Speakers

One Day. 20+ Local and Global Marketing Superstars!

CONFIRMED SPEAKERS

DONOVAN GOLIATH

MC

Comedian/Content Creator/Former Adman

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OUTSIDE BROADCAST

Relebogile Mabotja

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CELEBRITY OPENING SPEAKER

Miles Kubheka

Topic: Challenge yourself to think like an entrepreneur.

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Global Icon Presentation

Joining virtually from NY

Faith Popcorn

Founder & CEO

Topic: Challenge yourself to meet the Future Forces.

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INTERNATIONAL SPEAKER PRESENTING IN PERSON

Matthew Bull

Founder, SoloUnion

Topic: Creating a Creating Culture. The principles and processes that have transformed ABINBEV (SAB) and Kraft Heinz into two of the world’s most innovative companies.

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INTERNATIONAL SPEAKER PRESENTING IN PERSON

Scott Thwaites

Founder, EDC squared

Topic: Redefining influence: The power of everyday content.

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INTERNATIONAL SPEAKER PRESENTING IN PERSON

Steve Babaeko

CEO / Chief Creative Officer of X3M Ideas

Topic:How to look challenges in the eye and stare them down to win.

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INTERNATIONAL SPEAKER PRESENTING IN PERSON

Frank van den Driest

Founder, Institute for Real Growth

Topic: How marketers can step up to drive more humanized growth.

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Leadership Panel

Khensani Nobanda

Group Executive: Group Marketing and Corporate Affairs, Nedbank

Panel Topic – How leaders challenge themselves.

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Leadership Panel

Carl Willoughby

Chief Creative Officer of TBWA Hunt Lascaris and Creative Circle Chair

Panel Topic – How leaders challenge themselves.

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Leadership Panel

Ivan Moroke

CEO of Kantar South Africa

Panel Topic: How leaders challenge themselves.

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Leadership Panel Facilitator

Gillian Rightford

Managing Director of Adtherapy. Founder of The School of Thought

Panel Topic: How leaders challenge themselves.

Dr. Alistair Mokoena

Country Director for Google South Africa. Author

Topic: The challenge of self- mastery.

Mike Sharman

Founder and Chief Creative Officer of Retroviral

Topic: Challenge yourself to Challenge AI. How to make it work for your marketing.

Prof. Adebayo Fayoyin

Expert/Adviser/Consultant – Strategic Communication, Advocacy and Social Change

Topic: Challenge both ourselves and society with social behavioural change communication.

(with Ana Carrapichano)

Nomsa Chabeli

Group Chief Executive Officer of the SABC

Topic: The C-Suite Challenge. How to get buy-in from the top.

Musa Kalenga

Group Chief Executive Officer of Brave Group

Topic: The Next 100 Years.

Maseda Ratshikuni

Executive Marketing & Communications: Nedbank Africa Regions

Topic: How to fake it.

Ana Carrapichano

Founder and CEO of Mediology

Topic: Challenge both ourselves and society with social behavioural change communication.

(with Prof. Adebayo Fayoyin)

Glenn Gillis

CEO and Co-founder of Sea Monster

Topic: Challenging the marketing game plan: Building lasting brand engagement through gamification.

MBALI BHENGU

Marketing Lecturer/Entrepreneur

Topic: “Ten ways my students challenged me to be a better marketer.”

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Five-minute challenge!

Thando Hopa

Diversity Advocate, Writer, Speaker and Cultural leader at the World Economic Forum

Topic: The challenge of embracing diversity as a mindset.

In proud partnership with

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Five-minute challenge!

Dr. Justin Cohen

Bestselling Author and Global Speaker

Topic: How to open up to your full potential.

In proud partnership with

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Five-minute challenge!

Puno Selesho

Poet, Performer and Communications Specialist

Topic: Rebranding Africa from being the dark continent to the bright continent.

In proud partnership with

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Five-minute challenge!

Saffron Baggallay

Founder of the Personal Mastery Lab

Topic: Marketers: Crack your audiences’ code for more hits than misses.

In proud partnership with

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Five-minute challenge!

Nicky Verd

Digital Futurist, Author and International Keynote Speaker

Topic: Bridging the Gap Between Marketers and Technology

In proud partnership with

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Youth Speaker

Marko Stavrou

The Gen Z Guy, CEO Of Stavrou Consulting

Topic: Challenge yourself to think like Gen Z. How to sell more to tomorrow’s customers.

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Bonus Speaker

Mike Wright

Red & Yellow Student

Topic: 5 Lessons Learned at the Butchery of Life.

