Head Judge, Astrid Ascar has over 30 years of experience in marketing, communications, and media. She describes herself as a storyteller who has little time for jargon and complicated concepts when she’s helping clients sell their brands, products, and services.

She started her career as a journalist-presenter and radio & TV executive producer, and over the early years of her broadcast days worked for media brands including Carte Blanche, Summit TV (now Business Day TV), The Home Channel, CNBC Africa, SABC TV, SAfm, Highveld and Hot919 fm.

In 2004 she made the transition from TV and radio to what at the time was called “new media” – it was the early days of what would grow into the digital landscape. She worked as part of the team that ran South Africa’s first-ever mobile broadcast TV trials, working alongside MTN, Vodacom, and Cell C, handset manufacturers, and DStv and local content providers to eventually launch South Africa’s first-ever mobile TV offering, DStv Mobile.

By 2009 Astrid was working as an independent consultant helping clients and agencies across a range of disciplines – traditional and digital marketing and communications strategies, content creation and production, site audits and optimisation including UI and UX, and helping brands craft and implement integrated marketing strategies across owned, earned and paid channels, with a particular focus on understanding how to translate data analytics into audience and content insights.

She also continued to MC, give talks, facilitate workshops and conferences, and offer training in media interview skills, presentation skills, crisis comms, and a host of digital marketing-related topics.

She fulfilled the role of shaping and driving the IAB’s first-ever education and transformation council while she ran her consultancy and production business, discovering a passion point for mentoring and training younger talent that has become a trademark characteristic of her daily interactions.

In 2018, she joined Wunderman, which later merged with JWT to become Wunderman Thompson, as Chief Strategy Officer. As the agency group in South Africa expanded, she advanced to the position of Chief Growth and Marketing Officer.

Astrid remains with the group, now VML South Africa, as Chief Growth Officer, and is equally at ease driving a pitch and presenting to clients as she is in writing copy and shaping strategies. Her roots as a business journalist mean she can adapt to B2C and B2B challenges with ease, and she has a specific interest in helping clients, and agencies, navigate the converged worlds of creative, content, data, and commerce.

Dashni Vilakazi is a dynamic leader in the media and marketing industry, bringing over two decades of expertise to the field. As the Managing Director of The MediaShop, South Africa’s largest media agency, she has led the agency to numerous accolades, including being recognized as a Top Agency for 12 consecutive years and winning Media Agency of the Year at the 2023 and 2024 AdFocus, Most Awards, and MarkLives under her leadership.

Prior to her role at The MediaShop, Dashni spent 12 years as Head of Marketing and General Manager of Marketing at Absa and Old Mutual, shaping strategic marketing initiatives for two of South Africa’s leading financial institutions. Her extensive experience spans financial services, FMCG, telecoms, QSR, retail, and beverages, with successful projects executed across global markets, including Lagos, Hong Kong, London, New York, and India.

Academically, Dashni holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA), graduating Cum Laude, and is also a certified board director, having completed her qualification at the Institute of Directors South Africa (IoDSA). Her governance expertise further strengthens her ability to drive strategic decision-making at the highest levels.

Passionate about knowledge-sharing, she has lectured at AAA and Red & Yellow Advertising Schools, presented at industry conferences, and co-hosted a radio talk show with Michael Avery on branding and marketing trends. Her commitment to the industry extends to her role as a jury member for prestigious advertising and creative awards, having served on the Effie Awards South Africa jury multiple times and, most recently, on the Cannes Lions 2024 jury. In 2025 Dashni is a Jury Member for the Global White Square International Marketing & Advertising Festival.

With a wealth of experience, strong leadership credentials, and a deep understanding of media and marketing, Dashni continues to shape the future of the industry through leadership, mentorship, and strategic innovation.

With 24 years in the game, Craig Naicker has done more than just clock time, he’s shaped culture. From award-winning campaigns, his career spans the full spectrum of Marketing, Advertising, Events, and PR.

As of 2022, he stepped into the role of Co-CEO at Happy Friday Creative, where he blends sharp strategy with creative intuition, always pushing for ideas that move people and making it matter.

