Innovation, agency growth and profitability were high on the list of priorities for Cheryl Reddy when she took over the reins as CEO of Eclipse Communications a year ago and steered the agency to a 32% growth in revenue at the end of the last fiscal.  

The first CEO of colour in the agency’s 25-year history, Reddy’s vision for her first year was “NEW22” -  a vision focused on new aspects of the business, from a new leadership team, new office premises, new training and development initiatives and new clients to join the stable.

She says assuming the role of CEO was somewhat tricky at the outset. “In some instances, my previous direct reports would consult me about aspects from my old portfolio even though replacement hires were made. In the same breath, my new direct reports would do the same. Change management became critical to navigate the hurdles from the onset,” she adds.

One of Reddy’s first orders of business was to move offices with a view to inspiring a new way of working. The team moved into new offices in Bryanston, Johannesburg, and Century City in Cape Town. 

In addition, the agency hired Shahan Ramkissoon to head up its media training division, and Thrishni Subramoney to lead the Corporate Centre of Excellence. Cara Diener was promoted to head of the consumer division and Robert Marufu to manage the agency’s design business.

Also new were the brands the business won, some of these included, TikTok SSA, SAA, Broll Property Group and Home Suite Hotels.

A particular highlight for the agency was the conceptualisation and production of its first digital advert – Nando’s Bright Sides – which won a Creative Circle First Film Top Honours award, an Assegai Integrated Marketing Awards Silver Food & Beverage award, and amongst the top five ads for #Ad of the Year by MarkLives.com. 

Tracking against the NEW22 vision, Reddy says great strides have been made on all fronts. “We have settled into our new office spaces and even though we have a “work from anywhere” policy, our people love coming to the offices, because they love the space.

“We grew revenue by 32% and recorded our highest ever profit margin in the year ending February 2023. We also launched an internal initiative, Eclipse Academy, which focuses on educating and training our people on the changing communications landscape, introduced amazing incentives for top achievers of the annual programme,” she says. 

The inaugural programme saw one deserving employee spend a week in Mauritius to experience the ways of working at the agency’s island office while also enjoying some downtime.

The business boosted its external training budget to ensure employees gained additional skills in core areas of focus, in an ever-changing communications landscape. Stand-up Fridays were introduced on a weekly basis to allow teams to share their work and inspire, support and celebrate each other.

Additionally, monthly “All Hands” sessions were instituted for all employees to catch up on internal news while recognising and celebrating those who do great work for clients, or support each other internally.

Reddy says the leadership team is committed to the growth and development of the agency, its clients and people. “They are doing amazing things in their respective spaces, for example, Shahan has been travelling around the country, conducting media training for clients. Bringing this service inhouse has been hugely successful for us.”

There have been challenges along the way, notes Reddy. “One of them relates to people poaching. This remains an issue in our industry, especially as there’s a dearth of talent at leadership level, particularly with regards to transformative hires,” explains Reddy. 

Another major issue in the industry is the way pitching for business occurs. Much time and effort is spent on new business pitches and in some instances there is no concrete feedback on why an agency was not awarded the business, or no agency is awarded the business. “We need assistance from our industry body, PRISA, to regulate the way pitches are conducted, as well as assist with programmes and charters to better support communications agencies,” she remarks.

Looking ahead, Reddy will focus on amplifying some of the initiatives launched over the past year; enhancing succession planning and working to retain clients, something the business prides itself on. 

“The average time clients remain with us is three years or longer. We believe the trick to achieving this is: Do great work and then do it better,” she says. 

Reddy believes more emphasis needs to be placed on mentorship of young talent. “It isn't just about providing employment, but guiding young communications professionals how to conduct themselves in the workplace, how to ask for what they want and how to go after it.

“I remember a time in my career where I often wrote proposals on what I wanted to do, how I could add value to a particular area of the business and what I wanted when I delivered returns. Each time, these proposals were met favourably and led to career growth,” she concludes.