/ 24 May 2012

A tough and creative spirit

Sudley Adams.
Sudley Adams.

SUDLEY ADAMS (1955-2012)

Adams, who had worked for the M&G for 13 years, had suffered for decades with kidney disease and was diagnosed with kidney failure in 2009, but she bounced back several times from long hospital stays.

Adams was born in South End, Port Elizabeth, but came to Johannesburg in the mid-1970s. With her charm, love of the arts and organisational ability she soon became involved in co-ordinating artists and productions. She worked on the opening of the Sun City resort in the Pilansberg and did a stint with struggle theatre troupe the Mamu Players.

She went on to work for the public relations department of the Market Theatre and was a production co-ordinator at the famous La Parisienne theatre, under the directorship of the late doyenne Taubie Kushlick.

Adams worked for 13 years in the public relations agency Suzanne Weil and Associates, where she helped to co-ordinate former president Nelson Mandela’s 80th birthday celebrations. Weil said: “Sudley had an indomitable spirit. Even when we were having tough times in business she said ‘don’t lose faith’. We have lost a great South African.”

At the M&G, Adams was responsible for many successful projects, among them the Critical Thinking forums, Greening the Future and Investing in the Future. She managed the events with panache, including the launches of the popular 200 Young South Africans and the Book of South African Women.

“Sudley was a unique individual who touched the hearts and souls of so many she interacted with,” said M&G chief executive Hoosain Karjieker. “She lived her life with a determination and passion to excel in a way no one else could and performed her role with an abundance of flair and creativity. She has left an indelible imprint in this organisation that will be difficult to forget.” – M&G reporters