The IAB SA Youth Action Council lead and selected council members provide an organising structure to increase engagement within the industry for under-30s, while bringing a fresh and different perspective to the IAB SA as a whole, by providing easier access to information and platforms of engagement, valuable collaboration with existing IAB SA Councils on deep-diving and solving existing strategic challenges, with an opportunity to ‘sit at the table’ with seasoned industry leaders at the highest level.
While the IAB SA Front Row initiative invites participation from industry students for those in the first few years of their career, the IAB SA Youth Action Council invites participation from those in the next stage of their career with an opportunity to discuss and address organisational and industry-wide shortfalls and solutions, to drive organisational strategy through next generation of leaders and the opportunity to understand how to attract and retain the top talent in our industry.
The IAB SA is thrilled to announce the following IAB SA members to the Y-Council:
| Luzuko Tena | Paid Social Executive | Education | GetSmarter |
| Maxinne Mboweni | Copywriter | Agency | Digitas Liquorice |
| Terrique Alie | Digital Marketing Exec | Publisher | Portal Publishing |
| Tshegofatso Phetlhe | Art Director | Agency | M&C Saatchi |
| Brendan Zietsman | Digital Marketing and Media Manager | Brand | FNB SA |
| Ruddy Gatare | Brand Strategy | Agency | Machine_ |
| Amy Hurle-Hill | Sales Executive and AM | Publisher | Arena Holdings |
| Gregory Leigh Booysen | Art Director | Agency | King James SA |
| Nosipho Maseko | Copywriter | Agency | Joe Public United |
| Melissa Kariuki | Product Marketing | Platform | Google |
| Lesego Thomas | Digital Strategist | Agency | VMLY&R |
| Nicola Palesa Adolph | Junior Strategic Planner | Agency | Ogilvy SA |
Similarly to the existing IAB SA councils, the IAB SA Youth Action Council will stand as its own entity with representation on the IAB SA Manco. It includes an additional component, where each member of the council will have the opportunity to sit on another relevant IAB SA council to collaborate and bring back relevant strategic challenges the IAB Youth Action Council can table and work on.
Luzuko Tena comments: "One of the pain points of a millennial in our industry is getting enough opportunity. In an industry that is finding it difficult to, not only transform, but be inclusive on all fronts, the Y-Council offers an opportunity to millennials within this space to be involved on levels it could've potentially taken them years to be part of."
Tena will also be working closely with IAB SA transformation lead Veli Ngubane, group managing director of Avatar, IAB SA transformation and education strategic pillar lead and IAB SA executive board member Dr Oupa Monamodi, as well as the leaders of the 12 current IAB SA councils and committees that represent the digital industry within the IAB SA, to co-develop and collaborate on projects where relevant and meaningful.
Veli Ngubane adds: "This is a significant moment for this new generation and for transformation in the industry. It’s symbolic that this council is announced on Youth Day, a day commemorating the brave contribution of the youth in fighting for lasting societal justice and change. The young people historically have been at the centre of all major developments in society and these youth announced today are no different in their purpose of effecting positive change."
The process to nominate industry leaders, across the various stakeholder sets, relevant to this marketing speciality, commenced in May 2020 with an invite to the IAB SA member and subscriber base alongside social media notifications. There will be a second nomination process in September, before the IAB SA AGM in October 2020 to build on the work the council has achieved to date. To join the IAB SA communication list to hear more about other industry committees, events and reports, please subscribe here: www.iabsa.net/newsletter_subscribe.