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Awarding of Prizes, Bursaries and Conference Close

Dale Hefer

CEO – IMC

Our Speaker Alumni – Africa’s most exclusive marketing club.

VISIT OUR ALUMNI PAGE

DONOVAN GOLIATH

Comedian, Content Creator and Former Adman

Donovan Goliath is an award-winning content creator, sought after MC, television presenter and celebrated stand-up comedian.

A respected creative, Donovan has delivered several master classes on marketing, design and creativity. He was the host and an ambassador for the Loeries for 3 consecutive years.

Miles Kubheka

CELEBRITY OPENING SPEAKER

Miles Kubheka has always had the desire to make a meaningful mark on the world. In 2012 he became the first person in the world to create a business based on a fictious TV advert. The advert was about a character named “ Vuyo- the beeg dreamer” who starts off selling wors rolls from a food cart and then goes on to make it “beeeg”. In doing so, he catapulted into media stardom, and soon translated his innovative thinking into entrepreneurial success. Miles innovatively trademarked the Vuyo’s brand and opened the first Vuyo’s restaurant in Braamfontein which later branched out to the iconic Vilakazi street in Soweto . In 2018, Miles sold the business and semi-retired. Taking all his learnings from running Vuyo’s he went on and founded Wakanda Food Accelerator. Taking from his previous experience, he trademarked the name from the globally successful movie, The Black Panther. Wakanda provides business development services to upscale up-and-coming food & beverage businesses. Wakanda scouts for these food creatives and foodpreneurs that have a passion for creating innovative solutions along the entire value chain. Miles is a system engineer by training, and worked for Microsoft for close to a decade before co-founding an IT company which Microsoft went on to invest in. He is an alumnus of both Wits University and GIBS . He is also a qualified Chef, Author, Public Speaker and above all a serial entrepreneur. Miles life’s mission to achieve “ zero hunger in my lifetime”. He sits on the board the food reduce organisation, SA Harvest in addition to being the chairperson of SA Chefs Association.

Faith Popcorn

Founder & CEO

Faith founded Faith Popcorn’s BrainReserve (FPBR), the futurist marketing consultancy, in 1974. The New York Times has called her “The Trend Oracle," Fortune Magazine named her “The Nostradamus of Marketing," and she is recognized globally as the original and foremost Futurist. She has identified such sweeping societal movements as “Cocooning,“ “SOS,” “AtmosFear,“ “Anchoring,“ “99 Lives" and “Vigilante Consumer."
As the key strategist for Faith Popcorn’s BrainReserve, Faith and her esteemed team apply their insights to cultural and business Trend Truths, opening the vision of FPBR clients, repositioning their brands/companies, developing new models and innovating for sustainable growth. She is a trusted advisor to the CEOs of The Fortune 200 including such companies as American Express, Apple, Campbell's Soup, Citigroup, Chipotle, Colgate, Comcast, Constellation Brands, IBM, Johnson & Johnson, Kellogg’s, KFC, Mars, Pfizer, SC Johnson, Tylenol, Unilever and The USPS.
With a documented 95% accuracy rate, Faith predicted the demand for fresh foods, home delivery, telemedicine, enhanced entertainment and home schooling, as well as capturing the spiritual tenor of the millennium with Cocooning and its impact on the COVID-culture. Additionally, she predicted the rise of Social Media, The Metaverse, and has a significant following on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram.
She has been invited to speak all over the planet on subjects such as The Future of Masculinity, Child-Free by Choice, Five Future Forces, EVEolution: The Rise of Females & Gender Fluidity, and The “Fake” Food Explosion. Among her engagements: Cannes Lions, SXSW,
WSJ: The Future of Everything, The Beverage Forum, ANA (The Association of National Advertisers), Advertising Women of New York, CECP (Chief Executives for Corporate Purpose), NYU, Fordham University and Dubai’s Arab Innovation Summit.
She is a best-selling author of four books: The Popcorn Report, Clicking, EVEolution, Dictionary of the Future and the upcoming, Popcorn Report 2030: A Leap of Faith.
Heralded for her extraordinary ability to forecast emerging consumer patterns, Faith is frequently interviewed and cited in the media by The New York Times, Time, Newsweek, Fortune, Fast Company, The Today Show, Face the Nation, and CNN as well as all the Social Channels.
She has recently launched a podcast entitled Jolty, co-created SPACED, a 7 Episode series being considered by HBO, and recorded an album about The Future.
Faith was raised in Shanghai, China, is a sixth generation New Yorker from the now chic East Village and a graduate of New York’s High School of Performing Arts and New York University. She is a single mother of two daughters, Georgica & Clara-Cecil (both adopted from China), and two Japanese Chins, MochiKo and Rei-Rei Kawakubo, all residing in Manhattan and Wainscott, New York.

