The CMO Corner

Lindiwe Gumede, opens up on being a first time CMO, having built and shaped major brands under many multinational businesses. Before being the Chief Marketing Officer for Metropolitan, Lindiwe led brands at PepsiCo, Coca Cola, Tiger Brands and Distell (now known as Heineken beverages).She holds a Master of Philosophy in Marketing (M.Phil.) from IMM, has completed a Senior Management Development Pr...

CMO Corner – Episode 4: Building a Brave Strategy for the FutureJoin us as we dive into what it really takes to craft a brave brand strategy in today’s fast-evolving marketplace. Our guest, Musa Kalenga—CEO of Brave Group, former Facebook Client Partner for Africa, and author of The Brave Code—shares his visionary approach to marketing, innovation, and transformation. In this episode, Musa challen...

In Episode 3 of The Brave Future CMO Code, Musa Kalenga and I look into the anatomy of pitching and we unlock some key elements of it that could set you up for success in winning that pitch! We looked at the potential of an AI-Powered Pitch Development: From Concept to Presentation, which we got to experience with the TECC (The Empty Cup Crew) team. We discussed what really is the make up of the M...

In Episode 2 of THE BRAVE FUTURE CMO CODE, we discuss the crafting of clear briefs, what components make a great brief and how to actually score your brief. They say garbage in, garbage out and no marketer wants to get bad output, so in this episode we also take a look at a new AI powered tool called Forge. This is an end-to-end marketing tool set to revolutionize the way in which we do marketing....

The CMO Corner and FORGE have partnered to bring you 4 episodes that aim to lift the floor on Marketing and help marketers at all levels to not only adapt, but to also lead the new era of marketing. EPISODE 1: THE FUTURE CMO looks at the host Thabani Khumalo and the guest, Founder of FORGE - Musa Kalenga set the tone for the series and discuss three key main themes: AI domains and looking at why M...

Elizabeth Mokwena is the first guest who is in charge of the marketing function of a FMCG/CPG business that is the scale of a major multinational like Unliver to be featured on The CMO Corner. Elizabeth Mokwena is the Executive Marketing Director at Unilever for the Home Care division in Southern Africa. She is also the Chairperson for the IAB Bookmark awards - the foremost leading digital marketi...

Sylvester Chauke, is what I define as a maverick in the brand, marketing and communications world globally. Chauke has led one of the biggest agencies that has come out of the African Continent. As the founder of DNA Brand Architects, the agency has created a much-needed voice in the PR landscape in Africa. DNA boasts an impressive haul of accolades, including ICCO World’s Best, PRISM Large PR Age...

In 2024, The Odd Number won the prestigious Loeries Independent Agency of the year award. Founded by Sbu Sitole and his partner and childhood friend Xola Nouse this agency has worked and shaped some of the leading brands in just a space of 10 years. Sbu and I reflect on his journey, the journey of The Odd Number, and the work they have managed to execute in the industry. Sbu Sitole is the Co-Found...

X3M Ideas is the first West African agency to win a Cannes Lion. We talk about what it took to do that, how the new media of today will be the old media of tomorrow or the next 6 months and how meeting the consumer where they are will win your the intangible award of being their most loved brand in their hearts.

I brought the legend of the Marketing business, what urban culture refers to as the OG. For those that don't know (no judgement) OG, short for “original gangster” or “original gangsta,” is a slang term for someone who's incredibly exceptional, authentic, or “old-school". Frank and I spoke about how we got here, how we got to the place of how we stopped being considered. But we do two critical thin...

My guest is Dr. Alistair Mokoena who has recently decided to "semi retire" in corporate as he puts it and go the entrepreneurship route. A Marketer by trade, Mokoena has spent time in many blue chip organisations like ABSA, Mondelez and Unilever leading marketing for those businesses and some of their brands. His last corporate stint was as the Country Director (CEO) for Google South Africa. Servi...

If you want your brand to go viral, I guess Mike Sharman is your guy! My guest is the founder and Chief Creative Officer for Retroviral. I've seen some amazing work from that business and they are what the industry needs, BRAVERY! Mike and I spoke about exactly that, what the marketing world needs... DISRUPTION, the award winning work they have managed to do for brands that has undeniably made the...

