Meet the 2013 Biz Trends Report contributors

Abey Mokgwatsane is CEO of Ogilvy & Mather South Africa (www.ogilvy.co.za; @OgilvySA). Apart from being one of South Africa's Mail & Guardian top 200 young leaders in 2011, he was voted one of the country's top 25 "game-changers" in The Annual 2012. Mokgwatsane also founding of Young Business for South Africa, Think Tank Initiative and Experiential Industry Association of South Africa. Tel +27 (0)11 709 6600, email and follow @Abeyphonogenic on Twitter.

Appointed in 2012 as Ogilvy & Mather South Africa MD of Brand Activation, Bernard Matlhaga is a specialist in his field who brings 20 years of multinational marketing experience - spanning trade, channel, category, customer, consumer and shopper - to further reinforce Ogilvy & Mather South Africa's competency in these areas. For more, go to brandactivation.tumblr.com and Facebook, and follow @BA_Joburg on Twitter.

Bradley Maseko (@brandedyouthsa) is the founder and youth market strategist at BrandedYouth Insights. He is also the inspiration behind the Youth Social Media Marketing Conference 2013 (#YSMMC2013) that will be held in Johannesburg on 14 March 2013. Website www.brandedyouth.co.za, tel +27 (0)21 554 5024 or email .

Chamendran Naidoo works as a General Practitioner in the SA Navy. His interests include fine surgery as well as approaching the patient as a whole in a Bio-Psycho-Social manner. He is passionate about the immersion of medicine into everyday life which he actively manages via social media fronts. Chamendran is also a co-presenter on SABC3's Dr Mol Show. Email Chamendran on and follow him on Twitter at @Chamendran.

Craig Kolb owns Acentric Marketing Research (www.acentric.co.za), which conducts marketing research in the areas of new product research, brand equity, customer satisfaction/loyalty, employee commitment, stakeholder satisfaction and public opinion. He is widely published, having written numerous articles and conference papers on marketing research for both local and international conferences. Contact Craig on tel +27 (0)12 683 8832 or email . For the survey panel, go to www.surveycentric.co.za.

Daniel Munslow is chief communications officer at Talk2Us (www.talk2us.co.za, @Talk2Us_za), a consultancy specialising in internal communication and employee engagement at a strategic level. He is an IABC regional board member and sits on several other industry committees and judging panels. Email him at , tel +27 (0)11 706 8149 and skype: dmunslow. Connect with him on LinkedIn and follow him on Twitter at @munslowd.

Darren Woolley is the founder of Trinityp3, an Australian-based a marketing management consulting company with an international network of more than 30 industry professionals that helps people to achieve commercial purpose through creative process. Website www.trinityp3.com, email , read his blog at www.trinityp3.com/blog/ and follow him on Twitter at @trinityp3.

Often referred to as one of South Africa's leading trend experts, Dave Nemeth is a qualified designer who has been in a variety of industries over the past 20 years. His company Trend Forward presents the IIDNemeth Trend Report annually in all major SA cities. Email Dave at , follow @davenemeth on Twitter and connect on Facebook.

Doug Mayne, MD of Primedia Lifestyle, founded his marketing and advertising career at Ogilvy Durban, where his leadership qualities ensured his progression from account executive to group account director. Joining Primedia Lifestyle in 2007 as KZN regional marketing manager, Doug was appointed MD in July 2011. His particular area of interest is the digital and CRM space within retail, and the use of mobile, social and loyalty tools to drive customer engagement and personalised retail experiences. Website www.primedialifestyle.co.za.

Dr KF Lai is co-founder and CEO of BuzzCity (www.buzzcity.com), a mobile media company in the development and marketing of mobile services and entertainment globally. Email .