Matthew Bull

Founder of SoloUnion

You can call him Bull.

One of the world’s foremost creative leaders (bear in mind he wrote this himself).

For the past seven years he’s been Global Chief Creative Advisor to both ABINBEV and Kraft Heinz and a board member of Skullcandy.

Bull was an integral part of the transformation of ABINBEV into the world’s premier creative marketer (Cannes Marketer of the Year 2022 and 2023, and ranked Number one at Effies 2023 and 2024) and Kraft Heinz into the USA’s most innovative CPG marketer and No 4 overall (AdAge)

Previously founder of Lowe Bull Group South Africa, CEO of Lowe London, Global CCO of Lowe.

Ex President of Cannes Jury and juror on numerous awards panels. Also received a Lifetime achievement award from Financial Mail in 2003. Which was weird. But he was grateful.

Also editor and sole star of Bull-Bytes. Loved by many. Ignored by many more. Available on that hip and cool social media channel, LinkedIn.

Scott Thwaites

Founder, EDC squared

Scott is an experienced leader with a history of elevating advertising ventures from inception to success, scaling them from ground zero to hundreds of millions. As a true entrepreneur at heart, he's played an integral role in the introduction, expansion, and scaling of businesses in over 55 countries spanning Europe, the Middle East, and Africa during his roles at Twitter & TikTok. At the forefront of Twitter and TikTok, Scott has had a front row seat of the advertising industry's evolution over the past decade, absorbing insights across a diverse range of markets and industry verticals. He has keenly observed the outcomes for brands that evolve and those that stagnate. Fuelled by this experience, Scott ventured to establish EDC squared, an innovative business that is redefining influence and harnessing the power of Everyday Content.

Steve Babaeko

CEO / Chief Creative Officer of X3M Ideas

Steve is an unusual type of businessman. In an industry that seemed to have run out of inspirational stories, he stepped in and wrote a new chapter. Now, his X3M Ideas Group, which he founded in 2012, has become the yardstick for a new generation of Nigerian creative entrepreneurs. Steve’s unyielding belief in looking challenges in the eye and staring them down has attracted the best talents to his firm and pulled in clients from around the world. This has led to setting up of offices in South-Central Africa, via Lusaka and Johannesburg. His next stop? Congo Brazzaville, Kenya and United Arab Emirates, where he recently opened independent offices for X3M Ideas. Before starting X3M Group, which has now grown to include X3M Music, Media 100 and Zero Degrees Productions, Mr. Babaeko was the creative director at 141 Worldwide. Over there, he sparked the fire of creativity that made that agency the trendiest for many years. Steve began his advertising career at Mc&A Saatchi & Saatchi and later moved to Prima Garnet Ogilvy. For more than 23 years, he has been helping to create some of the most iconic marketing works on the continent. You might remember the “Proudly Nigerian” campaign for British American Tobacco, the “Now You’re Talking” campaign for Etisalat, “You Need A New Bank” campaign for Diamond Bank and so many others. He continues to represent Africa on the global stage, having been a member of the jury at the New York Advertising Festival, the Loeries, African Cristal Awards, D&AD Awards, Pitcher Awards Festival and AD Stars. He has also been a speaker at the Cannes Lions Festival, Nigeria & West Africa’s First Cannes Lions Award winner and also one of Adweek’s Top 100 Creatives in the world, 2019. He was also conferred with the “Visiting Fellow” honours at the Henley Business School, University of Reading. Steve holds a bachelor’s degree in Theatre Arts from the esteemed Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria. He is currently the President of the Association of Advertising Agencies of Nigeria (AAAN) and President of The International Advertising Association (I.A.A), Nigeria Chapter. Outside advertising, he was the former Chairman, Public Relations Committee of the Nigerian-American Chamber of Commerce. Steve has attended several international Leadership trainings, including some in Harvard Business School, Columbia University, New York and Stanford Graduate School of Business.

