DigitalIAB South Africa 1 Dec 2020
“As South Africa’s industry navigates uncharted territories, the role of dynamic, informed and experienced leaders is more important than ever beforeI look forward to joining forces with Mpume, Zunaid and Songezo as we work together to empower the media and marketing industries to thrive in a digital economy,” says IAB SA chair Haydn Townsend, managing director of Accenture Interactive.
Our newest members and their corresponding portfolios are:
Mpume Ngobese: executive director co-managing director, Joe Public United
Mpume Ngobese’s impressive portfolio includes working on some of South Africa's most iconic brands such as Nedbank, British American Tobacco and South African Breweries' corporate brand. Her experience spans a diverse range of categories including financial services, media, biotechnology, petrochemicals and travel. She has served on the judges’ panels of some of the most prestigious awards in the industry including the IAB’s own Bookmark Awards. Ngobese is a board member of the Association for Communication and Advertising (ACA), where she has a seat on both their Transformation Portfolio Committee and South African Effie Awards Committee, which enables further collaboration between the bureaus. Ngobese’s remit as IAB SA executive director will involve representing imperative agency requirements on the board, including digital agency and services definitions, as well as using her passion for both digital transformation and transformation through education and the current structures in places to support the transformation journey in our industry.
“Over the past decade the industry has experienced a digital evolution, where the tension between logic and magic (data and creativity) has been, and continues to be, a raging debate. For me, there is an opportunity to embrace the fact that both sides of the coin can coexist and that there is a place for both data and creativity in the communications space. Once that state of equilibrium has been achieved, I believe we will be aligned on developing creative work that grows our people, our clients and, ultimately, our country,” comments Ngobese.
Zunaid Parker: IAB SA trust and accountability director; executive head, digital media: advertising at Vodacom
Zunaid Parker has vast experience across multiple organisations, with extensive technical, operational, and strategic business knowledge, specifically focused on growing market share, revenue and new business development. Parker spent almost 10 years with Naspers, in positions that include board trustee on the Media24 Retirement Fund; head of business development and operations: Africa at 24.com; industry analyst, Swat (Naspers internet division); as well as early career development in research and brand consultancy and asset management. He currently serves as the executive head of Vodacom digital media advertising (newly branded: VodaMedia).
When asked on where he sees the biggest change happening in the industry, Parker comments: “There is no single change element – we are being confronted to act on many areas simultaneously and we yet to reach the inflection point where fundamental changes to decades of tradition will be experienced in both B2C and B2B (swiftly). This is what we need to rally around and understand how to prepare accordingly.”
Parker’s remit as trust and accountability director will include leading and localising the IAB transparency and consent framework and IAB gold standard as a global cross-industry effort to help publishers, technology vendors, agencies and advertisers to meet the transparency and user-choice requirements within PoPIA.
“Being part of the delivery mandate as critical as the IAB’s purpose validates the opportunity and ‘excitement’. The role of the IAB is becoming increasingly critical as consumption, business models, regulation and flux all merge in various demanding ways,” adds Parker.
Songezo Ralarala: IAB SA legal and regulation director; global head of legal, Connected Video Multichoice; executive director, Showmax
Songezo Ralarala is a highly skilled and experienced head of legal and admitted attorney with extensive experience providing world-class legal advisory services to companies in the media, telecommunications, technology and legal regulatory sectors, including general counsel for legal and regulatory affairs at Media24. He has served on various related boards, including Welkom Yizani, Media24 Investments, Showmax s.r.o (Czech Republic).
His legal acumen and experience in advising South African bodies how best to navigate industry regulations will stand Ralarala in good stead in his role on the IAB SA’s board.
Ralarala’s remit as legal and regulation director will be to provide oversight and strategic direction for the IAB SA’s legal compliance as well as support for the IAB SA in complex legal decision-making and negotiations. He will lead the IAB SA regulation council and work with fellow bureaus, regulators and relevant stakeholders to streamline the effort across the industry and position the IAB SA remit within this.
Ralarala on his role as executive director: “The shift in how entertainment content is consumed continues to shape how the industry operates in the new frontier that is online. I look forward to contributing to the IAB SA’s remit of assisting industry members in navigating the challenges and harnessing the opportunities presented by the rapid growth of digital.”
The IAB SA once again extends a warm welcome to our new board members and looks forward to working with them as we continue to empower the South African digital advertising and marketing industries in 2021 and beyond.
The Interactive Advertising Bureau is based in over 47 countries and serves to empower the media and marketing industry to thrive in a digital economy. We do this through our connected culture and access to experts and expertise, enabling you to make better digital decisions with smart, motivating, and actionable insights.
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