Gail Schimmel is a specialist in advertising law. She runs a consultancy - Clear Copy (www.clearcopy.co.za) - that offers advice to marketers and advertisers in relation to the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) and other aspects of advertising law. An admitted attorney (with BA, LLB, Psychology Honours and LLM degrees), she was previously head of legal and regulatory at the ASA, and subsequently joined Edward Nathan Sonnenbergs as a director in 2008. Email and follow @GailSchimmel.

Gareth Pearson, CEO and shareholder of BMi Research (www.bmi.co.za), is a market research specialist with particular focus in the industrial and FMCG markets in various sectors, including the retail market. He serves as a member of the South African Institute of Packaging's Regional Committee and is involved with the South African Packaging Council. Gareth was responsible for the merger of BMi Foodpack and Adcheck Research during 2008. Contact Gareth on tel +27 (0)11 615 7000.

Gerry Costa is a Zimbabwean national who has worked in the advertising industry for over 20 years. His African experience is as vast as the continent itself, having lived and worked in Botswana, Kenya, Uganda, Nigeria and, now, South Africa. Gerry's career includes mainstream advertising and his expertise extends to outdoor and branding. Today, Gerry is employed by the McCann World Group (www.mccann.co.za). Contact him on tel +27 (0)11 235 4600.

Gillian Rightford's CV is a mix of marketing, advertising, and management. A former group MD of Lowe Bull, she started Adtherapy (www.adtherapy.co.za), a consultancy that talks to agencies and marketers about all things advertising. Contact Gillian on tel +27 (0)21 761 2812 or email , read her blog at http://adtherapy.blogspot.com, connect on Facebook and follow her on Twitter at @grightford.

Gisèle Wertheim Aymés has worked in the media industry in South Africa for over two decades. She is a director of a medical company, owner and publishing editor of Longevity Media (www.longevitymag.co.za) and a shareholder in Stuff Group SA, publishers of Stuff (www.Stuff.co.za) - the world's best-selling gadget magazine. Email her at and follow her on Twitter at @giselewaymes.

Greg Schneider is MD of Hiring Bounty (www.hiringbounty.com; @hiringbounty). While heading up new business in Cape Town for ORM company BrandsEye, he was exposed to the power of social conversation. Identifying the value there, he launched Hiring Bounty, a business that formalises social recruitment by offering a platform to crowdsource the process. Email Greg at , follow @greg_dale on Twitter and connect on LinkedIn.

Jason Levin is MD, Jessica Oosthuizen is writer and analyst and Mokebe Thulo is communications and publicity manager for HDI Youth Marketeers (www.hdiyouth.co.za). All three spend their time deepening their understanding of what makes young South Africans tick. Contact Jason, Jess and Mokebe on tel +27 (0)11 706 6016. Email , or . On Twitter, follow @HDIYouth and @mokebe.

Gary Harwood is a founder and director of HKLM (www.hklm.co.za); Graham Leigh is a founding director; Jerry Nyagah is MD of HKLM Nairobi; Julia Bouie Leuner is a director; Andre Redelinghuys is head of strategy; Johan van Wyk is ECD; and Dr Sean McCoy is HKLM's CEO and Brand Council of South Africa (BCSA) chairperson. Read the livinglab.hklmgroup.com blog; follow @hklm_lab on Twitter; connect on Facebook.

Janice Spark is a managing partner at advertising and PR agency Idea Engineers (Facebook; @ideaengineerssa). Spark, a founding member of Idea Engineers, has directed the marketing efforts of leading global organisations for over 20 years. Contact Janice via tel +27 (0)11 803 0030, email and follow her on Twitter at @janicespark.

Johanna McDowell counsels clients and agencies around expectations in the advertising, marketing process. She is CEO of the Independent Agency Search and Selection Company (IAS), a division of black-owned marketing services group Mazole Holdings. Contact Johanna on tel +27 (0)11 462 3750, email her at and follow her on Twitter at @jomcdowell.

