The charismatic Friend, who admits to having no career ambitions when she finished school except travel, joined the industry some 13 years ago after earning a Diploma in Journalism in 1991, working as an administrator at the Regional Johannesburg Magistrate’s Court between 1991 and 1994, travelling abroad for five years doing all manner of odd jobs from care work to typing and hanging out with the United Nations High Commissioner in Accra in a malarial stupor, and achieving a Diploma in Copywriting from AAA School of Advertising in Johannesburg in 1998.

It’s a return to Draftfcb for Friend, who worked at the agency as a junior copywriter after stints at The Jupiter Drawing Room and NSOP. From Draftfcb, she joined Grey’s office in Ghana and has, since then, been with TBWA Hunt Lascaris, Ogilvy and Brand Activation Ogilvy, Grey in Johannesburg and DDB. In 2010, she attended a course at the Berlin School of Creative Leadership.

“After five years abroad, the next obvious step was to get a job in advertising. It’s been 13 years since, so I can safely say that advertising works well with my low boredom threshold!

“I’ve been brought into the Mesh fold to create projects that are informed by my integrated approach, a quandary every agency is grappling with, so it feels great to be a part of the future landscape of advertising… so let’s see what happens,” says Friend.