Soyinka, Odigbo, Akinwunmi, Others for Inaugural Advertising Week Africa S.A

Nobel Laureate and renowned author, Prof. Wole Soyinka, President of the Association of Advertising Agencies of Nigeria (AAAN) and CEO, DDB Lagos, Ikechi Odigbo; and Group CEO, Prima Garnet, Africa, Lolu Akinwunmi, are scheduled to join other global thought leaders for Advertising Week Africa (http://Africa.AdvertisingWeek.com/) – the very first African edition of the world’s premier event for advertising, creative, entertainment, marketing, media and technology professionals.

The event to be held in Johannesburg from Monday 28 to Thursday 31 October 2019 at 1FOX Precinct apart from these two Nigeria advertising practitioners has as confirmed speakers Jean Marie Dru – Chairman, TBWA Worldwide; 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 and Monique Nelson – CEO, UWG.

The inaugural edition’s other confirmed speakers include: Asha Patel – Head of Marketing, Google SA; Boniswa Pezisa – Group CEO, Net#work BBDO; Thabang Skwambane – Managing Director, FCB Africa; Jimmy  Smith – Founder & CEO, Amusement Park; Kwame Acheampong – CEO, Mall for Africa and Faheem Chaudry – Managing Partner, MC Saatchi Abel, SA.

Led globally by Stillwell Partners and on the ground in Africa by Republicom Group, Advertising Week Africa (http://Africa.AdvertisingWeek.com/) 2019 brings a new, outstanding destination, joining the 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.”

“For us, Advertising Week provides a great platform to tell authentic African stories and showcase the great marketing and technology innovations and breakthroughs that has come out of Africa” said Tunji Adeyinka, Republicom Group Managing Director and Chair the Advertising Week Africa Advisory Council.

The first #AWAfrica (http://Africa.AdvertisingWeek.com/about/) will be held at 1Fox, FerreirasDorp, in centre-city Johannesburg from 28th to 31st 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.