I am Heidi Brauer, also known as the Brand Mama (there’s a nice story there). I am a brand builder, strategist, collaborator and practical explorer. My purpose is simple: I help people fall in love with their brands – that may be themselves or the brand/s that they are custodians of as business owners, marketers or agency consultants.

My journey has been anything but linear — and that is exactly what makes me who I am today. I began as a nurse, trained to listen carefully, observe deeply and act decisively. Those instincts still shape how I approach leadership: with empathy, curiosity and an unwavering belief in the power of humans.

From there, I built a career that has spanned industries, disciplines and even continents. I have led marketing for airlines, insurance, and research organisations; created loyalty programmes and airport lounges; designed aircraft interiors and meals (famously banning whole cherry tomatoes!); researched and published a book on heritage architecture (the much loved Villa Arcadia); and delivered large-scale events like the Daredevil Run that turned Johannesburg’s streets purple in support of men’s health.

As Chief Marketing Officer at Hollard Insurance for a decade, I guided the evolution of a much-loved South African brand, embedding purpose and creativity at every level. At Comair, I helped shape kulula.com and British Airways into household names, while pioneering experiences like the award-winning SLOW lounges. Before that, I steered Ipsos Markinor through growth and transformation, learning what it means to build not just brands but cultures.

In 2023 I made a huge decision to back myself, my experience and networks, and left a 30+ year corporate career to start my own consultancy called heidibeeee&co (another story about all those e’s and the &co), offering consulting CMO services, Thinking Partnerships and brand consulting, combining decades of experience with fresh curiosity. I sit on boards, act as a juror for industry awards, and continue to design frameworks and workshops that make marketing more human and more effective. My proprietary models and metaphors — from “sprinkles and chocolate cake” to the belief that “it takes a village to raise a brand” — are tools that leaders, teams and organisations return to because they are memorable, practical and real.

Seeing how lonely it can be as a leader, and combining that with my marketing knowledge, this year, I created a programme called ‘More th&n Marketing: the stuff you won’t learn anywhere else’, an intimate and generative space where marketers and agency folk can find a learning space, a coach and a community over the 6 week ‘un-course’. The community aspect has been incredible, and the 5th Cohort kicks off next month, along with the alumni programme called “Wit & Grit” which will continue to amplify community and learning.
What I do, above all, is bring people together around ideas and possibilities. I believe leadership is not about having all the answers but about asking the right questions, creating the conditions for others to shine, and holding both purpose and performance in view.

I value substance over show, curiosity over certainty, and collaboration over ego. I am someone who has danced between disciplines, who is not afraid to roll up my sleeves, who knows when to stand still and when to move fast. I am proud of the work I have done, but even prouder of the people and brands I have helped grow along the way.

Because at the end of the day, brands are built by humans for humans. And my work has been, and still is, to help those humans — leaders, teams, customers — fall in love, again and again, with what they create together.

My vision for the future is anchored in possibility, purpose and people.

For myself, I want to keep learning, sharing and stretching — to remain curious, relevant and brave enough to reinvent as the world reinvents itself. My commitment is to stay a practical explorer and thinking partner, mentoring the next generation of leaders so that my experience multiplies beyond me.

For my business, I want to keep helping people and brands fall in love with themselves through purpose, creativity and humanity. I see South African brands not just competing globally, but setting the standard for how business can be both commercially successful and deeply human.

For South Africa, my vision is of a country led with empathy and imagination, where collaboration is instinctive, and where brands and businesses play an active role in rebuilding trust, creating opportunity and inspiring pride. I want to help tip the balance from despair to possibility, so we can fall in love with our country again.