Trevor Ndhlovu: Man on a mission
Black River’s new MD outlines his approach to transformation and brand-building in the middle of a content revolution, where consumer-generated content outnumbers brand-generated content
Trevor Ndhlovu, the new MD of ad agency Black River FC, is a man on two big missions. He is continuing an internal rebuild after the departure of his predecessor, Janine Allem, and, perhaps a bigger job, guiding and cajoling the industry to speed up transformation. It’s the second issue — the sector still battles with ownership percentages and the placement of senior black management — that fires him up. "Transformation in its current form feels like we’re asking for permission and begging for a seat at the table, and that approach messes with my head," he says. Black River is and will remain "an agency that’s reflective of the SA consumer and I will not be building a black or white agency". Ndhlovu joined Black River in October 2017 as client service director on the Mazda account and led the pitch on online sales company OLX. Under his new leadership the agency has also just won the big financial services account of Metropolitan. Black River is the Johannesburg operation of the WPP...
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