With their complementary skills and diverse experience across the media and marketing ecosystem, the IAB says that the duo is well-appointed to further grow the IAB South Africa. The appointments will also empower the media and marketing industry to thrive in a digital economy and guide the bureau through the ever-evolving interactive and digital landscape.

"The impact of the IAB to support the industry to make better digital decisions — and therefore better business decisions — is only possible through the expertise, experience and investment of both our members and the industry at large," says Paula Hulley, IAB South Africa's CEO.

"Our IAB South African chair and vice-chair, along with our board of directors, bring an incredible charge to drive this forward. The combination of Mokoena and Cobbledick's experience to propel the industry forward through the power of digital is an exciting next phase for the IAB in our country," adds Hulley.

"[This comes] alongside their collective thought leadership and empathy to better understand the challenges at hand, their unparalleled mentorship to advise and nurture our councils, committees and task teams to deliver relevant and meaningful solutions — as well as their network and influence to activate strategy into implementation," says Hulley.

"A huge thank you to our outgoing chairperson Chris Borain for his tireless and meaningful investment to the broad and ever-growing remit of the IAB South Africa," Hulley adds. 

"It has been an honour and a privilege to serve as chairperson of the IAB for the last three years, and I look forward to continuing to work with Alistair and working with Claire as we drive the next stage of the IAB's evolution in South Africa," says Chris Borain.

Chris Borain will stay on the IAB South African executive board in his role as IAB South African treasurer and as a member of the IAB South African digital publisher revenue optimisation committee and publisher council.

As a well-rounded marketer with deep client and agency experience, Mokoena's career experience includes SAB, Unilever, Tiger Brands and Mondelez. He has also filled leadership roles in the advertising industry at FCB and now at Ogilvy South Africa.

Mokoena is a lawyer by training and has both MBA and chartered marketing qualifications. He says that his priority is to continue positioning digital interactive marketing as a powerful commercial sector for both our industry and the country at large.

"I've spent the past two years doing a PhD on the impact of digital disruption on the advertising business model and this has influenced a lot of the thinking that I bring to the role of chairperson. I'm thrilled to partner with Paula, Claire, Chris and the rest of the IAB board in making the digital economy commonplace for all," says Mokoena.

Succeeding Mokoena's role as IAB South Africa as vice-chair, Claire Cobbledick joins new IAB South Africa executive board directors including:
  • Haydn Townsend, group CEO of Wunderman Thompson
  • Avani Singh, co-founder and director of Power Singh Attorneys
  • Fahmeeda Cassim-Surtee, CEO DSTV Media Sales
  • Charlene Beukes GM 24.com
The new board directors join alongside current IAB South Africa board members Dr Oupa Monamodi, who is the WPP chair and IAB South Africa head of transformation and education, as well as Marc du Plessis, group executive of Digital Investments CTP.

The IAB South Africa says that Cobbledick is in the perfect position to inspire the IAB remit to drive insights on customer lifetime value and the strategic and compliant use of data. This is due to her two decades' worth of leadership experience across both agency and publisher remits — including experience in her current role as GM at Gumtree.

"The IAB plays a critical role in supporting the digital publishing and marketing industry, as the landscape evolves at breakneck speed," says Cobbldick. "It is an emerging sector with huge potential for growth, but [there is] also so much to learn. I am thrilled to be able to contribute to the sector more broadly, with the aim of fast-tracking learning to accelerate growth."

The IAB South Africa will kick off the first quarter of 2020 with:
  • the IAB SA and PWC Ad Spend Report
  • the IAB SA Digital Landscape Survey
  • the second year of the IAB SA Insight Series Events, which is free for IAB South Africa members to attend
  • the IAB South Africa Trusted Brand Round Tables
  • the 12th annual Bookmark Awards on Thursday, 19 March 2020
The Interactive Advertising Bureau is based in over 47 countries and serves to empower the media and marketing industry to thrive in a digital economy. It aims to do this through its connected culture and access to experts and expertise, enabling others to make better digital decisions with actionable insights.

For more information, visit www.iabsa.net. You can also follow the IAB on Facebook or on Twitter.