Agnes Barnard - Agnes Barnard started her media-buying career at the SABC then moved into the advertising and creative industry in both Cape Town and Johannesburg. She was one of the founding partners of Full Circle Media, which was bought in 2006 by Aegis Media sub-Saharan Africa (www.aegismedia.co.za).
Allison Cooper - Allison Cooper launched specialist writing and publicity agency Allycats Public Relations (www.allycats.co.za) in 2008. Her 15-year career spans publicity generation, journalism and freelance writing across numerous industries.
Amanda Sevasti Whitehouse - Amanda Sevasti Whitehouse is social media director at Ogilvy PR Johannesburg and a regular commentator on the digital landscape in South Africa. Before moving into online communications, Amanda worked as a copywriter and creative head for eight years on BTL activations and digital campaigns.
Andrea le Sueur - Andrea le Sueur is a freelance copywriter, scriptwriter and graphologist (handwriting analyst), working from home in Hout Bay, Cape Town. She is qualified with a BA from UNISA.
Angela Quintal - Angela Quintal is a news junkie with a passion for newspapers and good coffee. In November 2011 she became the editor of The Witness in Pietermaritzburg after two years of editing The Mercury in Durban.
Anice Hassim - Anice Hassim is CEO and head strategist of immedia (www.immedia.co.za), a digital consultancy pioneering South Africa's app development industry and is currently the architect of a number of highly-successful and unique digital strategies for major brands in broadcast media, IT, retail and other segments. Contact Anice on tel +27 (0)31 566 8000, email him at and follow him on Twitter at @anicehassim..
Banele Rewo - Banele Rewo is founder of creative development and collaborative networking portal Authentic Creatives (www.icreatewecreate.com). Currently studying integrated marketing communications at the AAA, he has contributed to the success of local and global brands.
Bradley Maseko - Bradley Maseko is the founder and youth market strategist at Brandedyouth Insights (www.brandedyouth.co.za). He provides brands and advertising agencies with qualitative information on the youth market.
Brianna Graves - Brianna Graves is a global nomad, passionate about advertising, travel, writing and culture. She is the founder of The Saturn Return Project (www.thesaturnreturnproject.com) and the operations manager and editor of IHAVEANIDEA (ihaveanidea.org).
Caren Olsen - Caren Olsen is programme manager for Metro FM (www.metrofm.co.za). She has been in the radio industry for over 13 years.
Cathryn Treasure - Cathryn Treasure is the GM for HIP2B2 (www.hip2b2.com). A former UCT BSc graduate and an A-aggregate student, she also spent several years as head of marketing and communications for the SA office of the World Wide Fund for Nature, before taking on the equivalent role for WWF's South Pacific Program based in Fiji.
Charl Thom - Charl Thom has been group MD/partner of the multiple award-winning FoxP2 (www.foxp2.com) since 2007. After completing a BComm (marketing) degree and a few seasons sailing around the Caribbean, he set out on a career in advertising which saw him working in media, strategy and account management for leading global agencies in South Africa and the UK.
Chris Moerdyk: @chrismoerdyk - Chris Moerdyk was head of strategic planning and public affairs for BMW South Africa and spent 16 years in the creative and client service departments of ad agencies, ending up as resident director of Lindsay Smithers-FCB in KwaZulu-Natal. Chris was recently listed in a Markinor survey as one of South Africa's top 10 marketing thought leaders.
Craig Kolb - Craig Kolb owns and operates South African marketing research consultancy, Acentric (www.acentric.co.za), which conducts marketing research in the areas of new product research, brand equity, customer satisfaction/loyalty, employee/stakeholder satisfaction and public opinion. He is widely published in the area of marketing research, having written numerous articles and conference papers for both local and international conferences.
Craig Lyon - Craig Lyon is brand practitioner and director for Potency Communications (www.po10c.com), a specialised healthcare marketing company that is a division of OwenKessel. His extensive experience covers brands within the healthcare, IT, FMCG, tourism and beverage industries.
Darren Woolley - 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. Email him at , read his blog at www.trinityp3.com/blog/ and follow him on Twitter at @trinityp3..
Douglas Kruger - Professional speaker and presentation-skills coach Douglas Kruger is the author of 50 Ways to Become a Better Speaker, 50 Ways to Position Yourself as an Expert, and co-author of So You're in Charge. Now What?.
Dr Julie Reid - Dr Julie Reid is an academic and media analyst at the department of communication science at Unisa. She tweets about media issues regularly at @jbjreid..
Duncan McLeod: @mcleodd - Award-wining Duncan McLeod is the founder and editor of wwwTechCentral.co.za, South Africa's latest technology news site offering breaking news, in-depth analysis and opinion that launched in September 2009 (follow @TechCentral on Twitter). Before that, he was associate editor at the Financial Mail/FM.
