Top 16 Youth-Owned Brands Awards jury announced

Supplied: Sadika Fakir, Integrated Media & Digital director, Tiger Brands will chair the Top 16 Youth-Owned Brands Awards (YOBA) jury

“It is a massive concern that youth unemployment in South Africa year on year is more than 45% with Covid-19 aggravating the situation, in turn negatively impacting our socio-economic levels substantially.

“Now more than ever, we need to encourage youth entrepreneurship to inspire a new era of hope for the nation,” says Fakir.

“When I look at youth-owned brands, I feel compelled to challenge my own inhibitions and conventions. YOBA will certainly be a catalyst for positive growth in the continent,” adds Fakir.

#LetsTalkDigital: Integrated marketing within digital transformation with Sadika Fakir

3 Mar 2022

Digital marketer, iTunes podcasting pioneer, speaker, author, strategist, & influencer, Lebo Lion will co-chair the jury.

Top 16 youth Owned Brands Awards jury

• Sadika Fakir (Chairperson) - Integrated Media & Digital Director at Tiger Brands
  
• Lebo Lion (Deputy Chairperson) - an award-winning digital marketer, iTunes podcasting pioneer, speaker, author, strategist, & influencer
• Bulelani Balabala - founder and CEO of IAF brands, a township-based Branding & Social Media marketing company, and founder of Township Entrepreneurs Alliance (TEA) an initiative aimed at developing entrepreneurs in the township & rural areas.
  
• David ‘Slaying Goliath’ Tshabalala – worked with, & independently collaborated with the biggest global brands, not limited to, namely: KFC, Coca Cola, Adobe, Netflix, Converse, Audi, Smirnoff, Reebok, and many more.
  
• Dr Beate Stiehler Mulder - senior lecturer, the marketing coordinator at the Department of Marketing Management at the University of Johannesburg (UJ), and the W&R Seta Leadership Chair: Gauteng.
  
• Mpho Maseko - a self-motived integrated marketing and communications professional with more than 10 years of strategic marketing and campaign development experience working on local and global brands.
  
• Thembi Sehloho - marketing director for Rice and Pasta at Tiger Brands SA.
  
• Neo Ramakutwane - A seasoned performance marketer with over 16 years experience in financial services marketing.
  
• Dr. Marcia Lebambo - Senior lecturer at the Tshwane University of Technology, in the Department of Management and Entrepreneurship and founder of the non-profit organisation: Marcia Lebambo Foundation which focuses on improving literacy in South African township and rural schools.
  
• Katlego Ditlhokwe - Lead Strategist at Brave Group

Judging across 16 categories

The jury will evaluate and shortlist 482 nominations across 16 categories: Accessories, Beverage, Agriculture, Beauty, Apparel, Media, NGO, Homeware, Education, Personality and Influencer, Footwear, Food, Travel and Tourism, and Technology.

To evaluate the entries, the jury will be using a set of scoring criteria across 16 categories. The scoring criteria are guided by Young & Rubicam and David Aaker’s principles, brand equity principles that focus on the general appearance of the brand, originality, creativity, geographic reach, and the consistency in the application of the brand CI.

“As a platform, Pat on Brands has always been known for bringing out captains of industry to engage with young people and YOBA is no different.

"We are very pleased and enthusiastic about having judges of such high calibre to help us recognise the Top 16 youth-owned brands in South Africa,” says Pat Mahlangu – founder & CEO of Pat on Brands.

The inaugural award ceremony will take place on 15 June in Johannesburg.