Former Tik Tok executive and X employee, Scott Thwaites is pioneering a new way to drive influence and influencer marketing with his newly launched EDC squared, Thwaites aims to use his vast experience from TikTok and Twitter to introduce a refreshing perspective on Everyday Creators and Everyday Content by unlocking the true impact of short-form video. I got to speak to him on where influencer ma...

I got to catch up with Musa Kalenga post his inspiring keynote from the Nebank IMC 2024 conference, marketing expert Musa Kalenga took the audience on a journey through the last 100 years of marketing innovation and reveals what the future holds for the next century. From traditional advertising to the digital age, Musa explored the rapid evolution of marketing and introduced FORGE by Brave—a cutt...

Like most if not every creative, Matthew Bull, walked into the studio and owned the room. Matthew, became an advertising copywriter, then a creative group head, then a creative director, then a CEO, then a global chief creative officer, then a chairman, then a creative director again. He has a story to tell! In his own words he says: "I've worked in, and created work for, every conceivable market...

In this episode, I hosted Stacy Jayne Saggers who is the Commercial Growth Director at Kantar. Stacy leads the commercial team for Kantar, the world’s largest consumer research agency. Stacy has over 20 years experience in research, across FMCG, banking, retail, financial services, sports and telco’s. Stacy is passionate about bringing the human voice to brands and businesses in South Africa, to e...

Merissa Himraj joins me for a chat about the media agency landscape, how South Africa's are consuming media and the technicalities of what media agencies do in supporting clients and creating the best work out as CEO of a top 5 media agency in the world! Merissa is a strategic thinker who loves to solve problems and deliver effective solutions, she lives to drive impactful communication and me...

On this episode, I chat to Sibu Mabena, the Founder and Chief Creative Officer at Duma Collective, a Creative Communications Agency based in Johannesburg South Africa. We opened up the curtain to what the world of a communication agency really looks like, we touched on the difficulties of setting it up, how agencies can position themselves to be better and some of the work that Duma Collective has...

My guest is Nkgabiseng Motau, Chief Creative Office at Think Creative Africa and its co-founder. Motau has worked on local and global campaigns for some of the world's most loved brands at the helm of Africa’s top multinational agencies, Nkgabiseng Motau co-founded Think Creative Africa where she is currently Chief Creative Officer. Think is a through-the-line creative agency that combines tru...

Possibly one of the most decorated marketers. My next guest on the CMO Corner Shorts edition brought to you by the IMC (Integrated Marketing Council) is Zayd Abrahams - Chief Marketing & Strategy Officer at Tiger Brands - The biggest South African and African FMCG company. I got to engaged with Zayd on client/agency relationship at the back of his panel discussion on the very same topic. Take...

Nick Law is the Global Creative Chairperson for Accenture Song. He joined me for 20 mins to discuss where we are in terms of AI in our space and he shared a snippet of his 7 creative principles. Nick states "It is our responsibility to stop thinking about technology as anything other than a medium that makes us more creative and not less.” Nick, who has recently laid out his “Seven Principals...

My guest is Xolisa Dyeshana, Chief Creative Officer and partner at Joe Public United and has been an invaluable part of the independent agency group’s growth story, having begun his journey with the agency as far back as 2006. He contributes a wealth of experience gained over 19 years, working on iconic brands like Mercedes-Benz, Nike, Nedbank, Dialdirect, P&G, Renault, Chicken Licken, UberEat...

My guest today is Andisa Ntsubane, a Chartered Marketer CM (SA) and certified Customer Experience Professional FCXP (CX-I). Ntsubane is the Managing Executive for Brand, Marketing and Communications for Africa at Vodacom Group. Andisa Ntsubane was nominated by 100 Global Chief Marketing Officers and Growth Leaders as the Institute for Real Growth (IRG) 100, Global Humanized Growth Champion for 202...

Vuyo is the youngest CMO to grace the CMO Corner over the past 2 seasons. Now that is no small feat! Vuyo is a seasoned business leader with over 13 years of experience in marketing having worked locally and globally. She has worked in consumer goods and recently entered the restaurant hospitality business with Spur Corp. She loves inspiring teams and creating collaborative environments to deliver...

In the corner on this episode is Qhawekazi Mdikane, a seasoned marketer, brand strategist and PR and social media maestro, who carries 18 years of marketing skills and experience. She leads brand teams and partner agencies that build some of the most iconic local and global brands in the South African market. Her dedication, quality of skill, leadership and creative mindset has placed her at the h...