Wavemaker appoints CEO and CSO as directors

Wavemaker SA’s CEO Lwandile Qokweni and chief strategy officer (CSO) Merissa Himraj, have been appointed as directors of the company. Highly skilled and with many years of combined experience in the marketing and advertising industry, their appointments will define Wavemaker’s growth and evolution in the years to come.

Qokweni has been serving as Wavemaker’s CEO since March 2018, and is the former CSO and MD of MEC Global, which later became Wavemaker. He is a skilled marketing and business development professional, and welcomes this new role, which he says is “a great milestone in a 19-year career”.

In the short term, Qokweni aims to create a positive working environment for diverse South Africans who are passionate about media and positive provocation.

“My medium-term goal is to make sure we share our unique approach with the world, and that we start to make it clear to our clients and the industry why we do things so differently,” he says. “In the long term, we hope to build a brand that is synonymous with driving growth for our clients.”

Himraj first joined Wavemaker in August 2014 as a business unit manager before taking on the role of CSO in January 2019. As of April 2020, she also serves on the executive committee of Wavemaker’s parent company GroupM.

As a director of Wavemaker, Himraj will be responsible for the agency’s growth, and for ensuring that its teams are motivated and empowered to deliver on its mandate. “Wavemaker will have to deliver effective, cost-efficient and relevant solutions — always, but especially now — and this will be made possible through our distinctive provocative planning positioning and approach to media, as well as our deep insights and data-enriched tool kits,” says Himraj.

Qokweni and Himraj’s appointments come at a complex time,  when the need for decisive leadership is more important than ever. Qokweni believes that adaptability is critical during this time, particularly within the SA context. “We believe that the current circumstances offer great opportunities for companies to demonstrate their adaptability, resilience and passion,” he says. “We welcome the challenge with open arms and look forward to working with our teams to drive prosperity for our clients and ourselves during this time and beyond.”

This article was paid for by Wavemaker.