Josh Adler is director at the Centre for Entrepreneurial Leadership (www.anzisha.org) at African Leadership Academy (@ALAcademy) - identifying, developing and connecting the next generation of African leaders. Before entering education, Josh worked for UNDP's Africa Facility for Inclusive Markets (AFIM) and prior to that was the CEO of web technology firm Prefix Technologies. Website www.africanleadershipacademy.org, tel +27 (0)11 699 3000, email , tweet @joshadza and connect on LinkedIn.

Karen Ashwin is the founder and MD of The Event Production Company, South Africa's event pioneer. Karen is considered one of the industry's leading personalities and has a track record of 20 years, with The Event Production Company having conceptualised and executed most of South Africa's largest, most significant, high profile and innovative events. Website www.theeventcompany.co.za, tel +27 (0)11 883 0470 or email .

Kevin Bassett, a mobile communications specialist, is the founder and CEO of Floodgate Communications (2004). Floodgate (www.floodgate.co.za) specialises in mobile communication strategies that deliver solutions for marketing and advertising, corporate internal communications, call centres and customer queries. Call Kevin on cell +27 (0)82 652 0530, email , follow @KevBassett and @FloodgateComms on Twitter or SMS kevin to 34007 (R2), and he'll call you right back.

Matona Sakupwanya is GM of the Radio Advertising Bureau of South Africa (RABSA; www.rab.co.za; @RABSouthAfrica). She is passionate about championing the medium of radio and helping marketers, media and creative agencies to better understand and harness the power of the medium for their brands. Contact Matona on tel +27 (0)11 325 4935, email and connect on Facebook.

Mike Freedman is founder of Freedthinkers (www.freedthinkers.com) which has offices in Johannesburg and Cape Town. Freedthinkers works with clients in the private & public sectors to understand what is, discover what can be & reach clarity on how to get there. He is also the author of monthly think-pieces on brands, culture & strategy, trustee of the Impact Trust, & a public speaker. Contact Mike at and follow @Freedthinkers on Twitter.

Mike Silver is the founder of Stretch Experiential Marketing (www.stretchexp.com), a Cape Town-based experiential agency specialising in concept development and activations for national campaigns. Contact Mike via , tel +27 (0)21 802 1344 and facebook.com/stretchexp, and follow @stretchmike on Twitter.

Mongezi Mtati (@Mongezi) is the founding MD of WordStart (www.wordstart.co.za). Apart from being a kite-boarding and sandboarding adventurer, Mongezi connects companies and brands with measurable word-of-mouth through young African influencers at WordStart. For the latest trends in word-of-mouth follow @wordstarters on Twitter. Mongezi's blog is available at www.mongezimtati.co.za. Contact him at .

Nandkishor Buty is CEO of Ogilvy & Mather Africa (www.ogilvyafrica.com). He has been in advertising and marketing for the past two decades, initially in India and then in Kenya, Tanzania and other markets in Africa. Follow @nandubuty on Twitter and connect with him on LinkedIn.

African global communicator Nonye Mpho Omotola is the managing partner of Obaika Consulting South Africa (www.obaikaconsulting.com), focusing on increasing FDI for businesses across Africa. Victor Obaika is principal partner of law firm Obaika & Company and executive chairman of ad agency The Firehouse Africa; TV and radio production company Que Films Productions; and business advisory firm Obaika Consulting. Email Nonye at or Victor at . On Twitter, follow @nonyej.

Oresti Patricios, CEO of the OrnicoGroup (www.ornico.co.za), has been in the media information business for over 25 years. He has an MBA from the Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) and a huge body of brand knowledge and experience, which he brings to the brand intelligence offered by the company. Contact Oresti on tel +27 (0)11 884 5041 or email and follow @orestaki on Twitter.

