Johannesburg, July 15th 2021 -The new Board of Directors of the Association for Communication and Advertising (ACA) for the 2021/2022 fiscal was announced at the association’s 74th Annual General Meeting held on Wednesday 30th June 2021. The incoming Board is as follows:

Wayne Naidoo who served as Chair in the 2019/20 and 2020/21 fiscals was re-elected to the position of Chair. The Executive Committee of the ACA now includes Wayne Naidoo, Thabang Skwambane, Karabo Songo, Monalisa Zwambila and ACA CEO, Mathe Okaba.

The Exco’s tenure runs in tandem with that of the Board of Directors, playing a key role in working closely with the Board of Directors in collectively directing the association’s affairs.

Wayne Naidoo opened the meeting by welcoming all attendees and followed with the 74th AGM Chairman’s Report for 2021. Noting that the past year has arguably been the most challenging period of our lives, gut feeling has allowed us to steer our way through these uncertain times. It is this intuition coupled with the remarkable collective leadership of the outgoing Board that undoubtedly made the organisation stronger and even more purposeful than ever before. He continued to say that in all of the years during which he has served on the ACA Board, he has never before seen the collective coming together of the leadership as has been the case in the past year and the resultant progress that was made across all portfolios and respective committees.

According to Naidoo, 2021 served up the ‘Brief of the Year’, and how faced with pressing issues and a mandate, that could have been conveniently ignored because of Covid, instead the ACA leadership stepped up and tackled it head on, creating magic, the highlights of which were:

• The most transformed board in the history of the ACA in terms of gender and race
• Transformation committee established to tackle key issues of diversity and empowerment
• A new membership package introduced to cater for the broader industry  
• A brand refresh 
• MDDA funding: Securing of R3.4m in bursaries for Red & Yellow learners and a further R1m in post qualification funding for Women in Leadership
• Inaugural Effie Awards South Africa launched to replace the Apex awards
• A tighter and more collaborative industry working in synch to promote the value of offered by the ACA

“All of this would not have been possible without your injection of passion and the ownership that you applied so rigorously to your respective portfolios, along with your engaged contribution on the Board,” said Naidoo. He went on to thank the Exco and the Secretariat, and thanked the CEO for inspiring everyone to rise to the challenge and walk the talk with rigor.

A special mention was made to pay tribute to one of the ACA’s very own, Thandi Mhlongo, a colleague and friend who passed on suddenly on the 12th August 2020.

In closing the 74th AGM, Naidoo congratulated and thanked everyone again for the opportunity and honour to serve the industry.

-- ENDS --

The ACA is the official representative body for the Communications and Advertising profession in South Africa, representing agencies in the profession (who at present contribute approximately 95% of South Africa’s measured ad spend) to government, media and the public. The ACA is a voluntary body formed by and for the industry, focused on and committed to self-regulation and to defending the highest standards of ethical practice.

Prepared for:
The Association for Communication and Advertising
Mathe Okaba - CEO
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