Backed by a solid tertiary foundation and a work ethic that doesn’t quit, he’s as comfortable leading a room as he is building from the ground up. Organised, outspoken, and endlessly driven, Craig is the kind of force that turns potential into impact.

Because for him, marketing isn’t just about selling, it’s about shifting perception, sparking connection, and building brands that people believe in.

Jamie-Leigh is a dynamic leader in digital marketing, specialising in strategic growth, business development, and brand positioning. As Director of Growth & Development at Algorithm, she drives high-impact marketing initiatives, industry thought leadership, and executive client engagement. With a passion for innovation and Extreme Partnership, Jamie-Leigh is committed to transforming digital performance through data-led strategies and meaningful collaboration.

I’m a seasoned advertising & marketing professional with 18+ experience managing advertising departments at local, regional, and global companies. As an advertising enthusiast, I’ve worked with companies from a variety of industries such as Telecoms, FMCG, Tech, Construction, as well as Food & Bev.

I thrive in managing projects and as a teen, my family aptly called me, The Ringleader for that very reason. My career started in Event management and as an organization, we created experientials throughout East, West, and Southern Africa, where I learned tools to create consumer experiences as well as make brands relevant in key markets.

While managing experiential activities in East & West Africa, I received an opportunity to branch into the advertising division. There I combined my passion for planning and love for creative ideas to develop through-the-line campaigns resulting in achieving operational and business growth.

With a knack for transforming business, leveraging customer data, consumer insights as well as customer trends, we achieved organization goals, and targets, changing the category as well as making our clients famous.

I’m passionate about mentoring and enriching people's lives through, emotional intelligence so that they can be their best selves in a high-performance team. Outside of the office, I’m committed to education and tutoring through the Association for Communication and Adverting, i.e. ACA, of which I’m also a board member.

And last but not least…I’m a dog mom to Young Master Bentley who is my pandemic baby and keeps me on my toes every day!

Award-winning Marketing Executive, with over 20 years of experience in Marketing within the food sector, Jacques has touched many local and global brands. Some of the brands that he has worked on over the years include Wimpy, KFC, Nestle, Clover, Kellogg, Five Roses, Frisco, and many others.

Jacques also has an impressive list of awards behind his name, some of which include two Loerie Grand Prix’s and one Cannes Grand Prix. The current Marketing Executive of the Wimpy business, he has recently re-positioned the brand in the marketplace showing exceptional results in the turnaround strategy that was executed. A true creative at heart with a passion for business.

Charis is a seasoned media executive with expertise in print, radio, and digital platforms, making her a versatile and well-rounded professional in the industry. Throughout her career, Charis has had the privilege of developing effective content strategies that resonate with diverse audiences and drive engagement. From generating creative ideas to executing data-driven campaigns and go-to-market strategies, Charis aims to deliver content marketing that creates a lasting impact.

“Ray is a distinguished marketing professional who has ascended to become one of South Africa's foremost advertising agency leaders. As the Group CEO of Leagas Delaney Group South Africa, Ray spearheads the growth and innovation of the business across the continent.

With a wealth of experience spanning an impressive portfolio of local and global brands, Ray is dedicated to leading from the front. His ambition is to inspire the youth, demonstrating that they too can achieve their dreams while fostering the growth of the creative industry across the African continent.”

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/raylanga/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ray_langa/

X: https://x.com/Ray_Langa

“Lured almost anywhere by a good cup of coffee, Bianca heads up the marketing for 1^st for Women Insurance and is a firm believer that brand = business. With an undergrad in Communication Management, Honours in Brand leadership, and Diplomas in Digital Marketing, Sport Science, and Photography, she’s endlessly curious. She’s a published chapter author and served as a board member for Brand Council South Africa. She’s looking forward to being inspired by the creative problem-solving being shared at this year’s awards.”

Arpan Sur is the Marketing Lead for Mondelēz International in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). He is a member of the SSA Business Unit Leadership team and is responsible for all marketing elements in the business unit. This includes driving the market plans, equity, innovation, insights & analytics, and ensuring that the consumers and brands remain at the heart of all business plans.

Arpan celebrated his 20-year tenure at Mondelēz International in May 2024. During his time with the company, he has held multiple commercial roles in India, AMEA (Asia Pacific, Middle East & Africa) region, and Southeast Asia, before taking on his current role in Sub-Saharan Africa.

