Chris Vick is a spindoctor who spends most of his time rescuing and rebuilding corporate, political and personal reputations. Chris has has no formal qualifications beyond a diploma in journalism, but has more than 30 years’ experience in communications, including time in an underground ANC propaganda unit, anti-apartheid media activism and mainstream and alternative media journalism. He has also served three terms in the post-apartheid public service as a government communicator and a Ministerial advisor. Chris has a keen interest in the interface between politics, the economy and the media. He also enjoys exploring the changing dynamic around the truth, ethics and integrity, and has written on media ethics and politics for Business Day and the Daily Maverick – losing a number of friends in the process. He recently hosted a current affairs programme on PowerFM, but has now returned to fulltime spindoctoring and mentoring. His company, Black, provides reputation management services to a range of blue-chip corporates and public sector clients – living by Mao’s maxim that without contradictions, nothing would exist, and Amilcar Cabral’s doctrine of “tell no lies, claim no easy victories”.