Frank van den Driest

Founder, Institute for Real Growth

I am a lifelong learner. I love simplicity and prefer depth over breadth, especially with people. Often described as "Dutch direct," I am known for my frankness, passion, pragmatism, and a relentless focus on achieving tangible results. My role as a thought and sparring partner has afforded me the privilege of working closely with CEOs and CMOs, guiding them on humanized growth journeys across diverse companies such as Anheuser-Busch InBev, AkzoNobel, GSK, Mondelez, Arla, ING, and WD-40. In 2019, I co-founded the Institute for Real Growth—an independent, not-for-profit organization dedicated to empowering senior growth leaders. Through innovative live-action programs inspired by thought leadership, we connect these leaders with peers and experts, fostering an environment conducive to more humanized growth strategies. My contributions extend beyond the boardroom, having co-authored two cover articles in the Harvard Business Review. The 2016 piece, 'Building an Insights Engine,' and the 2014 best-selling issue, 'The Ultimate Marketing Machine,' have left a lasting impact. Additionally, my most recent work, the Da Vinci CMO article, was featured in FAST Company. I am also an accomplished author with several books to my credit, including the bestselling 'The Global Brand CEO.' Recognized as an inspirational keynote speaker, I have been invited to address prestigious events such as Cannes Lions, BrandWeek, ESOMAR, the MMA, the ARF, and PMRG. Beyond my professional pursuits, I serve as a non-executive Board member for Fresh Forces, contributing to the strategic direction of the organization. My home is in the Amsterdam area of the Netherlands, where I reside with my family.

Khensani Nobanda

Group Executive: Group Marketing and Corporate Affairs

Khensani Nobanda is the Group Executive for Marketing and Corporate Affairs at Nedbank Group. As both the executive in charge of marketing, and a member of the Nedbank Group executive leadership, she ensures the cohesive and consistent alignment between marketing messaging, brand positioning and business objectives across the group, while also providing strategic input into various Nedbank structures, committees, and partnerships. Khensani joined Nedbank in September 2017, as Executive Head of Group Marketing, before being promoted to her current role, and the Nedbank Group Exco, in May 2018. Her more than 20-year marketing career has afforded her invaluable experience in several leading South African and multinational organisations. After starting out as an assistant brand manager at Unilever, she rose through the ranks to eventually head up the Skin Category for Unilever in Africa, Middle East, and Turkey. This was followed by various leadership and executive roles in Diageo, South African Breweries and Vodacom, before joining Nedbank. She is passionate about brands and the potential they have to deliver tangible value to consumers, and more broadly to society, by being purpose led and value driven. Khensani has a BCom from the University of the Witwatersrand, an MBA from GIBS and Advanced Management Program from Harvard Business School. She is a member of the board of Effie Awards South Africa, a regular member of the judging panel for the Loeries and Bookmarks Awards, and a sought-after public speaker. Kensi has amassed several accolades in recognition of her contribution to the industry, including top honours as winner of the Loeries 2021 “Marketing Leadership & Innovation” award and the “Marketing Industry Leader of the Year” by AdFocus.

Carl Willoughby

Chief Creative Officer of TBWA Hunt Lascaris and Creative Circle Chair

Carl has been around the block. Hailing from Cape Town he’s worked at many well-known agencies on brands in various categories, from automotive to alcohol, telecoms to fast food. He even worked on the Bahrain Formula 1 and launched a telecoms company in the Middle East. He believes the right work solves any problem, that great work rises to the top, and all stresses disappear when that incredible idea lands. His work has been recognized both locally and internationally and takes pride in developing work that is locally relevant yet globally competitive. Carl is the Chief Creative Officer of the pirate ship TBWA Hunt Lascaris and is currently serving as the chairman of the Creative Circle, a non-profit organisation dedicated to promoting creativity as a business resource that maintains high levels of creativity in the South African advertising industry. He’s also a recently appointed to the Loeries board.

Ivan Moroke

CEO of Kantar South Africa

Ivan is a seasoned marketing practitioner, driven by mining for insights from diverse data sources, used to develop differentiated and actionable marketing and communication strategies that deliver profitable growth. His key expertise in insight and strategic marketing has been honed by a career that formally started at British American Tobacco (BAT), working across the entire marketing value chain. This was followed by the introduction to consulting at Added Value (now Kantar Consulting), where he led strategic marketing projects for a list of blue-chip companies across diverse industries in Africa. Ivan has since held strategic and business leadership roles at Lowe Bull, Yellowwood Future Architects and TBWA Hunt Lascaris. He later founded the marketing insights and strategic consultancy, Co-Currency. In helping develop the industry, Ivan has served as chairperson of the jury for the APEX Effective Awards, receiving the Apex Lifetime Achievement Award. He has served as chairperson of Brand Council South Africa (BCSA) and was vice-chairperson of the Association for Communication and Advertising (ACA). . He continuously serve on the jury panel of Lories Awards (Shared Value, Creative Effectiveness, Service Design) and is chairperson of Marketing Achievements Awards South Africa (MAA)