In his current role, Arpan is leading marketing in SSA for Mondelez by keeping the brands and consumers at the heart of the plans and inspiring and influencing the rest of the organization to drive growth. Arpan is passionate about bold work that connects with consumers through technology as an enabler.

Arpan brings extensive experience in brand custodianship, marketing excellence, and sales across categories, as well as geographies. He played a pivotal role in Cadbury Dairy Milk winning a Cannes Gold for Malaysia's ‘Flags of Generosity’ campaign. Furthermore, he has driven exponential growth for the Oreo brand in Southeast Asia and led transformational share growth for the Cadbury Dairy Milk master brand in India.

Arpan holds a Post Graduate Diploma in Management from SP Jain Institute of Management & Research, Mumbai, India where he majored in Marketing. He loves sports and has his own sports blog. He likes to solve crossword puzzles and enjoys traveling and experiencing new cultures.

With over 20 years of experience in brand and marketing management across multiple automotive brands, Verene offers a wealth of knowledge. She is passionate about pushing the boundaries of marketing and believes that strong conceptual work is the cornerstone of any brand's success.

Verene is also excited about the potential of future technology to drastically change the marketing landscape in the coming years and is eager to see how the younger generation in marketing will leverage it to create groundbreaking work.

Kathryn has been a strategic ECD, specialising in CRM/DM and Loyalty for more than 25 years, and has won more than 40 awards across a variety of blue-chip brands.

An ex-Ogilvy Creative Director, Kathryn was responsible for heading up Ogilvy Interactive (and steering it through the dot.com crash!) and Ogilvy One before moving to Arc, part of the Publicis Groupe. This year, she launched specialist agency, Black&White (part of the M&C Saatchi Group SA) as Executive Creative Partner.

Kathryn has been immersed in digital for many years, and is particularly passionate about its role in integrated campaigns to leverage personalisation, create connections with consumers and drive ROI. Kathryn has too many pets, two amazing boys, is an obsessive reader and a firm believer in Radical Candour.

Established over a decade ago alongside Anthea Poulos, The Bread was born out of a desire to fill a perceived gap in the creative industry by delivering bold, community-driven campaigns that resonate with younger audiences.

Under Andrew’s leadership, The Bread has collaborated with a diverse array of clients, including Ocean Basket, Vans, Levi's, and where the agency spearheaded PR, influencer marketing, and social media initiatives. Andrew’s expertise in crafting innovative strategies has also been recognized through his selection as a judge for the New Generation Social & Digital Media Awards, celebrating excellence in digital creativity.

Beyond his professional endeavors, Andrew is passionate about music, culture, and photography, interests that have significantly influenced The Bread’s distinctive creative direction. His commitment to authenticity and innovation continues to shape the agency’s mission to build lasting, impactful brands.

Sunaina is a digital, social media, and content marketing expert with over 15 years of experience in the digital marketing landscape. She is driven by purpose-led storytelling which shows the positive impact brands and technology can have on communities. She is passionate about social listening, great customer experience, and meaningful engagements while driving commercial outcomes.

Bridgette Vermeulen is an award-winning paid media specialist with over 12 years of experience in digital strategy, paid media, and performance marketing. Bridgette's career has allowed her to work across local and global markets, collaborating with notable brands such as Weylandts, Virgin Active, Mweb, Dimension Data, and Vega School. Bridgette is currently a Global Media Partner for C2 Social Lab at Ogilvy. Her passion lies in driving innovative solutions and delivering strategic insights that make a real impact.

With over 20 years of experience in digital innovation and agency start-up environments, Dani joined Standard Bank in 2022, leading the growth strategy for the award-winning global retail forex & investment app, “Shyft”.

Her role includes maintaining Shyft’s position and relevancy in the market as the number one retail foreign exchange platform for forex, investments, international payments, travel & shopping, utilizing Shyft’s digital platform capabilities to deliver these services to individuals across Africa. In May of 2024, her role was expanded to include developing and managing the growth strategy for three additional investment products, namely Autoshare Invest, Webtrader, and Online Share Trading.

