The Media Online’s weekly round up of moves in media. South Africa’s first African female commercial pilot spearheads Cell C campaign. Kantar announces senior appointments in the Africa & Middle East region. Sanche van Rensburg joins Avatar as executive creative director. Corporate high-flyer Matthew Moodley joins NV Holdings as chairperson. Sudhir Daya appointed general manager for Develop SA. LJ Corporate appoints new executive director. Waspa’s inaugural board begins its term. WAN-IFRA’s World Printers Forum Board elects new chair and vice-chair. Future acquires Procycling and Cyclingnews. Intelsat and Aldea join forces to deliver an unparalleled global satellite and fibre video distribution network. Condé Nast International hosts conference in Cape Town.
This week’s BIG move: South Africa’s first African female commercial pilot spearheads Cell C campaign
The first African female commercial pilot in South Africa, Asnath Mahapa, is the spokesperson for 2019’s Cell C Take a Girl Child to Work Day campaign. This initiative is aimed at broadening young people’s horizons in South Africa, specifically teen girls, and helping them explore all of the career opportunities available.
“Many of us let our background define who we become. We stop dreaming because someone said to you, it has never been done, or it is difficult because life is difficult,” says Mahapa. “I am here to tell you that life is not difficult, it is your outlook on life that makes it easy or difficult.”
She is looking forward to teaming up with Cell C and the company’s Take a Girl Child to Work Day initiative because she firmly believes that many girls still give up on their dreams because they believe them to be impossible, or ‘not suited’ for women.
“Girls are statistically more vulnerable to challenging circumstances that can be a barrier to their successful navigation through school and the working world. As such they do require a more holistic approach,” saidSuzette van der Merwe, managing executive for Cell C Corporate Social Investment.
Registration for 2019 opened on the 7 March, and organisations, entrepreneurs, NPOs, civil society and government institutions are called on to participate, and to equip and empower girls with the needed resources and skills and give girls exposure to their future career path..
Join the movement and register your Organisation to host girl learners on www.cellcgirlchild.co.za.
People moves
Kantar announces senior appointments in the Africa & Middle East region
Ivan Moroke appointed CEO, Kantar South Africa
Ivan Moroke has been appointed CEO, Kantar South Africa and joins the Kantar Africa & Middle East Board. He will report in to Charles Foster, CEO Africa & Middle East. Commenting on his new appointment, Moroke said he planned to focus on leveraging world class Kantar data sources to mine insights that unlock sustainable growth strategies for Kantar’s clients and employees.
Moroke began his career at BAT and later moved to Added Value where he cultivated his passion for insights and growth strategies for business and brands .
Karin Du Chenne appointed chief growth officer, Kantar Africa & Middle East
Karin Du Chenne has been appointed chief growth officer, Kantar Africa & Middle East. In her new role, Du Chenne will focus on deepening relationships with local, regional and multinational clients to bring them the best of what Kantar has to offer to grow their market share. She has worked across the region for many years and was previously based in Turkey as chief client officer, and most recently was the CEO for Kantar South Africa for the past two years.
Natalie Otte appointed managing director, Johannesburg: Otte has been with Kantar for the past 15 years and was most recently CEO of Kantar Millward Brown in South Africa. In her new position, she will take on a wider role across Kantar and will also serve as chief client officer.
Brian Reid appointed managing director, Cape Town: Reid has been heading up the client service teams at Kantar TNS in Cape Town for the past couple of years. Prior to re-joining Kantar TNS, he managed the insights team at Distell and later led his own strategic insights consultancy.
Leon Bodha appointed general manager, Durban: Bodha leads Kantar global client programmes which are hubbed in the Durban Multi-country Centre. He is also focused on global innovation and automation to bring fast access to data and quick turnaround solutions for clients.
Sanche van Rensburg joins Avatar as executive creative director
Sanche van Rensburg is the new executive creative director at Avatar, joining the agency with over 20 years of experience working as an art director and designer in local and international agencies.
“Sanche is an award-winning creative and for many years we have been doing excellent work that won us some of the biggest clients and we’re convinced that our current and future clients will benefit greatly from the Sanche’s talent and experience,” said Veli Ngubane, group MD.
“We have invested in our creative team and Avatar is now ready to take our creative excellence to the next level both locally and internationally.”
started working at the age of 17 at the Reflex Group in Paris, France (full-service creative agency, specialising in luxury branding based in New York, London, Paris and Shanghai) which ignited her desire and passion for fashion and design. From there she has gone on to work at top global and South African agencies such as Hirshorn Zuckerman (New York City), TBWA Hunt Lascaris and The Jupiter Drawing Room to name a few.
Corporate high-flyer Matthew Moodley joins NV Holdings as chairperson
Legal expert Matthew Moodley has been appointed as chairperson of NV Holdings, the parent company of international content creation house, NV Studios.
