Ogilvy South Africa appoints new CEO

 Abey Mokgwatsane has been appointed the new CEO of Ogilvy South Africa and will take office in January 2012. Nunu Ntshingila, the incumbent CEO of seven years, will remain with the Group and has been appointed Chairman. In addition to assuming the role of Chairman of the Ogilvy South Africa Group, Ntshingila will also continue to serve on the Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide Board as the only representative from Africa.

Mokgwatsane, who is currently serving as CEO of South Africa’s leading brand experience agency, the VWV Group, has previously worked for South African Breweries, where he was the Brand Manager for Castle Loud, and Brand Group Manager for Miller Genuine Draft. He was widely credited with the successful launch of the MGD brand into the South African market. He was also the recipient of three Managing Directors Awards for marketing excellence at SAB. In 2005 Abey joined the VWV Group and was appointed CEO in 2007. He counts the successful execution of both the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2010 World Cup amongst the highlights of his career.

Nominated as one of South Africa’s Mail & Guardian Top 200 Young Leaders of the year in 2011, Mokgwatsane now looks forward to the journey he is about to embark on with Ogilvy. “I stand on the shoulders of giants. What Nunu and her team have accomplished is extraordinary. I am honoured to steward the agency to even greater heights, turning it into one that predicts, adapts to and is a catalyst for change.”
“We are thrilled by Abey’s appointment,” said Ntshingila. “Finding the right talent is critical to the growth and diversity of our company to meet the future challenges and opportunities that both we and the industry face. We have exceptional depth and experience in our company and we now need to look to the future. There is no one better to lead us now than Abey. His strong background in integrated communications, spanning the spectrum of advertising, brand experience, digital media and broader communications makes him a real asset to our Group.”

As Chairman, Ntshingila will continue to steward the company with a particular focus on mentoring talent, African development and the global Ogilvy organisation.

In her many years at Ogilvy, Ntshingila has overseen the agency’s evolution into a diversified communications group that continues to deliver integrated, effective and award-winning work. Under her leadership, Ogilvy South Africa has grown from strength to strength, not only in terms of income but also new business. She has also been instrumental in the creation of a pan-African joint venture with WPP’s Scangroup, demonstrating her confidence in Africa and her optimism about the future of the continent.