CMO role integral to the needs of today's business

Source: © 123rf 123rf Impact South Africa Conference, presented by the MMA SA, takes place tomorrow

This is the core theme of the Impact South Africa Conference, presented by the MMA SA, that takes place tomorrow,7 September, at the Maslow Hotel in Sandton, Johannesburg.

Held in partnership with MultiChoice, Takealot.Group Advertising, Standard Bank and MTN and supported by event sponsors Mindshare, Helm and Ayoba, the conference will host a heavy-weight line-up of 23 speakers who are either delivering their keynote addresses or are part of a panel discussion.

Collectively, they will share tools and techniques with the audience with a view to assist them to not only weather today’s economic, technological and social storm but also how to thrive as marketers in our contemporary, often challenging world.

Key takeaways

Among key takeaways of the Impact South Africa event are how:

• Businesses can transform into purpose-led organisations that meet corporate social responsibility expectations.
• CMOs can align with CFOs to enable growth and align strategies with the latter’s metrics and reporting criteria.
• Marketers can grasp the evolving data landscape to develop potent data strategies that are transparent, compliant and transformative.
• AI can be leveraged to boost economic growth while elevating a brand’s impact.
• Next-gen marketing looks through the lens of different generations to create meaningful, engaging and sustainable relationships with customers.

The MMA SA’s regional director, Sarah Utermark, says, “This year’s conference is host to the best in breed and delegates will engage in thought-provoking discussions, forge valuable business connections, gain insights into their organisation's market position, and above all, stay ahead of the curve in an industry that is forever in flux and fiercely competitive.

“The event has been expertly tailored for the modern marketer so that they leave with cutting-edge knowledge that can be taken back into their businesses to further their own impact on its financial future.

"We are delighted to present this meeting of great minds who will take to the stage and share their wealth of experience with delegates. As a free-to-attend event, our aim as the MMA SA is to engage as many marketers from across the industry spectrum as possible, empowering them with knowledge and how-to’s that will make an indelible impact on their business’s performance."

Speaker line-up

Speakers include:

• Zeyad Davids, partner Deloitte Digital
  
• Katherine Madley, VP marketing Massmart
  
• Beyers van de Merwe, chief executive: marketing, PEP
  
• Kerry Janse Van Rensburg, digital director, Ignition Group
  
• Heidi Brauer CM(SA): CMO/brand mama at large (Former CMO: Hollard & kulula.com)
  
• Vincent Maher: group executive head of digital MultiChoice Group
  
• Diana Springer: head of group brand and marketing Standard Bank Group
  
• Luisa Mazinter: chief growth officer Mesh.Trade and 42Markets Group
  
• Gillian Ezra, head of content and engagement Ayoba
  
• Kate Kitz: CEO Mindshare South Africa.

For the first time, the line-up also includes the chair and vice-chair of the newly formed MMA SA Youth Development Board, Takalani Masikhwa, digital lead and strategist at Mindshare and vice-chair Anesu Malisa, head of Gen Z marketing (Africa Office) at Samsung Electronics.