Airline body urges African governments to act on opening market access
‘Strategies don’t move people. Now it is time to make the difficult decisions and execute them,’ senior executive stresses.
EXECUTIVE APPOINTMENTS
Ashish Williams appointed SVP, Media by Publicis Groupe Africa
By our African Marketing Confederation News Team | 2025
Experienced African media industry executive returns to the continent after several years in Singapore, where he led EssenceMediacom.
Ashish Williams has been appointed Senior Vice President, Media, for Publicis Groupe Africa. He reports directly to Koo Govender, CEO of the group of 44 communications agencies with offices across 36 African countries.
Williams returns to the African region from Singapore, where he served as Managing Director at EssenceMediacom, a marketing agency within GroupM, the media investment arm of WPP. He played a key role in enhancing the agency’s digital and data-led capabilities.
Ashish Williams. Photo: Publicis
Prior to that, he was Chief Executive Officer of media agency MediaCom South Africa for five years, where he was instrumental in scaling the business and driving innovation.
“Ashish joins us at an exciting moment,” says Govender. “His global experience, digital-first mindset and deep understanding of both the South African and wider African markets position him perfectly to lead the next chapter of growth for our media business.”
According to a statement released by Publicis Groupe Africa, Williams will work closely with the leadership team to shape a more integrated, data-driven and client-centric media offering.
“I am very excited to be returning to South Africa and probably even more excited to be joining Publicis, who I have been admiring from the sidelines for a few years now,” comments Williams.
“I am also very excited to work with Koo Govender, as one of the top female leaders in our industry. It will be an honour to work with her and her executive team.”
Williams holds an MBA in Marketing Management from Southern Adventist University in the US.
Uganda Tourism Board partners with major European ice hockey league
UTB says its ambition is to turn the visibility into interest, bookings and more visitors choosing to explore Uganda.
Researchers explain why 10-second micro ads outperform longer spots
Short ads shown on TV increased website visits within five minutes of airing by 10-40% compared with longer advertisements.
Competition continues to grow in the Moroccan supermarket sector
Supeco’s rapid expansion shows how the discount model is becoming a bigger part of grocery retail in the North African country.
Study identifies harmful paradox behind well-meaning green efforts
Consumers reward visible eco-friendly additions such as reusable bottles, but give little credit to businesses that reduce or remove products.
President Mahama commissions expanded evaporated milk facility in Ghana
Nestlé believes Ghana will continue to play a leading role in the future of Central and West Africa.
Momentum beginning to build for 2027 ACCS gathering in Addis Ababa
Ethiopia’s marketers gather to celebrate hosting next year’s conference – but with an eye on the hard work ahead.
PwC report examines the future of African entertainment and media
Tech is creating more ways for audiences to connect, but lasting value will come from understanding the people behind those connections.
Unilever investment expands its Vaseline production capacity in Africa
The new production line at the historic Maydon Wharf facility in Durban will address growing international demand.
World MICE Awards in Jamaica honour best African and global achievers
Tanzania, Kenya, Zimbabwe, Ethiopia and South Africa all feature in the African meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions awards.
AI won’t replace market research. But it will expose weak strategy
Much of the broader conversation around AI in market research assumes conditions that do not consistently exist across many African markets, writes Soyinka Witness.