Juries

Alistair’s 22-year career is a story of five chapters that include Law, Marketing, Advertising, Academia and Technology. A Chartered Marketer with the following qualifications: Bcom, LLB, MBA and MDP from Rhodes University, Mancosa GSB and UCT GSB, he is currently finalising his PhD in Business Administration at the North West University Business School. He spent 14 years in various marketing roles ranging from brand manager to marketing director at Unilever, Tiger Brands, SABMiller, Cadbury and Absa. Stepping into the agency space, he then spent eight years heading up advertising agencies such as FCB and Ogilvy South Africa as Chief Executive Officer. He serves on various marketing and advertising industry bodies such as MASA, IAB, ARB and is a jury member for the Bookmarks Awards, Adfocus Awards and Marketing Achievement Awards. He has received numerous industry awards over the years, most notably the Best Advertising & Marketing Leader for 2019 in South Africa by Global Brands Magazine. He has a deep passion for teaching and has been a regular guest lecturer at various business schools for over a decade. Currently he is a Professor of Practice and MBA Coach at the Joburg Business School.

Beate has 15+ years’ experience in Marketing Commerce and over eight years’ experience in marketing lecturing and academic management. She lectures in Strategy and Digital Marketing and is passionate about bringing industry and academia together and regularly calls on her solid network of industry experts to be guest speakers in her classes. In 2019 she also initiated the UJMarketingFit event. She has a background of research and publications in Marketing, Digital, Branding, Retail and Consumer subjects in South African and International Journals and Conferences and is the Winner of the 2017 “Outstanding Paper” Emerald Literati Network Awards. She holds a PhD in Industrial Economics & Management from the Royal Institute of Technology (KTH) in Stockholm, Sweden.

After several years studying B.Com CA, Camilla got out just in time, pursuing a career in advertising. After a number of years working on TVCs, print and radio campaigns for clients like FNB, MTN and Wimpy, she found her way into experimental and innovative through-the-line agency, HelloFCB+. It was here her life changed forever. Exploring innovative solutions to solve business problems; like building a real-life website on a 2km cycling track for Toyota RAV4, turning a non-profit organisation into a Media Agency to feed hungry children for the PSFA, and telling people to “say it with a cactus” instead of flowers in Netflorist’s drought campaign, Camilla has won a number of awards, both locally and internationally; including Cannes Lions, Loeries, Bookmarks, Webbys, D&AD, FWA and One Show. She has also sat on the Cannes, Loeries, Dubai Lynx and Bookmarks panels.

Faheem is a Partner and Managing Director at M&C Saatchi Abel, responsible for the leadership of the JHB campus. He previously spent four years at M&C Saatchi’s Global HQ in London, working with clients across Europe, Asia and the Middle East. A keen speaker, Faheem has previously addressed the United Nations on two occasions, talking about the power of communication to help solve some of the world’s most complex problems. In 2019 he returned to South Africa, becoming the youngest Partner and MD in M&C Saatchi’s Worldwide Network. His proudest achievement is being part of the agency team that created The Street Store in 2016, a global movement which to date has gone on to clothe more than 400 000 homeless people across the world. He has won over 35 awards locally and internationally, including being named a Rising Star by the South African Chamber of Commerce in the UK. His obsession is working to unleash the power of African creativity on the world.

Haydn is a cross-functional marketing and advertising professional with over 25 years’ experience that reaches across marketing management, sales, advertising, activations, sponsorship, and digital marketing. Before joining Accenture, Haydn was Group CEO at digital agency Wunderman Thompson South Africa, working with clients such as Investec, MTN, Showmax, Absa, Sasol and Coke. Prior to this, he was, amongst others, CEO at creative agency Pangea Ultima, CEO of Trinergy Brand Connectors, and Executive Director: Strategy at the Jupiter Drawing Room. Haydn has a BA from the University of Port Elizabeth, a Post Graduate Diploma in Advertising from the AAA School of Advertising and has obtained a Chartered Marketer of SA qualification from the Graduate School of Marketing.

Jay, Founder and Head Honcho of Orchard On 25, a boutique brand marketing communications consultancy, is a seasoned communications specialist with over 14 years of experience in the Marketing and Brand Communications Industry and has worked with top local and international brands developing and implementing communication strategies targeting the black middle class, youth and the affluent market. As a dynamic and well-rounded marketer, he can cut across all spheres of marketing, from Public Relations, Events, Brand Activations and Brand Strategy. After completing a BA Motion Picture Qualification, he was seduced by the marketing industry and started at Meropa Communications, before moving to Jenni Newman Public Relations and then joining DNA Brand Architects as a Business Director. He sits on the Board of the TUT Integrated Communications Committee and is a 2018’s Destiny Men Top 40 under 40 recipient in the entrepreneurship category “A World Economic Forum Global Shaper” who represented the Johannesburg and Soweto Hubs in South Africa and an alumni of the Belgian Leadership Academy.

