Enver Groenewald exits Ogilvy South Africa
His departure has been mutually agreed to between the Board and Groenewald.
Groenewald’s departure from Ogilvy is on amicable terms and his contribution to the company is appreciated by Ogilvy. It wants to wish him well in his endeavours.
Pete Case will return from his current global role to become interim CEO of the Ogilvy South Africa Group. Case, who has been actively leading Ogilvy’s creative ambitions across a number of offices in the worldwide network as CCO, will start the new position in mid-January 2022.
Ogilvy EMEA chairman Paul O’Donnell commented, “We are exceptionally confident in Pete’s ability to effectively lead our business and to raise the bar for us in South Africa. Pete knows our company well. He is a proven leader and a true modern marketing professional. He played an integral role in forming Ogilvy South Africa’s industry-leading position after joining the company in 2014. He was founder and CEO of Gloo, the market-leading digital agency acquired by Ogilvy. Pete took over the creative and digital leadership of our group post the acquisition and was responsible for an impressive string of successes. He is a leader who excels at the intersections of business and creativity.”
Ogilvy South Africa Board chairman, Nkosinathi Biko concluded, “We welcome Pete’s energy and experience back in this role and he carries the full support of our Board. An important part of his mandate, alongside the continued evolution of our business services, will be the growth and excellence of our diverse talent pool, central to our wider transformation ambition. Pete will work with the board and WPP to identify and appoint a successor."
Case added, “Over the last year I’ve had the pleasure of helping implement Ogilvy’s new strategy in several markets across the world and working at the intersections of innovation, creativity, technology, data and media – in order to drive business growth for our clients. I’m excited to help activate this with increased purpose and power here in South Africa. Alongside the opportunity to work with the hugely talented people across the group and its list of amazing clients. I’ve been closely involved in some of the recent key hires in South Africa and look forward to once again working closely with an agency which has a rich history of proudly punching well above its weight, on the global stage.”
Case is one of Ogilvy’s most awarded leaders and previously ranked in the top 10 best performing CCOs in the world, by the prestigious Warc rankings. He will remain a member of Ogilvy’s World Wide Creative Council and continue to play a role within its global network.