Gillian Rightford

Managing Director of Adtherapy. Founder of The School of Thought

Gillian’s background is a mix of marketing, strategy, advertising, and leadership. She obtained a Business Science (Honours) degree in Marketing from UCT and consulted in marketing strategy before entering the creative world, holding account management and strategy roles for various agencies, before becoming a shareholder and Group Managing Director of two globally aligned agencies (Hercules DMB&B and Lowe Bull).
In 2007, she started Adtherapy, a Communication and Management consultancy whose clients are both marketers and advertising/communication agencies, across the globe. Adtherapy aims at improving the quality of outputs for enhanced ROI, through better strategic thinking, creativity, processes, structure, and team alignment. A key foundation for this is enhancing skills and understanding on both sides: simply put, “better skills, better relationship, better results”. Adtherapy consults on barriers to optimising the full potential of companies and teams and then works to cocreate
strategies that are measurable and hold key people to account. As well as consulting on optimal partnerships, Gillian offers strategy consulting and coaching and pitch advice. Gillian has also had a keen interest in education and capability building in the marketing & advertising sector, running hundreds of corporate and agency training workshops, lecturing at UCT and all the ad schools, and launching The School of Thought: an online knowledge sharing, talent building platform for the marketing & advertising community. She has recently taken on the mantle of Interim Executive
Director of the Association for Communication and Advertising (ACA).
She is a public speaker on various aspects of marketing, strategy, creative, integrated communication, and reputational risk, and is consulted widely as a respected communications industry and strategy expert in South Africa.

DR. ALISTAIR MOKOENA

Country Director for Google South Africa.

Dr. Alistair Mokoena is the Country Director for Google South Africa. His academic qualifications include Bcomm, LLB, Management Development Programme (MDP), Executive Development Programme (EDP), MBA and PhD in Business Administration. He is a qualified Chartered Marketer with 25 years corporate experience. He spent the first half of his career in the following roles: Brand Manager at Unilever, Senior Brand Manager at Tiger Brands, Marketing Manager SABMiller, Marketing Director at Mondelez and Absa bank respectively. Dr Mokoena has dedicated the second half of his career to executive roles in the advertising, media and technology industries, as well as academia. He was previously Managing Director of FCB Advertising Agency and Group Chief Executive Officer of Ogilvy South Africa where he spearheaded their digital transformation journey and presided over Ogilvy’s record-setting award wins. He has received many industry awards over the years including the Global Brands’ Best Advertising and Marketing Leader in South Africa in 2019, NWU Alumni Excellence Award for Business Leadership in 2023, and a top 4 finalist in the IMM Marketing Excellence Awards 2023. He joined Google in April 2020 as Country Director for South Africa. His role involves managing Google’s commercial operations in Southern Africa and collaborating with customers and social partners in accelerating Africa’s digital transformation. Bridging the digital divide is an ideal that inspires Dr Mokoena to ensure that Africa benefits from Google’s technology. Dr Mokoena previously served on a number of Marketing and Advertising industry bodies in the following capacities: Deputy Chairman of the Association for Communication and Advertising (ACA), Chairman of the Integrated Advertising Bureau (IAB), member of the Advertising Regulatory Board’s (ARB) Final Appeal Committee, founding member of the Johannesburg Business School’s International Advisory Board, and member of the University of Johannesburg’s Institute for Intelligent Systems’ Advisory Board. He currently serves on the Advisory Board of the North West University Business School, and is a board member for the American Society of South Africa. Dr Mokoena is an Extraordinary Professor of Practice at the North-West University Business School, an external examiner for Botho University in Botswana, a postgraduate supervisor at Vega School and a Council member at the University of Johannesburg. He has published articles in academic journals, contributed book chapters, reviewed several books and delivered papers at international academic conferences. He recently launched his first book, “Servings of self-mastery” which is in the top 50 fastest selling books across all book genres in South Africa. He coaches young professionals, mentors Small Micro and Medium Enterprises and is a regular guest speaker at international business schools and at industry events. He is passionate about the role that responsible Artificial Intelligence can play in making the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals a reality in our lifetime

Mike Sharman

Founder and Chief Creative Officer of Retroviral

Mike is Founder and Chief Creative Officer of Retroviral, which has made more brands ‘go viral, globally’ than any other agency in Africa.  He has developed campaigns that have been classified as 'truly viral' (The Checkers Sixty60 Swindler, My Kreepy Teacher, Nando's Last Dictator Standing, Castle Lager Granboks)  Mike was named a finalist in South Africa's Entrepreneur of the Year in 2018, and one of the Mail & Guardian's top 200 young (under 35) South Africans in 2013 and top 40 under 40 in 2023.  From a philanthropic perspective, Mike is a co-founder of the Put Foot Foundation - a charity that has fundraised hundreds of thousands of dollars and secured 100,000+ school shoes for children across the SADAC region, who had previously walked to school barefoot.

