MANAGEMENT APPOINTMENTS

GroupM announces several key leadership changes for African business

By our African Marketing Confederation News Team | 2024

Trio of experienced female media industry executives take up senior management roles from beginning of August.

From left: Kate Kitz, Claudelle Naidoo and Merissa Himraj. Photo: GroupM

GroupM Sub-Saharan Africa, part of WPP’s global media investment group responsible for more than US$60-billion in annual media investment, has announced several key leadership appointments.

The changes became effective 1 August and are a milestone in GroupM’s commitment to diversity and inclusion within the media industry, the company says. GroupM is one of the world’s largest media-buying agencies. Among the media-services businesses within the group are Mindshare, Wavemaker and EssenceMediacom.

Claudelle Naidoo is the new Chief Executive Officer of GroupM Sub-Saharan Africa, replacing Federico de Nardis, who is stepping down after six years.

She joins from EssenceMediacom South Africa, where she spent the last nine years. Naidoo is an industry leader with extensive experience in marketing and media, as well as a track-record in leading complex business portfolios across Africa.

Kate Kitz has been appointed to the new role of Chief Operations Officer of GroupM South Africa.

“Her transformative leadership as CEO of Mindshare since 2022 has revitalised the agency’s operations, and she is set to bring the same strategic vision and operational excellence to her new position,” the company states.

Merissa Himraj assumes the newly created role of Chief Growth Officer to foster growth and look after marketing.

She had a 10-year tenure at Wavemaker, where she excelled in growth and business development, which “demonstrates her capability to drive GroupM’s marketing and business expansion efforts”, Group M notes.

Outgoing GroupM CEO for Sub-Saharan Africa, Federico de Nardis, remains with the group until the end of September 2024 to provide a smooth transition.

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