Dustin Chick - Dustin Chick is head of strategy for Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide. His experience includes the development of the reputation management strategy for Brand South Africa and successful campaigns for the World Economic Forum and the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
Erik Warburg - Erik Warburg is MD of Posterscope South Africa (www.posterscope.com), part of Aegis Media and one of the world's largest out-of-home communications agencies, with offices in 21 countries. In 2009, under Erik's leadership, Posterscope pioneered the first-ever comprehensive and accurate data on South African media and marketing segments.
Frances Gordon - Frances Gordon is a content strategist and plain language expert who consults to leading international and South African brands on print, web and mobile content. In 2005, she co-founded training and consultancy firm Simplified (www.simplified.co.za) in Johannesburg.
Francois Rank - Francois Rank is the news editor at Meropa Communications (www.meropa.co.za). He has 10 years of industry experience as a senior reporter and news editor for a variety of national newspapers and their online divisions.
Gilda de Araujo - Gilda de Araujo is GM of the Radio Advertising Bureau (RAB) (www.rab.co.za). De Araujo is no stranger to the South African radio landscape, having garnered more than 15 years' of experience in radio advertising sales management and advertising sales, most notably within Primedia Broadcasting, United Stations, SABC and as head of radio specialist agency RadioHeads.
Gill Moodie: @grubstreetSA - Gill Moodie (@grubstreetSA) is a freelance journalist, media commentator and the publisher of Grubstreet (www.grubstreet.co.za). She worked in the print industry in South Africa for titles such as the Sunday Times and Business Day, and in the UK for Guinness Publishing, before striking out on her own.
Gillian Rightford - 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 company that aims to improve the quality of advertising out there through better skills and better client/agency relationships.
Gisele Wertheim Aymes - Gisele Wertheim Aymes' media career of over 20 years spans a broad range of experience, from editorial, marketing, publishing and advertising sales to media innovation and strategy. Among the many hats she wears is that of publisher editor of Longevity magazine (www.longevitymagazine.co.za), which she bought from Avusa in 2010.
Ingrid von Stein - Ingrid von Stein is the founder and MD of Indigo Zebra Communications, NGO Marketing (www.ngomarketing.co.za) and BizRadio (www.bizradio.co.za; Facebook), South Africa's first dedicated online radio and live social media platform serving the business community. She is a strategist, brand architect and crisis communications specialist who has been innovating the communications industry in Africa for over two decades.
Janice Spark - Janice Spark is a director and managing partner of Idea Engineers, an advertising and PR agency which she co-founded in 2002. She has directed the marketing efforts of leading global organisations for over 20 years.
Jason Levin & Jessica Oosthuizen - Jason Levin is MD and Jessica Oosthuizen is writer and analyst for HDI Youth Marketeers (www.hdiyouth.co.za), both spending their time understanding what makes young South Africans tick. Contact Jason and Jess on tel +27 (0)11 706 6016 or email or ..
Joanna Oosthuizen - Joanna is MD of Ogilvy Public Relations South Africa (http://ogilvy.co.za/about-us/ogilvy-pr/). She started her career at Microsoft SA before going on to London, where she worked at Schroders Investment Management.
Johann Schwella - Johann Schwella is the co-founder of 10and5.com, which showcases and curates South African creativity. He has been in the advertising industry for about six years and currently works at 140 BBDO.
John Beale & Heike Meyburgh - Digital strategists John Beale and Heike Meyburgh are members of Cerebra (www.cerebra.co.za)'s social media strategy team. They have extensive experience on both global and local brands within the social media and digital environments.
Karen Ashwin - Karen Ashwin is the founder and MD of The Event Production Company www.theeventcompany.co.za), South Africa's event pioneer. Karen is considered one of the industry's leading personalities and has a more than 17-year track record, The Event Production Company having conceptualised and executed most of South Africa's largest and most innovative events.
Karen Phelan - Media director and founding partner of Full Circle Media (www.fcm.co.za), part of Aegis Media, Karen Phelan has over 23 years of industry experience and has always focused on the media side, especially her personal love, the research side. In addition to her daily business activities, she is also the Cape Town chair of the Advertising Media Forum.
Kevin Bassett - Kevin Bassett, an instant 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.
Lana Hindmarch - Lana Hindmarch has 12 years' experience in the marketing industry, with specialities in inbound marketing, visual communication, digital marketing, integrated advertising, presentation development and public relations.
She is currently the MD of HolyCow (www.holycow.co.za), an interactive agency offering traditional and online services. Lana has held this position since 2008 which has involved driving and implementing the company's growth strategy.
