Litha Vimbi has been appointed as general manager of OMD South Africa. Vimbi, who started at OMD in January 2017 as a media strategist, has worked her way up through the company and gained extensive experience in the media industry.
She will work closely with SA MD Julio Rodrigues and be responsible for the strategic direction, business growth, and talent retention of the media business in JHB. Her transition from a business unit director to a general manager is a natural step in her career, which began with an internship in media followed by marketing roles at Unilever, where she worked in both local and global teams. She regards winning business and industry awards as some of her major successes.
‘My success has been gained by interest, enthusiasm and active involvement – and being part of a global media group has definitely been an advantage,’ said Vimbi. ‘During my time at OMD, I’ve been in a fortunate position of leading some of South Africa’s most-loved brands in the financial, alcohol and consumer sectors. I currently head-up the Diageo Brand account, one of the pieces of business that I pitched on and won, with a dynamic team of experts.’
‘Diageo operates from 132 sites worldwide, and different dynamics obviously apply to different markets. But, when a single performance standard applies across markets, there can also be reasonable expectations about what success should look like,’ said Vimbi.
‘I pride myself on being an empathetic leader with ‘heart’,’ said Vimbi. ‘Especially now, with Zoom calls and staff working from home some days of the week, we’re just not connecting face-to-face like we used to – and there can be a lot of distractions. This ‘new normal’ requires leaders with patience, thoughtfulness, and empathy.’ These are all skills that Vimbi is polishing while completing a degree in psychology.
Julio Rodrigues, Managing Director at OMD, said: ‘Vimbi has been an industry colleague of mine for over a decade. As such I’ve been one of the people in the front row seats of her career development and successes. Her being appointed to this position is not only exciting for the business but makes me proud at a personal level too. I have no doubt, with Vimbi’s work ethic and commitment, only better milestones will come, not just for her but for the business and her team as well.’
‘OMD is a place for growth and success. I look forward to pouring my heart into this new role,’ concluded Vimbi.
