardroom.

Contact Maja via email and follow @majarode on Twitter.