BERLIN—Robyn de Villiers was ahead of her time in recognizing that Africa had the potential to play a major role in the global public relations business, and has spent the past three decades working to make that potential a reality. For that alone, she is a worthy recipient of this year’s SABRE Award for Outstanding Individual Achievement.

But de Villiers is also an entrepreneur—building her own firm, Arcay Communications, into the market leader in its native South Africa before selling a majority stake to WPP and becoming a part of the Burson-Marsteller network—and a skilled leader, whose firm has been a finalist for our African Consultancy of the Year award in every year since its inception, and a winner of that award on two occasions.

“Robyn’s visionary leadership has created a unique network of indigenous, in-country communications consultancies providing communications services in 52 of the 55 African countries, including 31 branded offices, making Burson-Marsteller Africa today the undisputed number one agency network across the continent,” says Jeremy Galbraith, CEO Europe, Middle East & Africa and global chief strategy officer for Burson-Marsteller.

While she now has the opportunity to play on a global scale—Arcay BM has a network that spans the entire continent, while the parent company provides a reach into the world’s major markets—it is clear that her vision guides both its work and its philosophy.

That philosophy includes a commitment to training and professional development, not only internally but across the continent through its Academy, and through de Villiers’ leadership role in the African Public Relations Association.