Scopen’s South Africa’s Top 10 Most Admired Marketing Professionals for 2025

Scopen's South Africa’s Top 10 Most Admired Marketing Professionals for 2025 has been released (Image supplied)

The 2025 Top 10 Most Admired Marketing Professionals are:

1. Khensani Nobanda, Nedbank
   
2. Vaughan Croeser, AB-InBev
   
3. Grant MacPherson, KFC
   
4. Sydney Mbhele, Absa
   
5. Bridget Harpur, Volkswagen
   
6. Nontokozo Madonsela, Momentum Metropolitan
   
7. Neil Schreuder, Shoprite Checkers
   
8. Doug Place, former Nando’s CMO
   
9. Andisa Ntsubane, Vodacom
   
10. Andrea Quaye, Heineken

The Most Admired Marketing Professionals is especially significant.

“These names emerge because peers genuinely believe these leaders set the bar,” says Cesar Vacchiano, president & CEO of Scopen Global.

“It’s one of the clearest reflections of industry respect you can get.”

Johanna McDowell, CEO of IAS and partner in Scopen South Afri,ca congratulates the 2025 winners:

“Being recognised by your peers—the people who truly understand the pressures, pace and ambition of this industry—is a remarkable achievement. My congratulations to all ten leaders who have earned their place on this year’s list.”

Largest study of South Africa’s marketing ecosystem

The rankings emerge from Agency Scope 2025, the largest and most comprehensive study of South Africa’s marketing ecosystem ever conducted.

This year’s edition surveyed 311 marketers across 190 brands, and 231 agency and media professionals, a total of 542 participants, capturing unprecedented insights into the country’s creative, media and digital landscape.

Vacchiano points to record participation as evidence of the market’s hunger for credible intelligence.

“The growth this year has been exceptional. The industry is clearly demanding sharper insights, deeper benchmarks and a real understanding of what drives effective, future-fit marketing.

“Agency Scope continues to be one of the most valuable measures for how our ecosystem is evolving.”

What the rankings represent

Agency Scope identifies the companies and professionals earning the highest regard across the industry—from standout marketing initiatives and campaigns, to the agency brands marketers most want to work with, to the clients agencies most want to partner with.

Vacchiano and McDowell are currently presenting confidential findings to agencies that have already subscribed to the study, revealing shifts in marketer expectations, partnership dynamics, agency performance drivers and the changing definition of marketing excellence.