Following time in New York as a Rotary Exchange student, Lebo studied Public Relations Management and graduated at the top of her class at Wits Technikon. She immediately joined the highly prestigious global agency Leo Burnett. Five years later she moved to Cape Town to join the Levi Strauss team as a Media & Marketing Manager. Before starting Lucky No.8 Concepts, she was a Business Unit Director for Speakers Corner Communications for six years where she oversaw a wide range of international and local campaigns for brands such as Heineken, J&B, Tanqueray, Cell C & Edgars. During that time, she was seconded to Brandhouse to lead the launch of the Smirnoff Triple Distilled Vodka brand. She then Joined Maru Sports and headed up the running of the corporate village at the J&B MET. For the past 10 years she has been running Lucky No. 8 Concepts and has steered the business to achieve consistent year on year growth with an experienced team of event experts, servicing brands such as the Nelson Mandela Foundation, Advertising Week Africa, KayaFM, Samsung, Guess Jeans, and Land Rover. She is most proud of producing the incredible Annual Nelson Mandela Lecture headlined by Barack Obama with 15 000 attendees. She is also the Chief Operating Officer of Glen 21 Entertainment.

Lehlohonolo is a communications specialist with 17 years’ corporate experience – 10 of them in the financial services sector. He is an accomplished professional with a proven track record in the following expert areas: corporate communications strategy; behavioural change management within large-scale transformative projects; brand strategy; corporate storytelling; stakeholder engagement; and thought leadership. A General Manager in Absa’s Corporate Communications division, he helped to conceptualise and launch the bank’s new brand in 2018. In 2019, Lehlohonolo completed a Transition to Business Leadership Programme at IMD Business School in Lausanne, Switzerland. Prior to Absa he was Head of Communications at Old Mutual Insure. He holds a Bachelor of Technology (BTech) in Public Relations Management from the Tshwane University of Technology and has completed a Management Advancement Programme at the Gordon Institute of Business Science. He is also the founder of Letlotlo Foundation, a charity aiming to make a difference in the lives of young people in QwaQwa, Free State, where he grew up.

A strategic and creative thinker with more than a decade’s experience in brand building and marketing, Lesego started his career in strategic planning, but now leads the Johannesburg-based advertising agency of King James Group Africa. His experience in creative-led communication has a strong focus on brand positioning, communication strategy, creative amplification and integrated marketing. He has worked with leading local and international brands across a range of industries including financial services, telecoms, food and beverage, alcohol, retail and entertainment. Whilst still having oversight on the agency’s strategic outputs, he now spends the bulk of his time focusing on leading King James through its next chapter of growth by adding a strategic lens to what is often seen as an operational function. Key for him is ensuring that he has the right people, and is doing the right things to enable clients to experience the impact of the collective might of specialties that sit within the King James Group.

A qualified attorney, Mike is the MD of Wunderman Thompson Digital. He has been involved with the WT Group for over six years, previously having served as head of strategy and then MD of Cerebra, a specialist social media agency in the WT Group. Prior to joining Cerebra, Mike was head of strategy at creative agency Halo Advertising. He is the author of The Social Media Crisis Handbook, a strategic guide to identifying, managing and mitigating against social media crises, which received an award at the international WPP Atticus Awards for original strategic publication in digital communications. He has also been shortlisted for Best Individual Contribution to Digital Marketing at the Bookmarks Awards. He is also an experienced workshop facilitator, public speaker, and contributor to various marketing publications.

Mmapula is no stranger to the world of advertising. Currently the Head of Marketing for the fintech start-up, Yalu - a credit life insurance brand making waves in the industry - her previous roles include Senior Marketing Manager for FNB Life, Marketing Manager for MiWayLife and Marketing Manager for Discovery Health. One of her proudest moments remains launching the ‘NothingToHide’ campaign for Yalu, challenging the insurance industry to be more transparent and champion consumer rights. Furthermore, together with a colleague, she led the FNB Life team to win an FNB Innovations Award, launched the first-ever MiWayLife Working Mothers Expo, and played a key role in bringing the Discovery MedXpress offering to life.

