Dr. Hilke Steenkamp is an Assistant Professor in the College of Communication and Media  Sciences at Zayed University in Abu Dhabi, UAE. She is a communication scholar-practitioner  with 17 years of experience across journalism, public relations, corporate communication,  corporate social responsibility, strategic communication, research, consulting, and higher  education. Her academic qualifications include: a Ph.D. in Communication Management, an M.A. in Visual Studies, a B.A. (Hons.) in Visual Studies (cum laude), and a B.A. in Languages  and Journalism (cum laude) from the University of Pretoria, South Africa. Her doctoral research  focused on communicating corporate social responsibility through social networks as a  reputation management strategy. She is also a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy  (FHEA).

At Zayed University, Dr. Steenkamp teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in strategic  public relations, corporate social responsibility and ethics, integrated strategic communication,  corporate communication, advertising, campaign planning, and public speaking. Her teaching is  strongly connected to professional practice, with an emphasis on preparing students to think  strategically, write clearly, engage ethically with publics, and develop communication campaigns  that respond to real organizational and social issues. She has also contributed to curriculum  development, student mentoring, industry engagement initiatives as well as university service  within the College of Communication and Media Sciences.

Her research focuses on corporate social responsibility communication, stakeholder engagement,  employee–organization relationships, care-based relationship management, and artificial  intelligence in communication management. She has published in Scopus Q1 academic journals  such as Public Relations Review and Communication Management Quarterly, and contributed to  research reports, book chapters, industry publications, and various international conference  presentations. Her work reflects a sustained interest in how organizations build trust, demonstrate  responsibility, manage relationships, and communicate with integrity in complex social and  institutional environments.

Before joining Zayed University, Dr. Steenkamp worked in South Africa as a journalism  lecturer, program leader, media-industry liaison, and communication consultant. She has  practical experience in media writing, editing, stakeholder communication, CSR reporting,  strategic communication planning, donor communication, corporate storytelling, and media  relations. As a part-time Corporate Communication and CSR Advisor for the Center for Rapid  Prototyping and Manufacturing at the Central University of Technology, she helped  communicate the Center’s humanitarian work in producing facial and oral prostheses for patients without medical insurance. Her responsibilities included developing CSR reports, integrated  strategic communication plans, media releases, news articles, corporate brochures, patient impact  videos, and speeches for stakeholder engagement events.

Furthermore, Dr. Steenkamp’s consultation and applied communication work includes projects  and engagements with organizations such as Dubai Culture, the UN Women’s Unstereotype  Alliance UAE Chapter, Caxton & CTP community media (one of the four largest media  organizations in South Africa), and the Vodacom Foundation. She has also built and maintained

media-industry relationships, supported student internship opportunities, secured sponsorships,  facilitated industry partnerships, and served as an adjudicator for Caxton’s print and online  media awards.

Her professional identity is shaped by the intersection of academic research and practical  communication work. She is committed to strengthening collaboration between universities and  industry, supporting evidence-based communication practice, and creating work opportunities,  particularly for Emirati students and other emerging expatriate communication professionals.