by MarkLives (@marklives) Ogilvy & Mather South Africa has confirmed the resignation of Abey Mokgwatsane as its chief executive officer. Mokgwatsane leaves at the end of September 2017 to join Vodacom as its new managing executive for brand and communications.
Mokgwatsane helped oversee the acquisition of Gloo Digital and the agency’s drive towards digital integration. During his tenure, Ogilvy reports it has been the no. 1 ranked agency in SA for five years in a row. Mokgwatsane has also been instrumental in accelerating Ogilvy’s transformation agenda.
“Abey has been a transformational leader for our business and we are disappointed to see him go,” says O&M SA board chairman, Moss Mashishi, in a statement released to MarkLives. “We thank him for all he has done to grow the Ogilvy business, our brand and our people to where we are today — at the top of our industry.”
Says Paul O’Donnell, Ogilvy EMEA CEO and chairman, “While Abey’s departure is unfortunate, he leaves behind a strong agency, good leadership and cutting edge modern marketing capabilities. Ogilvy’s loss is Vodacom’s gain and we wish him all the very best for his new challenge.”
Ogilvy will announce its succession plans in due course.
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