Louise Johnston has been appointed by Grey Advertising Africa as the new Managing Director of its South African operations. She has held a number of positions in the sector, beginning her career in account management before working her way up the ranks into agency management.
Having found her passion in the advertising industry some 26 years ago, she comes to Grey with an abundance of experience, having recently held the position of Managing Director at DDB South Africa for the past six years. Over the course of her career she has held prominent roles at agencies such as Y&R, DraftFCB, Ogilvy and Roots (Tanzania).
‘I am delighted to join the Grey team. I believe that Grey is one of the few agencies on a rapid growth trajectory, having recently won significant new business off the back of a creative revival under the stewardship of Chief Creative Officer, Fran Luckin. I admire the type of work the agency is doing such as the recent award-winning Gillette Gogo Nozizwe campaign, which connects with people in very deep and significant ways,’ commented Johnston.
Paul Jackson, CEO Grey Advertising Africa said, ’Our ambition is to be the most progressive, pioneering and creative company in the world. To achieve that ambition, we must continue to attract the very best talent. We are delighted to have Johnston on the team. As an experienced agency leader, with award-winning campaigns like FNB ‘Steve’ on her résumé, Johnston will add immense value to our people and to our clients.’
Looking to 2020 and beyond, Johnston believes that agencies need to be recognised more and more for the value of their advice and the creative business solutions they bring to their clients. ‘To do that, we need to focus on attracting and developing talent as an absolute priority, which is something I am really passionate about. I invest a lot of my time in mentorship and training because some of the proudest moments in my career have been watching young people that I have nurtured over the years go on to do great things,’ said Johnston.