Leanne Freeman - Leanne Freeman is the consumer research manager at BMi Research (www.bmi.co.za). She has been involved in the project management side of international qualitative market research for nine years, and recently returned to South Africa from the UK to head up BMi Research's new Consumer Research Division.
Linda Hamman & Daniel Munslow - Linda Hamman is CEO and Daniel Munslow is chief communications officer at Talk2Us (www.talk2us.co.za), a consultancy that specialises in employee engagement and the implementation of strategies that inculcate a communication culture through behaviour change. Talk2Us was launched by Linda in 2000, motivated by her philosophy around staff alignment with the brand promise and customer experience.
Lindsay Grubb - Lindsay Grubb is a passionate communicator, a freelance writer and the owner of L Communications, a Johannesburg-based marketing and PR consultancy. She's in the business of figuring out what it is you're trying to say and helping you get the right message across to the right audience.
Lisa Dawson Biggs - Lisa Biggs' career spans over 17 years; she is currently business unit director: Cape Town for Redline ([[www.fcbredline.co.za), a division of Draftfcb South Africa. Major achievements while at Redline include securing the Metropolitan PR account across all six divisions.
Lyn Davis - Lyn Davis is marketing director and co-owner of PocketMedia Solutions and Z-CARD Africa, India, Middle East and Turkey (ZAMI) (www.zcard.com). She has spent numerous successful years in marketing and her research of the African market continually ensures new growth for the company, with offices already established in Mozambique, Kenya, Nigeria, India, Botswana and Angola, among others.
Maja Rode - Maja Rode is an account director at Corporate Image Cape Town (www.corporateimage.co.za). With qualifications in marketing, economics and business administration, she's a firm believer in the power of smart communication, of which she thinks there is a serious shortage in SA.
Marcela Ospina - Anthropologist Marcela Ospina Salcedo (www.marcelaospina.com) specialises in helping brands understand consumers from a cultural viewpoint. By using ethnography and drawing from neuropsychological principles, she advises on developing marketing plans, launching new products, and innovating communications strategies.
Marcus Sorour - Marcus Sorour is GM of the Johannesburg-based office of Waggener Edstrom South Africa (www.waggeneredstrom.co.za), a worldwide communications agency specialising in the renewable energy, technology and social innovation sectors. Over the past 15 years, Marcus has worked in the media and communications industry, providing counsel to local and multinational brands on business-to-business and consumer campaigns.
Matt Rose - Matt Rose, an avid trend watcher with a passion for the people of South Africa, is a strategic planner at Publicis Groupe Johannesburg, specialising in market research, shopper marketing and behavioural psychology. He brings a grounded yet often controversial approach to uncovering consumer insights.
Matt Ross - For over 15 years, Matt Ross's passion for original, ground-breaking ideas and technologies has taken him worldwide to create multi-award-winning digital and integrated creative campaigns for numerous clients. He's just joined King James (www.kingjames.co.za) as ECD, plus as head of Punk (formerly Mnemonic).
Mike Abel - Mike Abel is chief executive partner of M&C Saatchi Abel, which he launched in South Africa in February 2010. He is the former COO of Ogilvy South Africa and CEO of M&C Saatchi Australia.
Mike Freedman - 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.
Mongezi Mtati - Mongezi Mtati (@Mongezi) is an entrepreneur and the founding MD of WordStart (www.wordstart.co.za). Apart from being a kite-boarding and sandboarding adventurer, Mongezi connects companies with measurable word-of-mouth through young African influencers at WordStart.
Nick Altini - Nick Altini is director and national practice head, competition and regulatory practice, Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr. He has diverse experience in regulatory work in sectors including airline, courier, banking, dairy, engineering, print media, education, electronics FMCG, gaming and liquor.
Odette van der Haar - Odette van der Haar, CEO (since October 2007) of the Association for Communication and Advertising, the industry body of the SA advertising and communications sector, representing approximately 100 advertising agencies collectively contributing approximately 95% of measured ad spend. Odette previously headed up Sentech's Advertising, Events and Sponsorships and worked for SAPO, Siemens, BP, Mutual and Federal holding positions in Marketing and Business Management.
Paul Williams - Paul Williams is the business unit director at human.kind (www.humankindadvertising.co.za, Biz press office), the advertising and brand development experts. Paul (and his team) is also an avid campaigner for social and environmental betterment..
Peter Stewart - Peter Stewart is the MD of award-winning digital conversion agency Clickthinking/iProspect (www.clickthinking.com), which he founded in 1999. In 2011, the company was acquired by Aegis Media (www.aegismedia.co.za) and is now part of the iProspect network.
Petros Kondos - 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.