Bringing an honest, robust opinion and understanding of what excellence should be in the field of performance media, innovation, and fintech, she has worked with - and helped grow - some of the best local and international companies, brands, agencies, and platforms.

With 22 years of award winning industry experience behind him as a suit and no-nonsense client-whisperer in some of SA’s top agencies, Jeremy knows all sides of the brand business better than most – both in terms of what works, what doesn’t work anymore, and how to change it.

Jeremy began his career at Grey G2 spearheading the innovation strategy for BAT. He then joined Jupiter Drawing Room Cape Town heading up the beverages business unit, producing some of the country’s most memorable advertising campaigns.

After a short sabbatical in Argentina working on a cattle farm, he returned to South Africa and was snapped up by Leo Burnett to run the Philip Morris account.

In 2014 he rejoined Jupiter Drawing Rooms as Client Service Director.

In 2021 Jeremy connected with award winning agency, Dialogue, as Managing Partner to restructure its service offering, and lead new business development. Jeremy is a fearless disrupter of the traditional agency model.

Emma is a digital and content strategist and team lead with 18 years of experience in creative, content marketing, and advertising – and all the grey areas in between. She is currently the Content Strategy Director of DENTSU CREATIVE South Africa, working on brands such as Old Mutual, Toyota, Unilever, Pick n Pay, Discovery, TikTok, and Beiersdorf. In 2021, she launched DENTSU CREATIVE's Influencer division and in 2024 opened the Dentsu School of Influence, an incubator for aspiring creators.

Dustin Carr is the driving force behind Clockwork's sales and marketing initiatives, serving as the Managing Director: Brands and Performance. With a keen eye for market dynamics, he shapes the agency's strategic direction and ensures its continued success.

Dustin's expertise spans 16 years, encompassing project management, strategic planning, and creative leadership. He boasts a rich portfolio of collaborations with global giants, such as Heineken, Nike, McDonald’s, and Mercedes-Benz, across diverse platforms, including ATL, BTL, digital, and social media. His track record speaks volumes, with numerous accolades from prestigious award bodies like Cannes Lions, Loeries, Bookmarks, Assegais, and New Gen, underscoring his commitment to excellence.

Tara Turkington founded Flow Communications in 2005. Flow specialises in social media, web and app development, content writing and editing, graphic design, digital marketing, public relations and media training. Today, Flow has more than 150 clients, including some well-known South African and international brands and organisations, and has completed work in more than 30 countries.

In the early part of her career, Tara was a journalist and university lecturer. Tara’s dream is to continue creating meaningful jobs, and to further develop Flow’s brand globally.

Andrew has more than 25 years of experience in the creative industry. He has been fortunate to be part of both small teams and significant large agencies and has even owned his own agency for some time. Andrew enjoys pushing the boundaries of creativity through traditional and non-traditional channels.

He is passionate about creating environments where creative collaboration can thrive, where we can break through the confines of what-ifs and create a narrative of Whynots. He's excited by the prospect of Ai and how the capabilities of Ai can shape and change the future of digital and social media and how we engage within specific markets. Remember the key to success is useless if you can’t find the door.

Veronica is a gutsy creative and strategic thinker who thrives on collaborating with authentic humans to craft big-thinking ideas that have a significant impact on the world of brands.

She values authenticity above most values and believes that bringing your true self to a boardroom table brings you favour and respect. Show up, be real, and capture imagination wherever you go.

Building brands drives economy and Veronica is passionate about being part of the journey from concept to customer, making a real difference to people’s livelihoods and experiences.

Being brave, bold, and intentional are the cornerstones of her work ethic and the reason she works in a creative industry. It takes some balls to play in this space and she loves nothing more than showing up with a bit of brass, ready to solve problems, conceptualise epic campaigns, and enrich lives.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/veronica-moleele-81a14223/

Darren Leishman is the Managing Director and Co-founder of Spitfire Inbound, a leading inbound marketing, sales, and service consultancy based in South Africa. With over 26 years of experience in the advertising, digital, and design industries, Darren has cultivated a deep passion for innovation and continuous learning. He has been instrumental in driving Spitfire Inbound's success, helping it become a HubSpot Diamond Partner and a multiple award-winning agency, including being recognized as the Best Marketing & Sales Automation Company in the 2023 African Excellence Awards.