Moodley is also a serial entrepreneur who co-foundered Mvest Group, a private equity firm with investments in pharmaceuticals, mining, media and IT. He has also served in executive roles for Africa’s largest telecommunications and media companies, including mobile network MTN and MultiChoice He has a Law Degree from the University of Durban Westville as well as an Ms. in Finance.
“I’m delighted to join the NV Holdings family as chair at such an exciting time for the business,” said Moodley. “NV Studios is expanding to the United States with an office in Los Angeles under our CEO Damien Brown, the company is flying in South Africa and we’re moving into producing more scripted content on top of our powerful non-scripted slate, telling important stories in innovative ways. We’re well-placed to establish the company as a global powerhouse in the content creation space and I can’t wait to help drive the company forward”.
LJ Corporate appoints new executive director
South African corporate gifting company LJ Corporate has appointed entrepreneur and PR expert Gavin Prins as an executive director.
Prins will be responsible for helping to drive business growth for the company in South Africa and in other parts of the world. He will also focus on developing the brand and market its products.
Lynné De Jager, founder and executive director of LJ Corporate, said the design field was facing rapid changes because of innovation which is why the company has had to make some fundamental changes.
“Gavin has over the years acquired the necessary skill to run a business. And this, coupled with his creative spirit, is just what we need at LJ Corporate,” she said.
LJ Corporate provides corporate gifts for organisations in the country. The company also manufactures leather products and supplies to its sister company, LJ Collection.
Prins, who still runs his own PR company, Red Dot Marketing and Communications, said was excited about this new venture. Prins is an author, former TV presenter and has been presenting a show on CliffCentral for the last 4 years.
MediaHeads 360 general manager joins Liberty Radio Awards conference panel
MediaHeads 360 general manager, Amoré Swanepoel, will join other Bright Stars on Saturday, 13 April 2019 as a panellist at this year’s Liberty Radio Awards Conference.
“It’s a very challenging but exciting time for the radio industry. To be in an environment where I can contribute to brilliant and innovative radio campaigns is great, but we need to think beyond the medium that we all love so much. We need to start exploring how we can do things differently, how can we create the sweet spot for the presenter, station, client and the listener,” she said.
Swanepoel was inducted as a Bright Star in 2013 and joined RadioHeads (recently relaunched as MediaHeads 360) in 2014.
Sudhir Daya appointed general manager for Develop SA
International office communication solutions brand, DEVELOP South Africa, has announced the appointment of Sudhir Daya as general manager of its South African operation.
Daya will collaborate closely with DEVELOP South Africa’s national dealer network to promote brand awareness, pursue market growth and position the company as a competitive force in the office automation industry.
Waspa’s inaugural board begins its term
South Africa’s Wireless Application Service Providers’ Association (WASPA) recently amended its Constitution to better equip the non-profit industry association to represent the interests of its members while also pursuing a mobile consumer protection mandate.
WASPA’s new Constitution specifically provides for a board, which replaced the former management committee structure in place since the Association’s founding in 2004.
The new board members who began serving their 12-month and 24-month terms this month are James McNab (Vice-Chair & Telco Affairs portfolio), Lianda Holleman (Treasurer & Finance portfolio), Anthony Ekerold (Code of Conduct portfolio), Michiel Huisamen (Communications & Membership portfolio), Conrad Geldenhuys (Regulatory portfolio) and Pierre van Rensburg (Wholesale portfolio).
WAN-IFRA’s World Printers Forum Board elects new chair and vice-chair
The board of WAN-IFRA’S World Printers Forum elected Herbert Kaiser, senior manager, product and project management, Koenig & Bauer Digital & Webfed AG & Co. KG, Würzburg, Germany, as the new chairman and Max Garrido, managing director of the Spanish newspaper printing company Corporacion Bermont, as the new vice chairman.
The board of the World Printers Forum (WPF), the print community within WAN-IFRA, the World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers, met in Sarajevo on 25 and 26 March 2019 at the invitation of its member Mujo Selimović, publisher of the Bosnian newspaper Oslobodjenje.
The former Chairman, Dr. Rick Stunt of dmg-media in London, UK, left the Board after his second term of office in accordance with the articles of WPF.
Business moves
Pex introduces its new, free attribution engine to connect creators, copyright, and content seamlessly
People are creating content that gets picked up by everyone from their followers and friends to the traditional media. Yet no one knows who the creator of the video clip they saw on their nightly news program is. Once videos, songs, and images are in the wild on the Internet, they take on a life of their own, almost completely detached from their original creators.