Prof. Adebayo Fayoyin

Expert/Adviser/Consultant - Strategic Communication, Advocacy and Social Change

Expert in strategic communication, advocacy, and social change. Visiting Professor of Mass Communication at Caleb University, Lagos, Nigeria, and Associate Professor at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa. With 30 years of professional experience, specializing in designing, implementing, and evaluating public information and behavior change communication interventions. Worked with major international development agencies like USAID, UNICEF, and UNFPA, focusing on advocacy and corporate communication. Skilled in teaching, curriculum development, and research supervision across multiple countries

Nomsa Chabeli

Group Chief Executive Officer of the SABC

AIM (UCT); MBA (Henley Business School); In progress MM: Digital Business (Wits University) Ms Nomsa Chabeli is a dynamic and transformational leader who has demonstrated consistent growth and excellence in all the roles she has held in her illustrious career. She is a strategic leader who will be able to interpret and execute the SABC’s public mandate while she ensures its financial sustainability. She joins the Public Broadcaster with invaluable experience from Multichoice where she successfully and profitably led SuperSport across various markets in the world. Armed with an MBA from Henley amongst her qualifications, she will be able to lead the SABC to much needed commercial success. Ms Chabeli is also a serial marketer who has achieved success with multiple corporations including Edcon, Multichoice, MTN and government institutions such as Brand South Africa and Government Communication and Information System (GCIS) IS. Her role at the SABC is a worthy culmination of the strategic roles she has played in the various proudly South African corporations. The SABC is set to benefit from her extensive leadership experience and vision. She has been involved in the evolution of marketing in this country, including marketing strategy, digital and social marketing, as well as growth hacking which make her an innovative leader who is constantly searching for tools and methods to achieve optimal success. She is currently pursuing a Masters in Management: Digital Business with Witwatersrand University and stands to gain a skill that the SABC will need in the realm of digital revolution, currently underway across the world. She strives to continue to give back to the country, through lending her skills for the betterment of current and future generations.

Musa Kalenga

Group Chief Executive Officer of Brave Group

Technologist, strategic Marketer & Brand communication Specialist; Public Speaker
Musa Kalenga is the Group Chief Executive officer of the Brave Group, an independent, multidisciplinary communications agency. Kalenga is also co-founder and shareholder of Bridge Labs. Musa currently serves as the Chairman of the University of Johannesburg School of consumer intelligence and information science. Kalenga was recognised as Mail & Guardian Top 200 Young South Africans and was a member of the World Economic Forum Johannesburg Global shapers. Musa is a former Meta (Facebook) Client Partner for Africa. He’s been the Group Head of Digital Marketing at Nedbank.

Maseda Ratshikuni

Executive Marketing & Communications: Nedbank Africa Regions

Maseda is a seasoned marketer, part-time broadcaster, entrepreneur, and motivator. His motto is 'Touch people, live fully and die empty'.

Maseda has more than 25 years’ experience in the marketing & communications field having worked in various leading companies: Lever Pond’s (Unilever), Kimberly-Clark of South Africa and Nedbank. During that time, he was worked on many leading brands including Vaseline Intensive Care, Dawn, Huggies, Carlton and Kleenex, Cutex and Nedbank.

As the executive for marketing & communications for Nedbank’s Africa Regions (NAR) business, Maseda has responsibility for marketing & communications for all Nedbank’s businesses outside South Africa, but on the African continent. These are primarily the businesses in southern and East Africa and with the added responsibility for the managing the relationship from a marketing & communications perspective – the Ecobank-Nedbank alliance. (Nedbank is the major shareholder of Ecobank and has a formal working alliance with Ecobank. The Ecobank-Nedbank alliance is the widest banking network in Africa spanning 39 countries.)

His previous responsibilities within Nedbank included managing the Nedbank Cause Marketing area which included the Nedbank Affinity portfolio, Sustainability (Green) and CSI Marketing. In that role he managed Nedbank partnerships with organizations such as WWF-SA, the conservation organization, the Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund, The Sports Trust and the Arts & Culture Trust.

Maseda is a trustee of the Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund and part of the management committee of the WWF-Nedbank Green Trust.