Darren has served as Judge for the New Generation Social & Digital Media Awards for several years and was selected based on the agency's success. His ability to bridge the gap between brands, clients, and customers, combined with his innovative approach to marketing and sales, makes him a valuable asset in evaluating and recognizing outstanding achievements in the industry.

As a leader, Darren emphasizes the importance of skills development and economic empowerment, focusing on creating employment opportunities for South African youth and fostering a culture of lifelong learning. His dedication to excellence and innovation continues to inspire both his team and the broader marketing community

Firdous Osman, Group Managing Director at Boom Group SA. Former Managing Director at Saatchi & Saatchi SA, Publicis Groupe, has 20 years’ experience in the ad industry. Most of which she spent at Ogilvy SA, where she served as a Managing Partner, as well as Head of Ogilvy Change, Ogilvy’s Behavioural Economics division. Prior to this, she was the founder of her own ad agency.

Her experience spans across brands and categories globally, regionally and locally, in both the private and public sectors, with a focus on impact and digital transformation. She has an undeniable passion for people, creativity and business. She believes that transformation and empowering people is key to running a successful Agency.

Her achievements include over 65 Effectiveness & Creativity Awards, which includes Grand Prix Loeries, Cannes, D&AD, Clios, Global Tourism Awards, Assegais, Apex, with #1 ranking in Account Management (Loeries 2019), amongst other. Clients worked on include American Express, Old Mutual, Gauteng Tourism Authority, BANKSETA, AGRISETA, Abu Dhabi Tourism, Mondelez, Nestle, Pepsico, Wimpy, Burger King, Engen, P&G, BP, Castrol, BAT, Coca Cola, Nelson Mandela Foundation, Philips, Revlon, Shoprite Checkers and WWF.

She has served on the judging panel for AdFocus for two consecutive years, amongst other. Firdous was awarded SA’s Woman Leader in 2020, 2021 and 2023, as well as Global Woman Leader in 2022 by the World Women Leadership Congress.

MJ Khan is an award-winning digital strategist, academic, keynote speaker, and avid gamer. He heads up group digital communications at Sasol Limited, a global Chemical and Energy Company, and is responsible for social media, online platforms, and digital campaigns across the 22 countries in which Sasol operates.

MJ wrote his first radio ad in 2001 and worked on several local and international brands across a variety of industries. He was selected as one of the Mail and Guardian Top 200 Young South Africans, chosen as one of the 100 Brightest Young Minds, Bookmarks Jury Chair, MMA Smarties and New Gen Awards Judge, member of the Golden Key Honours society, and was ranked in the global top 10 of the Digital Marketing Aptitude Test (DMAT). MJ is also the inaugural New Gen Digital Marketer of the Year. Connect with him on all popular social media platforms @concerningmj

Merissa Himraj the CEO of Wavemaker South Africa is focused on driving the agency's strategic vision and growth objectives to ensure business longevity and success,. She is also actively involved in growing the next generation of media talent across the SSA region.

Merissa is an experienced Communications Expert, passionate about helping deliver growth for clients. A Henley Business School alumni she has over 19 years of media & advertising Industry experience with extensive media, commercial and creative experience, she is passionate about all things creativity, strategic thinking, data and technology.

Astrid is passionate about work that performs and inspires and strives to deliver the unexpected for brands. Her interest lies in sustainable approaches and practices. Astrid thrives on leading a dynamic agency team, and in mentoring staff, whilst seeking commercial success. Astrid is passionate about our industry and its ever-evolving future.

Stephen is an entrepreneur and marketing professional with 25 years of local and international experience. Before moving to South Africa in 2000, Stephen studied art, photography, and graphic design for 6 years in the UK, where he graduated with Higher National Diplomas.

Most of his early career was spent in London, working within the media and publishing sector on some of the world's best-loved lifestyle and sports magazines. After arriving in South Africa, he worked for a well-known publishing house as the associate publisher of several leading B2B journals and corporate events before founding the New Generation Social & Digital Media Awards in 2012. (New Gen Awards)

His passion for innovative design, typeface, creativity, technology, and digital marketing are just some of the reasons he founded the awards p.rogram.