Now in its 19th year, PAMRO is an NPO run by volunteers who are professionals in the media, marketing and advertising industries and who have a goal of attaining a uniform research infrastructure across African countries so that the results of different nations can be compared with validity.

Falala is the CEO and founder of Plus 94 Research – one of the largest independent research companies in the country – as well as the founder of the Sifiso Falala Foundation, an NGO committed to promoting access to basic human rights such as education, health and employment.

He has served as PAMRO’s vice president for the past three years and takes over the role as president from Joe Otin.

Falala says, "I think it’s regrettable and retrogressive that our own South African media research community, which gave birth to a unified African standard, is today fragmented, duplicative and perhaps even polarised."

"I hope, during my time as PAMRO president, to help build unity within this sector, as divisions have served to take away the perceived independence of media research," adds Falala.

For more information, visit www.pamro.org. You can also follow PAMRO on Facebook or on Twitter.