Mensa, the “high IQ society”, is proud to announce that it has just appointed, as of November 1st, two new International Communications Officers. Together, they will work to increase global awareness of Mensa International, help countries that are new to the worldwide Mensa family, and develop exclusive stories throughout 2021 to mark the 75th anniversary of Mensa’s founding.
Mensa: 75 years young, now with around 145,000 members worldwide
Mensa was founded in England in 1946 by a barrister named Roland Berrill, and Dr. Lance Ware, a scientist and lawyer. They wanted to create a society for bright people, the only qualification for membership being a high IQ. The society’s first brochure was printed on October 1st, 1946, in Oxford, England, and this act marks the official foundation of Mensa.
As this worldwide organisation keeps growing, the new International Communications Officers will be key in developing Mensa International as a brand, liaising on all matters related to intelligence and high IQ, and helping to promote the society to new members. Proactive social media campaigns will accompany concerted efforts to increase Mensa’s global TV, radio and print media exposure, with the aim of bringing awareness and understanding of Mensa and its members around the world to a whole new level.
Simone Dogu, Social Media Guru
Simone lives near Frankfurt and works as a consultant and project leader in IT and digital media. She holds a BA in Business Administration, an MA in Innovation Management and, like many of her fellow Mensans, she holds qualifications in a number of other fields. Simone also works as a part-time university lecturer, and has a great deal of experience organising and developing a diverse range of social media channels for voluntary organisations and companies. In addition, she regularly writes articles on the subjects of digitalisation and social media.
Simone has been a member of Mensa Germany since 2015, and she is responsible for a team of ten people whose role it is to coordinate social media and PR/marketing activities for Mensa Germany.
A keen traveller, Simone has met up with Mensans all over the world, and she is a regular guest at the European Mensa Annual Gathering, or EMAG. Never happy to sit on the side-lines, Simone loves to get involved in all kinds of Mensa activities, helping to organise events such as a Spartan race in Maastricht and marathon relays in Hamburg.
“For me, Mensa is a wonderful network with so much potential. We are an international association with many different topics. My goal is to promote international networking within the National Mensas through the use of digital media, and to inform the general public about the topic of intelligence and giftedness.” #MensaSociety
Olivier Müller, PR Expert & Journalist
Olivier Müller is a professional journalist and PR consultant for various companies. He divides his time between Geneva and Paris, covering luxury and aviation-related topics in particular for a dozen or so magazines and specialist websites in Europe. He is also a regular speaker at various events.
In 2008, Olivier Müller set up his own company to manage the writing side of his business, which spans five European countries. Olivier’s agency also provides PR and communication consultancy services, helping brands to define and implement their strategies, with a particular emphasis on positioning, messaging and audience. The agency employs five people: a second journalist, two photographers, a community manager and a translator.
Olivier joined Mensa France in 2019 and promptly joined their quarterly magazine staff, where he is currently in charge of the Special Report section. He has also helped to build local Mensa communities and set up various Mensa events.
“The high IQ topic is now very trendy in the media and, as Mensa is the oldest and largest high IQ society in the world, we are always happy to provide informed responses to any and all questions about intelligence and IQ from the media and public alike. Mensa has tremendous potential, and I am pleased and proud to have the opportunity to play a central role in bringing Mensa and its noble purposes to a worldwide audience.”
For further information, please contact:
Olivier Müller
International Communications Officer for PR, Mensa International
Simone Dogu
International Officer for Social Media, Mensa International
About MENSA
“Mensa” means “table” in Latin, and the organisation was so named because Mensa is a round-table society where ethnicity, color, creed, national origin, age, politics, educational and social background are all completely irrelevant. In fact, the only relevant qualification for membership is scoring within the upper 2% of the general population on an approved intelligence test.
Today, there are around 145,000 Mensans in 100 countries throughout the world. There are active Mensa organisations on every continent except Antarctica, and the three stated purposes of Mensa are always the same, no matter where in the world your national Mensa organisation happens to be:
- to identify and foster human intelligence for the benefit of humanity;
- to encourage research into the nature, characteristics, and uses of intelligence;
- to provide a stimulating intellectual and social environment for its members.