Wieke de Vries
Wieke is a seasoned communications and public relations professional, who holds a B.A. in Marketing Communications from the University of Applied Sciences in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. She is passionate about communication for change, corporate storytelling, CSR, design and branding. Throughout her international career, which spans three continents and four countries, she has worked in various sectors such as professional football, retail, government and currently the humanitarian and public health (malaria) field.
She started her career with an academic publication about the influence of media on the resignation of football managers. This served as a springboard into various communications roles in the Dutch Premier League, followed by a role as International Media Liaison Officer in Cape Town during the FIFA World Cup in 2010. Before moving to Dubai, she completed various freelance media jobs related to top sports events such as the UEFA European Cup in Ukraine and the London Olympics in 2012.
Since entering the humanitarian sector in her capacity as Head of Communications & CSR at NRS International, she has been the driving force to change the voice and (visual) identity of her company; from a manufacturing specialist to well-renowned, active participant in the humanitarian community, embracing a strong responsible business agenda. She has been an advocate for sustainability reporting, the implementation of a principled approach towards the SDGs and launched various awareness campaigns. She is an active member of the UN Global Compact UAE local network (marketing support), and part of the Women’s Empowerment Principles local network as a taskforce member Social Media and Design.
Wieke holds a design certificate from AAA School of Advertising in Johannesburg (South Africa) and specialized in ‘Humanitarian Communications’ (University of Geneva). Due to her passion for the sector she now works in, she has embraced the life-long learning philosophy and is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Global Governance & Sustainable Development at Middlesex University.
