Advertising Week reveals speaker line-up

Global brand, Advertising Week, has announced the preliminary list of global thought leaders coming to Johannesburg for inaugural Advertising Week Africa.

The first Advertising Week Africa will be held at 1Fox, FerreirasDorp, in centre-city Johannesburg from 28-31 October 2019. The inspiring, forward-thinking four-day programme, which is expected to attract 4,000 attendees, will include more than 100 curated events and involve over 200 leading speakers.

Each day will feature the Global Keynote Series – a selection of thought leaders from around the world, who will share their high-level perspectives ranging from brands to cultural icons, agencies to tech companies. In addition, the #AWLearn workshops will offer intimate teaching and learning experiences, where delegates can interact with presenters to not only gain new knowledge, but walk away with actionable plans to position them at the industry’s leading edge.

Speakers

Among the inaugural edition’s confirmed speakers include:

Jean Marie Dru - chairman, TBWA Worldwide
Kwame Acheampong - CEO, Mall for Africa
Lolu Akinwunmi - Group CEO, Prima Garnett, Africa
Faheem Chaudry - managing partner, MC Saatchi Abel, SA
Colleen DeCourcy - co-president and chief creative officer, Weiden + Kennedy
Jeff Goodby - co-chairman and partner, Goodby Silverstein & Partners
Enver Groenewald - Africa director: media, marketing & enterprise digital transformation , Unilever
Thebe Ikalafeng - founder and Group CEO, Brand Leadership
Monique Nelson - CEO, UWG
Ikechi Odigbo - managing director, DDB Lagos
Asha Patel - head of marketing, Google SA
Boniswa Pezisa - group CEO, Net#work BBDO
Thabang Skwambane - managing director, FCB Africa
Jimmy Smith - founder and CEO, Amusement Park
Wole Soyinka - author and Nobel Laureate

Global event

Led globally by Stillwell Partners and on the ground in Africa by Republicom Group, Advertising Week Africa 2019 brings a new, outstanding destination, joining five other global cities as a place to recognise, celebrate and amplify Africa’s contribution to the global industry.

Over the past 15 years, Advertising Week events have provided the biggest platforms to showcase innovative approaches to the creative crafts, new collaborations and partnerships and next-generation thought leadership across the global marketing and advertising industry. Johannesburg now shares the stage with powerhouse cities, such as New York, London, Sydney, Tokyo and Mexico City, as the host of the prestigious four-day gathering, which will for the first time put Africa’s thriving creative industry on the global stage.

Advertising Week’s CEO Matt Scheckner, says: “Many of the positive cultural shifts that we have seen in art, music, entertainment and film originate from Africa. It’s the perfect time to provide the international platform to share authentic African stories and showcase thought-provoking marketing and technological innovations sweeping the continent. It’s an exciting opportunity to bring internationally recognised professionals together with emerging talent to exchange ideas about how this vibrant continent is shaping global trends.”

Advertising Week provides a great platform to tell authentic African stories and showcase the great marketing and technology innovations and breakthroughs that have come out of Africa, said Tunji Adeyinka, Republicom group managing director and chair the Advertising Week Africa Advisory Council.

Registration and tickets for Advertising Week Africa 2019 will be available on the website.