Rose Setshoge - Rose Setshoge's wealth of talent includes marketing, communications, journalism, advertising and research. She completed a media planning course at the AAA School of Advertising in Cape Town.
Roshila Jarosz: @Lipika777 - Roshila Jarosz (neé Pillay) is a communications lackey by day, running a website and communications for an organisation, and by night a serial social networker and writer. She used to work as a journalist for various publications, including Elle magazine, the Mail & Guardian, Financial Mail Campus and the Sunday Independent, as well as other titles, before she sold out to corporates.
Sharon Keith - Sharon Keith is a veteran marketer, with over 25 years' experience across a number of blue-chip multinational FMCG businesses. She's worked at Unilever, Deloittes, Coca-Cola SA and Atlanta (US), Guiness UDV, brandhouse and Baileys in Dublin.
Stacey Rumble - Stacey Rumble is a reputation analyst at BrandsEye (www.brandseye.com, @brandseye), a market-leading ORM company based in Cape Town and Johannesburg, with clients in 89 countries. With qualifications in international relations, marketing and neuro-linguistic programming, she approaches the world with just the right mix of process, ingenuity and strategy.
Sue Disler - Sue Disler has over 20 years experience in advertising and marketing as a designer, art director and strategist - the last 16 largely dedicated to digital. Currently, she is Head of Digital at New Media Publishing.
Tanya Schreuder & Richard Procter - In 2007, business partners Tanya Schreuder and Richard Procter joined the Aegis Media (www.aegismedia.co.za) network to bring global strategic media-planning and -buying Vizeum brand (www.vizeum.com) to South Africa. These days the agency bills just under R800 million and partners blue-chip clients such as Cell C, Santam, BMW, MWeb and Coronation.
Terry Levin - Terry Levin is the custodian of Off the Shelf Marketing (www.offtheshelf.co.za), whose mission is the development of new global African empires via the creation of iconic Pan-African product and brand development solutions. Terry is a regular contributor of events coverage and opinion to Bizcommunity.com.
Thabani Khumalo - Thabani Khumalo is a researcher, writer and commentator with various radio stations and newspapers and MD of Think Tank Marketing Services, a marketing, communication and media consultancy. Contact him on tel +27 (0)31 301 2461 or email ..
Thomas Kolster - Thomas Kolster - who is currently visiting South Africa from Copenhagen, Denmark - is a Danish advertising consultant, speaker and author of an upcoming book about communication's pivotal role in the worldwide responsible revolution, The Bible of Goodvertising from Thames & Hudson. He lectures about how to move from commitments to powerful, engaging communication that changes the world for the better.
Thomas Oosthuizen - 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.
Tiffany Markman - Tiffany Markman (www.tiffanymarkman.co.za) 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.
Travis Spence - Travis Spence is senior strategist at Hello World Agency (www.helloworldagency.com), a full-service strategic creative ideas agency. A Vega honours graduate, Travis joined the agency in 2006 and has worked on a diverse portfolio of brands.
Vanessa Clark - Vanessa Clark divides her time between heading up marketing at Mobiflock (www.mobiflock.com) and freelance copywriting and journalism at Twokats Communications (www.twokats.com). She was a London-based tech journalist in the last century.
Walter Pike - Walter Pike (@walterpike), the founder of PiKE | New Marketing (www.pike.co.za), consults to agencies and brands in learning how to build brands and businesses in the connected world. He founded and runs the Digital Academy (www.digitalacademy.co.za) to equip people to be successful in this world..
Warren Moss - Warren Moss is the founder of Demographica (www.demographica.co.za), South Africa's largest digital email advertising company. He has a profound understanding of email and direct marketing, sales and social media, and how businesses can benefit from these.
Wayne Naidoo: @WNaidoo - Wayne Naidoo is the group CEO of Lowe Bull (www.lowebull.com), having taken the reins at the helm of the agency in 2009. He is also the chairperson for the ACA (Association for Communication and Advertising; www.acasa.co.za) and a board director for the AAA School of Advertising.
Willem Steenkamp - Willem Steenkamp is a senior associate at leading PR firm marcusbrewster (www.marcusbrewster.com), where he is a specialist writer, media trainer, and crisis and reputation management consultant. Prior to joining the world of PR, he was a journalist for nearly two decades.
William Smook - William Smook is a senior consultant at Meropa Communications (www.meropa.co.za) in Cape Town. He's worked as a journalist, internationally syndicated health writer and editor.
Angola
Botswana
Malawi
Mozambique
Namibia
Zimbabwe
Cote D'Ivoire
Ghana
Nigeria
Kenya
Uganda
Tanzania
Mauritius
Seychelles
Algeria
Egypt
Morocco
Zambia