A sales veteran with over 30 years of experience, Peter Gilbert is MD of HR Chally SA (www.challysa.co.za), an international sales consulting company specialising in talent management and recruitment. He is passionate about sales as a profession and the identification of real sales talent who can really sell! Email him at

Petros Kondos is a CRM, mobile media and customer communications specialist. He has extensive experience making cost-effective CRM work for a range of industries specialising in retail and the financial services space. Recently published to exceptional reviews, his book on location-based marketing can be downloaded from www.petroskondos.com. Email , follow @Petros99 on Twitter and connect on LinkedIn.

Executive head of sales at Cinemark (www.cinemark.co.za), Ryan Williams has a Psychology and English degree and was previously the group MD at Nota Bene. He has served on the AMASA committee, has judged PICA, Roger Garlick and AdFocus awards, and has lectured at AAA, Vega, UJ and the Red and Yellow School. Outside of work, Ryan plays classical guitar and has a weakness for Turkish Delight and whisky. Contact him on tel +27 (0)11 445 7990.

Steve Cragg is CEO of the Buchanan Group Africa, India & Middle East, Turkey and Brazil, which recently developed and launched HomeTesterClub.com in South Africa, India and Australia. After first working in the Australian office, Cragg returned to SA and set up the African office. Prior experience includes roles as marketing manager at Unilever SA and ad agency executive for Singleton Ogilvy in Australia. Contact Steve on tel +27 (0)21 424 2310 or email .

Sue Disler has more than 20 years of experience in the advertising and marketing as a designer (and sometimes coder), art director and strategist, the last 16 largely dedicated to digital. Currently, she is head of digital at New Media Publishing. Email her at , follow @suediz on Twitter or find out more on Linkedin.

Brand activist, owner of %ff the shelf marketing (offtheshelf.co.za), Afrophile, designer, reporter, promoter, forecaster, Bizcommunity.com creative director at large. A regular contributor of events coverage and opinion, she is happy to provide coverage of any industry event you care to name. Email , follow @terrylevin on Twitter, view her photos on Instagram, connect on www.facebook.com/offtheshelfmarketing or LinkedIn.

Thomas Kolster is the author of Goodvertising (Thames & Hudson 2012; (Goodvertising.info; Facebook), founder of the Goodvertising Agency (Goodvertisingagency.com) and the world's first collaborative communication platform dedicated to sustainability: WhereGoodGrows (Wheregoodgrows.com; Facebook). He hails from Copenhagen, Denmark, and has spent some time in South Africa. Read more at thomaskolster.com, email Thomas at , and follow @dogoodvertising and @thomaskolster on Twitter.

Thomas Oosthuizen is a marketing and brand strategist (www.drthomasbrand.co.za) who focuses on helping clients achieve greater marketing and brand success by spending less, for which he has devised his own methodologies. He has consulted widely to major companies across Africa and the Middle East and holds a doctorate in marketing communications. Email , read his blog at brand-blog.drthomasbrand.co.za, follow @drthomasbrand and connect on LinkedIn.

Tiffany Markman is a highly opinionated freelance copywriter, copy editor and writing trainer who has worked for over 180 clients in South Africa and across the world. She is an EMPOWERDEX-certified EME who hates misplaced apostrophes and dangling modifiers but loves pizza and pina coladas. Read more at www.tiffanymarkman.co.za, reach her anytime on , follow @tiffanymarkman on Twitter and sign up for her newsletter.

Vanessa Clark divides her time between heading up marketing at Mobiflock (www.mobiflock.com), and freelance journalism at Twokats Communications (www.twokats.com). She was a London-based tech journalist in the last century. Contact her via email , skype van_clark, connect on Facebook and LinkedIn and follow @vanclark on Twitter.

Warren Moss is the founder of Demographica (www.demographica.co.za), South Africa's largest digital direct marketing company. He has a profound understanding of email and direct marketing, sales and entrepreneurship, and how businesses can benefit from these. Warren divides his time between running his company, consulting, teaching, and speaking at events all over South Africa. Contact him on tel +27 (0)11 447 7373, email and follow @warrenmoss on Twitter.