Ana Carrapichano

CEO Mediology

Ana, a seasoned strategic thinker with over three decades of experience in global and local markets, founded Mediology 18 years ago, which has since become South Africa's largest media independent with a team of over 45 media professionals across South Africa and Canada. Under her leadership, Mediology has received numerous accolades, including the 2021 Financial Mail AdFocus - Ana's commitment to talent development is evident through her contributions to skills development since the inception of her career at various advertising and marketing institutions in South Africa. At Mediology, Ana focuses on positioning the agency as a leader in Social and Behavioural Change Communication (SBCC) campaigns targeting health, communities, women and children, climate change, oceans, conservation, and animals. She actively participates in industry bodies and advocates for diverse perspectives in SBCC initiatives. Ana's vision extends beyond borders as she aims to drive SBCC initiatives across Africa and beyond. Mediology, part of a global network of independent agencies, connects with 1,200 agencies worldwide.

GLENN GILLIS

CEO and Co-founder of Sea Monster.

Glenn is a seasoned entrepreneur with 25 years of experience as a senior executive and consultant in the creative industries. He is an expert on the role that technology plays in storytelling and a thought-leader on how impact games and immersive technologies (AR & VR) can be used to build brands in Africa and beyond. Prior to co-founding Sea Monster, Glenn served as the General Manager at two of South Africa’s leading film and animation companies: Moonlighting Film Services and Clockwork Zoo - Africa’s largest animation studio at the time.

MBALI BHENGU

Marketing Lecturer/Entrepreneur

Mbali Bhengu is a passionate Marketing lecturer and Corporate Workshop Facilitation Specialist at Red and Yellow Creative School Of Business. Her academic speciality focuses on Sustainable Marketing, Account leadership and Inclusivity in Marketing. Her focus is on educating exit level students, industry graduates and working professionals on Marketing and bespoke Corporate programmes that will encourage and spark creative thinking. Her diverse academic portfolio has introduced her to both public and private sector industries, with a special focus on service-related sectors. Mbali has been recognized and has been nominated for prestigious business competitions such as Standard Bank Small Business Awards, Standard bank Women of the Year Awards, Rising star South Africa and the SAB kickstart awards. A seasoned and serial entrepreneur, with companies in the Marketing and the Beauty and health industry - She published her first book in 2020 called SELF – ISH: Mastering self in a selfish business world and the book was a resounding success. Mbali has delivered an international paper in Dubai in 2023 on the influence of green entrepreneurship and her lecturing passion is centred on inclusivity and sustainability of brands in Marketing. She currently has a MBA from the Graduate School of business and leadership in KwaZulu – Natal and aims to begin her Doctorate in Business Administration soon.

Thando Hopa

Diversity Advocate, Writer, Speaker and Cultural leader at the World Economic Forum

Cultural leader at the World Economic Forum, Diversity Advocate, International Model, Actress, Speaker and Writer - working with like-minded brands and storytelling platforms to enhance equitable, inclusive and progressive narratives. Each project containing significant developments in our cultural climate, accompanied by impact driven milestones.

Dr. Justin Cohen

Dr. Justin Cohen is a world leader in human transformation. He is a bestselling author and global speaker, who has hosted multiple personal development television shows. Dr. J is a speaker hall of fame inductee and holds a doctorate in human transformation. He has spoken, trained and coached tens of thousands of people in over forty countries, providing them with powerful tools and insights to achieve lasting breakthroughs in their lives and businesses.

Puno Selesho

I have a deep appreciation for words and people and this has inspired a journey of collaboration with various corporates. As a Spoken Word Artist, I have a decade’s worth of stories and poems that are meant for personal and public spaces. With the right story, any project can be brought to life. I am also quite the agent for transformation, both on a societal level and on an individual level. South Africa has an abundance of human potential. Sometimes all it takes is a transformative conversation to start unlocking the possibilities. My aim is to help people see the world through a creative lens, communicate their own value, challenge social norms, share our African narrative and add a bit of hope to society.

Saffron Baggallay

Saffron, is equipped with a Sociology Honors from Trinity College, Dublin, and a MADA from WITS in South Africa; and boasts extensive expertise in human behavior. Saffron's qualifications also include an international Narrative Enneagram teachers qualification, the Embodied Enneagram, a masters in identity theory and various qualifications in somatic healing modalities. As a seasoned keynote speaker, facilitator, and coach, she assists corporate clients in fostering leadership communities. Saffron emphasizes building self-trust and self-respect, which lead to living with real self-confdence, crucial in today's business world, empowering individuals, including executives, to navigate overwhelm, promote collaboration, and sustain creativity. Her focus on personal mastery responds to the need for employee engagement, inclusivity, compassion, and transparent communication in workplaces. Saffron advocates that too much workplace energy is wasted on office politics, gossip and blame, all of which can be changed with the right tools and knowledge.

