Pernod-Ricard's Nthabi Motsoeneng to chair Warc Awards for Middle East & Africa 2025 jury
The first judges for the Warc Awards for Middle East & Africa 2025 in association with Lions have been announced with South Africa’s Nthabi Motsoeneng, chief marketing officer Africa and Middle East, Pernod-Ricard, Africa and Middle East announced as jury chair.
The first judges for the Warc Awards for Middle East & Africa 2025 in association with Lions have been announced (Image supplied)
The jury includes top industry experts from across the region who represent a wide selection of global and local brands such as Heineken, Pernod-Ricard, Spur Corporation and Sterling Ban, as well as leading agencies including The Brand Company in Egypt, Mullen Lowe Dubai, and Belva Digital in Kenya.
It includes eight jury members from Africa, with three South Africans and two jury members from the Middle East region.
"Marketing Effectiveness is not an oxymoron! I'm looking forward to the journey and getting to know and learn from fellow judges of the Warc Awards 2025! Thank you to WARC for this opportunity. Can’t wait to meet the rest of the crew,” says Motsoeneng.
The Warc Awards Middle East and Africa 2025 jury comprises:
- Andrea Quaye, marketing director, Heineken, South Africa
- Dara Abdul Hadi, co-founder and director of design, The Brand Company MENA, Egypt
- Fabrice-Mozart Amani, co-founder & chief operations officer, Waribei, Ivory Coast
- George Giessen, head of brands, MullenLowe MENA, UAE
- Manisha Bhatia, head of strategy (KSA), Impact BBDO, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and UAE
- Maurice Igugu, chief marketing officer, Sterling Bank, Nigeria
- Serah Mwikali Katusya, CEO and founder, Belva Digital | WildMango, Kenya
- Venus Tawiah, director of business and corporate communications, Now Available Africa, Ghana
- Vuyo Henda, chief marketing officer, Spur Corporation, South Africa
John Bizzell, awards lead, Warc, adds, “We’ve convened a fantastic jury of highly respected professionals from across the Middle East and Africa to bring expertise and cultural insight to the judging process.
“We very much look forward to working with them as they select the best work of the region that is strategically brilliant and delivers commercial impact.”
Additional judges will be announced soon.
Regional MEA competition
This regional MEA competition, part of the Global Warc Awards, will be judged rigorously and consistently, guided by the universal frameworks of the Creative Effectiveness and the B2B Effectiveness Ladders.
The jury will award gold, silver and bronze accolades across 12 categories: Brand Purpose, Business-to-Business, Cultural Impact, Customer Experience, Instant Impact, Long-term Growth, Channel Integration, Channel Pioneer, Partnerships & Sponsorships, Path to Purchase, Use of Data, and Strategic Thinking.
The jury chairs of all the regional awards - Asia Pacific, Europe, Middle East and Africa, Latin America, and North America - will together award the highly coveted Grands Prix, the ultimate recognition of marketing success, selected from all the regional Golds.
