Effie South Africa Announces 2025 Grand Jury in Record-Breaking Entry Year

Effie Awards South Africa has announced the senior panel of industry leaders who will serve on the 2025 Grand Jury. Tasked with awarding the programme’s highest honour—the coveted Grand Effie—this respected group of professionals will evaluate this year’s Gold-winning campaigns to determine whether any meet the exceptional standard required for the award.

The Grand Effie recognises a campaign that exemplifies marketing effectiveness at its absolute peak. It is not guaranteed each year and is only awarded when a case demonstrates clear, measurable impact and enduring results. The 2025 Grand Jury will meet in person on 28 August to deliberate on qualifying entries.

The panel will be co-chaired by Refilwe Maluleke, Executive Head of Marketing at Discovery Health, and Ahmed Tilly, Creative Consultant at Number 10 | A Creative Consultancy.

The 2025 Effie South Africa Grand Jury includes:

• Refilwe Maluleke (Jury Co-Chair) – Executive Head of Marketing, Discovery Health
• Ahmed Tilly (Jury Co-Chair) – Creative Consultant, Number 10 | A Creative Consultancy
• Elizabeth Mokwena – Executive Marketing Director, Unilever
• Fran Luckin – Chief Creative Officer, VML South Africa
• Grant MacPherson – Chief Marketing Officer, KFC
• Kagiso Musi – Group Managing Director, Meta Media
• Laurent Marty – Strategic Planning Director, Joe Public
• Neo Makhele – Chief Strategy Officer, Ogilvy South Africa
• Suhana Gordhan – Chief Creative Officer, Love Song
• Steph van Niekerk – Executive Creative Director, TBWA\South Africa
• Nthabiseng Matshekga – Executive Head: Integrated Marketing & Experience, Nedbank
• Vaughan Croeser – Vice President: Marketing, SAB ABInBev
• Thabang Skwambane – Chief Executive Officer, Nahana Communications Group

Gillian Rightford, Executive Director of the ACA for Effie South Africa, says: “The calibre and experience represented on this year’s Grand Jury is extraordinary. Their insight, perspective, and rigour play a critical role in determining whether any campaign truly stands above the rest in terms of effectiveness. It’s a weighty responsibility, and one we know this group is more than capable of carrying.”

Effie Awards South Africa is hosted by the Association for Communication and Advertising (ACA) and sponsored by Nedbank, SAB, Unilever, GIB Insurance, Investec, with in-kind support from Lobengula Advertising and media partner Modern Marketing.

For more information visit the Effie South Africa website at https://www.effie.org/partners/south-africa/ or visit www.acasa.co.za.

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