Nicky Verd

Nicky Verd is a Digital Futurist, Kickass Author, an International Keynote Speaker, Future of Work Coach, Consultant and a voice for those who yearn to disrupt the status quo and reinvent themselves in an AI-driven economy. She is a leading thinker on driving innovation and digital transformation through personal disruption. Nicky Verd is passionate about unlocking human potential in the age of disruption. She has been recognized by Thinkers360 as one of the Top 50 Global Thought Leaders on Digital Disruption and the Future of Work.

Marko Stavrou

Marko Stavrou, also known as the “Gen Z Guy,” is one of Africa's leading Generation Z strategists and next-generation business leaders. At just 19 years old, he is the founder of Stavrou Consulting, a consulting firm that helps blue-chip corporations such as Standard Bank, Deloitte, Acsion Limited, Walter Sisulu University, and many others better connect with their Generation Z consumers and employees. At 17, Marko was the youngest person to be accepted and graduate from Henley Business School globally. In addition to running multiple businesses and speaking around the world, Marko documents his life daily as a CEO through his social media channels, which have more than 40,000 followers, and in 2023, he reached more than 2 million people across all his platforms. He is an inspiration to many young people around the world and is passionate about helping to shape a prosperous Africa.

Mike Wright

Mike is a marketing student at Red & Yellow and has industry experience in television, newspaper, magazine, photography, and video production. Before deciding to re-study at Red & Yellow, Mike started a media company called “Le Scarf”. Dubbed a retro disrupter, Mike aimed to reinvent print media for our digital world, producing a product that appealed to social media users. This entrepreneurial adventure didn’t yield financial returns as hoped (as many predicted), but the lessons learned were invaluable. Mike now aims to connect everything he has experienced over the years, from selling coffee in a local market to directing national television shoots for major international brands, and apply it to marketing and advertising. “I believe there is a need to promote good values and morals in today’s society through fun, aspirational, sticky brands. Doing this can change the world one person at a time. I am excited to join the IMC Conference this year! Please feel free to reach out to connect, chat, or uncover any student-related insights straight from the Red & Yellow campus!”

DALE HEFER

IMC CEO

Dale is a former SA Businesswoman of the Year, a highly awarded marketer, a bestselling author and a prominent still life artist.
After selling her ad agency Chillibush, Dale bought and re-launched the IMC as the Nedbank IMC in 2018. Under her leadership it has become Africa’s largest and most respected marketing conference.
www.dalehefer.com

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CONFIRMED SPEAKERS

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MC

OUTSIDE BROADCAST

Relebogile Mabotja

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Miles Kubheka

Global Icon Presentation

Faith Popcorn

INTERNATIONAL SPEAKER PRESENTING IN PERSON

Matthew Bull

INTERNATIONAL SPEAKER PRESENTING IN PERSON

Scott Thwaites

INTERNATIONAL SPEAKER PRESENTING IN PERSON

Steve Babaeko

INTERNATIONAL SPEAKER PRESENTING IN PERSON

Frank van den Driest

Leadership Panel

Khensani Nobanda

Leadership Panel

Carl Willoughby

Leadership Panel

Ivan Moroke

Leadership Panel Facilitator

Gillian Rightford

Dr. Alistair Mokoena

Mike Sharman

Prof. Adebayo Fayoyin

Nomsa Chabeli

Musa Kalenga

Maseda Ratshikuni

Ana Carrapichano

Glenn Gillis

MBALI BHENGU

Five-minute challenge!

Thando Hopa

Five-minute challenge!

Dr. Justin Cohen

Five-minute challenge!

Puno Selesho

Five-minute challenge!

Saffron Baggallay

Five-minute challenge!

Nicky Verd

Youth Speaker

Marko Stavrou

Bonus Speaker

Mike Wright

Awarding of Prizes, Bursaries and Conference Close

Dale Hefer

Our Speaker Alumni – Africa’s most exclusive marketing club.

DONOVAN GOLIATH

Miles Kubheka

Faith Popcorn

Matthew Bull

Scott Thwaites

Steve Babaeko

Frank van den Driest

Khensani Nobanda

Carl Willoughby

Ivan Moroke

Gillian Rightford

DR. ALISTAIR MOKOENA

Mike Sharman

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