Mpume joined the Joe Public team in 2013 as Business Unit Director, spearheading a portfolio that included the development of brand strategy and ATL campaigns for some of South Africa's most iconic brands. She has a wealth of experience and a B. Com. Honours in Marketing and Management from the University of Natal. In addition, she is a board member of the Association for Communication and Advertising (ACA), the official representative body of South Africa's advertising and communications profession and she also occupies a position on both the Education Portfolio Committee and South African Effie Awards Committee. As she continues to drive the growth of some of the country's top brands, she remains a part-time lecturer at Boston Media House – something which she has done for the past five years – and something that equally reflects her passion for contributing to the growth and development of the young talent that will sustain the growth of the industry in years to come.

An avid exponent of chaos theory, Oresti has long been on the cutting edge of the media and advertising industries. Doing his social media MBA at GIBS when Twitter was barely a twit, he has always driven his vision of an African media and brand intelligence firm. Founding OrnicoGroup in 1984, Oresti now fronts an organisation of more than 150 dedicated individuals that services the top 450 local advertisers. He is also chairman of SAMMA as well as a board member of FIBEP (World Media Intelligence Association) & PAMRO (Pan African Media Research Organization). Opening offices in Nigeria in 2010 was a milestone - the first in a major African expansion plan for OrnicoGroup to standardise media and brand measurement taxonomies across the continent. He also won the PAMRO “Achiever of the year” Award, recognizing what he has done for the research industry in Africa.

A South African marketing executive and entrepreneur who currently leads the marketing strategy at TFG for the Foschini Division - a team that houses brands championing female inclusivity and inspiring women to find their space in the economy. Pride is a one of a kind brand-architect with almost 20 years of experience in multiple industries including Retail, FMCG, Financial services, Advertising and Public Sector. Her work centers on building purpose driven brands. Her passion is accelerating the growth of female professionals and entrepreneurs. She is an alumnae member at the Zanele Mbeki Fellowship for Female Leadership in Africa. With the future of marketing and advertising constantly evolving and expanding, Pride’s contribution to industry is as advisory member for Vega School CPT and CMO Council Africa Region. She holds an MBA from the Gordon Institute of Business and is a published researcher in the Journal of Brand Management.

Sindiswa has over 10 years’ experience in Account Management, having worked on brands such as Skittles, South African National Blood Services, Honda, African Bank, Emirates, MTN, Telkom, Samsung and Unilever. This diversity in clients has given her an all-round expertise in strategically managing brands and client relationships. She has always been intrigued by strategy and so she studied for her Honours degree in Strategic Brand Communications and on receiving her degree made a move from Account Management into Strategy. Advertising is an exhilarating industry to be a part of and the strategy side of the business she says will allow her to make a bigger impact on how brands intrinsically form a part of consumer’s lives.

Thabiet is the CEO of Turnup Music, a MusicTech company started in 2016 to help grow local artists, in partnership with Vodacom and Samsung. Previously he was the Chief Commercial Officer for Tencent Africa, responsible for driving Tencent’s music expansion into Africa. Prior to that he was head of content for Samsung, where he was responsible for investment into tech start-ups across Africa. Prior to joining Samsung, Thabiet worked at MTN and Vodacom, responsible for launching various music, film and sports services including Vodacom Color and Samsung Kleek. His experience also includes financial services, marketing, corporate sales and e-commerce.

“The only constant these days is disruption,” says Tumi. Therefore, she believes, communications have an even more important role to play in navigating the exponential changes experienced by most sectors. This is especially so in a time of democratised media as communications can literally affect leadership brand, workforce management and crisis. The days of marketing communications being a cost centre for financial leaders to support are over; instead effective communications is key to risk mitigation and the material performance of a business. It is her experience in highly regulated, but volatile sectors, that led her to this belief. With just over 17 years as a marketing communications strategist, boasting experience in the agency and client space, she recently briefly switched roles into product management within the telco space. Prior to that she was Strategy Director of the Brave Group leading strategy on financial services accounts, including Momentum, Absa Group Communications and the parastatal Transnet.

Wendy’s career in the marketing industry spans over 20 years, at least 14 of which were spent in advertising, where she worked on some of the country’s leading brands. The iconic 2010 MTN FIFA World Cup campaign was one of the highlights in her career, after which she moved to work on the relaunch of the Cell C brand at Ogilvy, Johannesburg. Her foundation years were spent in strategy, production and various leadership roles on the agency side – with brands such as DStv, Grand-Pa, Coca-Cola and Vodacom in her portfolio. Her solid track record in brand architecture, behavioural science and brand development led her to the financial services industry, where she ultimately led the retail marketing team at Liberty. Wendy currently heads up marketing at Coronation Fund Managers and is the custodian of Brand, Sponsorship, CSI, Communications and Events.