OLIVER was established globally in 2004 and now has a presence in over 46 countries.

According to the agency, it is the world's first company to exclusively design, build and run bespoke in-house agencies and marketing ecosystems for brands. OLIVER South Africa was established in 2017.

"Ramgulam's appointment comes at a time when the agency is seeing impressive growth; an increasing client base in Africa, her overall acumen, vast experience and skills (which distinguished her from our shortlist of candidates) puts her in good stead to manage the high-level of brands in her portfolio," says, Colin Herholdt, operations director for OLIVER Africa.

"In this role, Ramgulam will bring her vast and cross-functional experience from both a client, and agency perspective and hone this in the OLIVER operational side of the business," adds Herholdt. "The calibre and breadth of the clients she has already partnered with gives her an excellent foundation, and we are confident that she will be able to apply this insight to the OLIVER Africa portfolio of clients."

Ramgulam says that she is excited to collaborate with the local and global OLIVER teams and leverage the collective strength of the Inside Ideas Group to lead strategic initiatives aimed at:
  • identifying untapped market opportunities
  • developing cutting-edge service offerings, and
  • establishing mutually beneficial partnerships.

"I was particularly attracted to OLIVER's in-housing model, which works in favour of their clients every step of the way. They've finessed the approach to the point where the age-old horror stories of in-housing are long gone and forgotten," Ramgulam says. "That, coupled with being an integral part of the world's first marketing tech group, means their capabilities are unmatched, and I feel truly honoured to be a part of the OLIVER family."

"In the short term, I hope to establish solid relationships with our existing clients by actively listening to their needs, understanding their pain points and delivering exceptional results while fostering a culture of responsiveness, accountability and effective problem-solving," adds Ramgulam.

Ramgulam says that her focus will be on driving sustainable growth and cultivating continued innovation.

"Having been around the proverbial block, from brand side to agency and back again (a few times), I've grown to understand that brands are looking for more than just an agency partner — now, more so than ever before," Ramgulam concludes.

For more information, visit www.oliver.agency. You can also follow OLIVER on X or on Instagram.