Ad industry brain drain continues
By: Chris Moerdyk
Following the appointment of local Grey boss Ann Nurock as CEO of Grey Canada in February this year, there has been a rush of South African ad execs to foreign climes. All claim it has nothing to do with crime, electricity or political uncertainty but rather the fact that the South African ad industry has an “excellent global reputation for creativity and profitability.”
Once again, the country's most sought-after adman, Mike Bosman – former CEO of FCB and latterly TBWA\Hunt\Lascaris in South Africa, has been tempted out of semi-retirement in Franschhoek, this time to head up TBWA interests in Eastern Europe. He will be based in St Petersburg.
Mike Schalit, founder of Net#work, will be moving to London as marketing director of Virgin Atlantic. Schalit, it will be remembered, was responsible for Net#work landing the Virgin advertising account when the iconic airline first started flying to South Africa more than a decade ago.
Finweek's Tony Koenderman has been appointed global co-ordinator for the Cannes International Advertising Festival from 2010 to 2015 as a result of his many years of experience in putting together his
AdReview, which he will continue to produce. Koenderman will be commuting between Europe and South Africa but will be moving his home base to Paris.
“Far too young”Both John Hunt and Reg Lascaris are to retire at the end of this year but both claim they are “far too young to sit around doing nothing” and while they are playing their cards close to their chests, it is understood that Lascaris will has taken an interest in small ad agency on the island of Santorini and Hunt, who will move to London, will be non-executive chairman of the London International Advertising Awards.
The Jupiter Drawing Room's Graham Warsop is also to become a “swallow” – commuting between the UK and South Africa – as he takes up an appointment as Emeritus Professor of Marketing at Oxford University. He will continue as executive chairman of Jupiter.
It is widely expected that John Farquhar will announce his retirement from
AdVantage magazine on his 80th birthday in just under two weeks time. Farquhar did confide in a colleague this past weekend that he had no intention of retiring completely and has apparently agreed to become a non-executive director and creative advisor to the small ad agency in Greece recently purchased by Lascaris.
And if you believe that, you will have completely forgotten today's date.
More by Chris Moerdyk
More...ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Chris Moerdyk is a corporate marketing analyst and advisor and former head of strategic planning and public affairs at BMW SA. He spent 16 years in ad agencies ending up as resident director of Lindsay Smithers FCB (KwaZulu-Natal). He pioneered and was the first editor of the media and marketing pages in the
Saturday Star.
Moerdyk is a specialist contributor to Bizcommunity.com.
Email:
cmoerdyk@mweb.co.za
Visit Chris Moerdyk's press office.
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