Pex is launching its new attribution engine to connect this content with its creators and address the pervasive lack of transparency in digital rights attribution. It allows any rights holder to declare ownership of their audio and video assets, and opens up the database of accurate, up-to-date ownership information to all media sharing platforms and content creators. Using snippets as short as half a second.
Attribution Engine is available unconditionally to any and all creators, rights holders, and platforms, completely free of charge.
Future acquires Procycling and Cyclingnews
Future has added two cycling brands to its consumer portfolio. Procycling magazine and Cyclingnews website offer leading coverage from the world of professional cycling, with great photography and exclusive interviews with industry greats.
This acquisition expands Future’s sport and outdoor leisure vertical, which includes titles such as FourFourTwo, Practical Caravan and Clay Shooting. ProCycling gives a unique insight into the elite level of road racing, the European professional circuit, supported by unrivalled access and contact with professional cycling’s top stars.
Intelsat and Aldea join forces to deliver an unparalleled global satellite and fiber video distribution network
Intelsat S.A. and Aldea Solutions Inc. have entered a peering relationship to expand satellite and fiber video contribution and distribution networks for media customers globally. This agreement will also leverage both companies’ extensive presence in Latin America.
As a means to provide easier access for content programmers to Intelsat’s premier media distribution platforms, Intelsat and Aldea are extending their combined infrastructure and footprint. Through the partnership, Intelsat will further expand the reach of its IntelsatOne terrestrial network via Aldea’s international fiber network, adding connectivity to media locations in 35 cities, as well as connections to premium content programmers. In turn, Aldea will have access to Intelsat’s video neighborhoods which house approximately 5,400 channels and reach 508 million households worldwide.
Making moves
Condé Nast International hosts conference in Cape Town
Condé Nast International is hosting its International Luxury Conference in Cape Town at the Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art. The event, hosted and curated by Suzy Menkes, editor, Vogue International, is held in partnership with Guaranty Trust Bank.
The first conference of its type to take place in South Africa, the event has travelled the world, taking place in intriguing and diverse locations – from Lisbon, to Muscat, to Florence, to Seoul. The programme identifies the key topics that matter to the global luxury industry.
The African continent has become integral to the ever-changing concept of luxury in today’s world. The ‘Nature of Luxury’ theme explores the artisanal skills and creative talent on the continent, while examining the broader landscape of the global luxury market, as well as sustainability.
Naomi Campbell, who opened the conference, told Menkes at the launch party she was committed to “changing the perceptions about the way people think about Africa”. She wanted to make sure “women learn the skills they should”, and spoke of her new role in “changing the narrative” and “getting big brands to invest in the infrastructure of Africa”.
Facebook artificial intelligence (AI) researchers create the world’s most detailed population density maps of Africa
Facebook is working closely with key non-profit and research partners to use artificial intelligence (AI) and big data to address large-scale social, health and infrastructure challenges in sub Saharan Africa. These efforts range from rural electrification in Tanzania to vaccinating people in remote corners of Malawi.
Facebook is applying the processing muscle of its compute power, its extensive data science skills and its expertise in AI and machine learning to create the world’s most detailed and accurate maps of local populations. Facebook also partners with Columbia University’s Center for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN (www.CIESIN.org)) to ensure that this effort leverages the best available administrative data for all countries involved.
For the Diary
Be at Mediatech Africa 2019 and be First to Find Out
According to Mediatech Africa exhibition director Simon Robinson, in this age of exponential technology acceleration, keeping step with how breakthrough technologies are unleashing creativity has never been more important; just one of many verifiable reasons to be at Mediatech Africa 2019.
“Those in the media and entertainment industry will benefit from the Mediatech Africa experience planned for 2019 in more ways than one,” said Robinson. “The show line up, as is customary, is cutting edge and promises to showcase the latest products and trends shaping the creative pulse of these industries. It will provide a glimpse into the future, and an unmatched view on how technology is transforming experiences. More than that, because almost every major player and brand features at Mediatech, the possibility for market intelligence to be gleaned from this event is incomparable – and this year will be no different.”
Rates for exhibiting at Mediatech Africa are R3 475 (ex VAT) per square metre for floor space only stands; or R3 740 (ex VAT) per square metre for shell scheme package stands. Sponsorships: options and pricing are available on request. For sales queries and bookings, contact Claire Badenhorst on +27 (0) 71 688 4065, or at sales@mediatech.co.za.
Learn how to write a book
Writers Write will teach you a writing recipe that works. More than 120 graduates have gone on to publish after attending the course.
Join us, and we will:
Teach you to take an idea and turn it into a plot.
Help you create characters readers remember.
Teach you how to show and not tell.
Help you with query letters, synopses, and the new world of publishing.
Teach you to do this with plenty of practical exercises to back up the theory.
When? 6-9 May 2019 (four consecutive weekday mornings)
Where? Dunkeld North, Johannnesburg
