Marketing Achievement Awards Announces 2025 Marketer OF The Year Finalists

The Marketing Achievement Awards employs a multi-stage process to select the Marketer of the Year, ensuring that the winner truly embodies excellence and impact. This process underscores the prestige associated with the award, recognising individuals who demonstrate exceptional strategic acumen, impactful execution and a significant positive influence on their businesses, brands and the marketing industry as a whole, says the awards.

The MAAs says this year's finalists join a list of past MOTY finalists, including Arné Rust, Asha Patel, Bernice Samuels, Doug Place, Dr Melanie Van Rooy, Firoze Bhorat, Francois Viviers, Heidi Brauer, Nontokozo Madonsela, Palesa Khambi, Thulani Sibeko and Tinyiko Mageza, underscoring the calibre of professionals recognised by the MAAs.

According to the awards, the finalists for the 2025 MAA Marketer of the Year are:

• Grant Macpherson, Chief Marketing Officer at KFC Africa
• Gugu Mthembu, Chief Marketing Officer at Telkom
• Khensani Nobanda, Group Executive: Group Marketing and Corporate Affairs at Nedbank
• Sbusiso Kumalo, Group Chief Marketing Officer at African Bank, and 
• Sydney Mbhele, Group Chief Marketing and Corporate Affairs Officer at Absa Group.

This year's Marketer of the Year selection committee is chaired by Lethepu Matshaba, CEO of Prime Product Manufacturing, adds the awards.   

The MAAs says that joining her on the panel of industry experts are:

• Nomsa Chabeli, Group CEO of SABC
• Ivan Moroke, CEO at Kantar South Africa
• Neil Jankelowitz, Group CEO of Mohau Media Group
• Themba Nobanda, CEO of Brand Spear
• Vilosha Soni, CMO / VP Marketing at Pepsico South Africa, and 
• Simon Camerer, Business Mentor at Endeavor South Africa. 

Ivan Moroke, CEO of Kantar South Africa and Chairperson of the MAAs, adds that this award is not only one of the most sought-after in the industry, but it is also vital to the overall objectives of the MAAs itself. 

"Ultimately, the vision of the MAAs is to build marketing's stature in business, help shape the industry and promote marketing as an illustrious career choice. By highlighting visionary individuals whose marketing skills have generated a significant impact within their businesses, the Marketer of the Year Award does just that," says Moroke. "The exceptional quality of this year's finalists certainly made for a Herculean task in selecting the winner, and we trust the judges have recovered from the challenging deliberation process."

Kelvin Storie, Chief Commercial Officer of Primedia Broadcasting, says, "Congratulations to the finalists of the 2025 Marketing Achievement Awards. Your remarkable achievements exemplify the impact and innovation that drive our industry forward. At Primedia Broadcasting, we believe that marketing is a powerful force for progress, and the dedication to excellence not only inspires your peers but also shapes the future of marketing in South Africa. We are proud to partner with the MAAs to celebrate your contributions and to champion the power of marketing to ignite the growth that fuels our collective success."

The 2025 MAAs says that it is endorsed by MASA and made possible through the support of Presenting Partner, Primedia Broadcasting and patrons African Bank, Fresh Marketing and Advertising, GIBS, Google, Kantar, Nando's, Old Mutual, Reveal and Telkom.

The MAAs concludes by encouraging individuals to witness the culmination of this process and celebrate South Africa's marketers at the Marketing Achievement Awards Gala Dinner on Thursday, 29 May, at the Sandton Convention Centre Ballroom. 

For more information, visit www.marketingawards.co.za. You can also follow the MAA on LinkedIn or X.

*Image courtesy of contributor