The Lead Creative

CMOs are balancing speed, AI and increasing complexity while trying to keep brands distinctive and relevant. In this episode of Marketers’ Brief on The Lead Creative, Abey Mokgwatsane, CMO of Investec, and Jessica Wheeler, Chief Brand and Customer Officer of Nando’s, unpack how they are navigating brand discipline, culture and creativity.
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This conversation is hosted by Mongezi Mtati of The Lead Creative and Danette Breitenbach, Managing Editor of Bizcommunity, and sponsored by the award-winning digital agency Rogerwilco.
 Thanks to our production partners, Soweto Media, for the production and post-production on this episode.
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Produced in collaboration with our partners, Soweto Media.
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Marketing has never had more tools. But has it ever had less patience?
In this episode of The Lead Creative, host Mongezi Mtati engages with Dale Hefer, CEO of the Nedbank IMC Conference, which welcomed over 3,300 delegates from more than 20 countries in 2025, marking a record-breaking year.
Before leading one of Africa’s largest marketing conferences, Dale built and sold top ten South African agency, Chillibush. 
We unpack:
• Why marketing must be treated as a core business function
 • The difference between audience and community
 • Why credibility compounds in brand building
 • The risks of short-term marketing thinking
 • How AI exposes weak strategy
This episode was produced and edited at Solemix Studios.
If you’re a content creator, marketer, producer or artist, Solemix Studios will offer you 30% off your first project. Tell them The Lead Creative sent you, and click here to book their studios.
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Make a donation to Threads for Ikasi, a foundation that provides school uniforms, dignity packs and other essentials to children in townships, rural areas and under-resourced communities.
To support them, go to: https://threadsforikasi.org
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As AI-generated answers and generative engines reshape how brands are discovered, marketing teams are forced to rethink visibility, experimentation and partnership.
In this episode of our awards series, Mongezi Mtati and Danette Breitenbach, the Managing Editor of Bizcommunity, speak to Nomfundo Ndlangisa, Head of Marketing at Stellenbosch Business School, and Pareen Shah, Head of Analytics at Rogerwilco.
The conversation unpacks the partnership behind GEOFF, their award-winning generative engine optimisation tool. It explores trust, experimentation, data signals and what it really takes to build client–agency relationships that win both trophies and customers.
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The Lead Creative Podcast is available on:
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Make a donation to Threads for Ikasi, a foundation that provides school uniforms, dignity packs and other essentials to children in townships, rural areas and under-resourced communities.
To support them, go to: https://threadsforikasi.org
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Lindy-Lou Alexander, CEO of WPP OpenX Africa, shares how global brands like Coca-Cola stay relevant across Africa’s diverse markets. Working with The Coca-Cola Company in 54 African countries, Lindy-Lou operates at the intersection of marketing, advertising, creativity, data and technology.
She reflects on her career across Tiger Brands, Diageo, Vodacom and Standard Bank, and explains why marketers must actively represent consumers inside organisations, especially when budgets tighten and choice increases.
___________________________
Buy us coffee here to help us grow.
___________________________
Produced in collaboration with our partners, Soweto Media.
___________________________
The Lead Creative Podcast is available on:
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YouTube
Follow us on:
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X
Instagram
Send us mail!
Support the show

___________________________

Follow us for more on:
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Send us mail!
Make a donation to Threads for Ikasi, a foundation that provides school uniforms, dignity packs and other essentials to children in townships, rural areas and under-resourced communities.
To support them, go to: https://threadsforikasi.org
Support the show
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A conversation with Suhayl Limbada, CMO of KFC Thailand, on mirroring culture, earning creative bravery and building global work that resonates locally. From Let There Be Cake to Cannes Lions wins, this episode completes the 360 story after our earlier conversation with Saf Sindhi of Bananas.
More Marketing, Advertising and Brand Building Insights:
Culture must be earned, not extracted
Brave work needs trust, not ego
Heritage brands win when they remember who they are
Risk creates relevance when rooted in truth
Buy us coffee here to help us grow.
___________________________
The Lead Creative Podcast is available on:
Apple
Spotify
YouTube
Follow us on:
LinkedIn
Facebook
X
Instagram
Send us mail!
Support the show

___________________________

Follow us for more on:
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Send us mail!
Make a donation to Threads for Ikasi, a foundation that provides school uniforms, dignity packs and other essentials to children in townships, rural areas and under-resourced communities.
To support them, go to: https://threadsforikasi.org
Support the show
Buy us coffee here to help us grow.

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