South Africa’s top marketing and supply chain talent were unveiled at the IMM Institute Gala Dinner on 7 March at The Maslow. The awards, adjudicated by professionals across the depth of the marketing and supply chain sector, were selected from 57 entries spanning students, entrepreneurs, teams, as well as emerging talent. Modern Marketing is a proud media partner of the IMM Institute.
‘The most coveted awards, however, were that of lifetime achievers. We can proudly say that Robin Brozin, was awarded the Marketing Lifetime Achievement Award and Lebogang Letsoalo the Supply Chain Lifetime Achievement Award. Each of these people have demonstrated unwavering commitment to their respected sectors, going the extra mile to advance the relevant industries as well as helping create new leaders,’ said Irene Gregory, CEO of the IMM Institute.
The winners in each category were:
Marketing Student Of The Year:
Sria Roopchand has moved up within Securadoor from working in sales to being a marketing assistant and is also a professional actor. She completed a Bachelor of Business Science degree at the IMM Graduate School last year.
Supply Chain Student Of The Year:
Gugu Nkala is a Customs Compliance Consultant who has been working in this industry since January 2016. Nkala is set to finish a Diploma in Export Management, Logistics, Materials, and Supply Chain Management at the IMM Graduate School next year.
Emerging Marketer Of The Year:
Liat Madinane successfully ran her own company before joining Sauce Advertising as Chief Integration Officer.
Marketer Of The Year:
Happy Ngidi has been Chief Marketing Officer at Proudly SA for almost a decade and a graduate in PR and Communications. A budding author, she is also a motivational speaker.
Supply Chain Professional Of The Year:
Lethlohonolo Mpshe is the Managing Director of SME company, Atarah Solutions, which provides automation systems to the transport sector.
Corporate Marketing Team Of The Year:
Proudly SA – a campaign that encourages South Africans to buy local products and services.
Entrepreneur Of The Year:
Mitheel Ramdaw is a data explorer who is passionate about artificial intelligence (AI). He recently led a project to design and implement AI and machine learning models to predict student performance.
In the Supply Chain Corporate Team of the Year category, an honourable mention went to Chery SA, the local subsidiary of a Chinese car manufacturer that has been exporting vehicles globally since 1997,
‘We were impressed with the quality of entries this year and it is clear that South African professionals are advancing the supply chain,’ said Judge Ronald Mlalazi, a procurement professional and Supply UK Fellow.
Lethabo Sekhu, Co-founder and COO at Credipple and one of the Judges added, ‘South Africa’s marketing talent is world class, and this was clearly evidenced through the quality of nominations we received. It wasn’t an easy task selecting the winners.’
‘The evening was a success in terms of bringing together professionals who were able to mingle and learn about each other’s respective industries at a time when they are converging,’ said Gregory.
Gregory explained that speed-to-market requires not only a solid understanding of a brand’s target audience, and a marketing plan based on that, but also an efficient supply chain. ‘We believe that lasting relationships were formed, and best practices discussed during the lively event,’ she added.
IMM INSTITUTE
www.imminstitute.co.za
