The Lead Creative

By Mongezi Mtati

The Lead Creative podcast hosts a series of conversations with great minds behind some of the leading brands, businesses, organisations and top ideas that we all love. From advertising thought lead

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FAQs about The Lead Creative:

How many episodes does The Lead Creative have?

The podcast currently has 109 episodes available.

The Lead Creative episodes:

February 25, 2026Marketing Is Business: Building Lasting Brands and Communities
Marketing has never had more tools. But has it ever had less patience?
In this episode of The Lead Creative, host Mongezi Mtati engages with Dale Hefer, CEO of the Nedbank IMC Conference, which welcomed over 3,300 delegates from more than 20 countries in 2025, marking a record-breaking year.
Before leading one of Africa’s largest marketing conferences, Dale built and sold top ten South African agency, Chillibush.
We unpack:
• Why marketing must be treated as a core business function
• The difference between audience and community
• Why credibility compounds in brand building
• The risks of short-term marketing thinking
• How AI exposes weak strategy
This episode was produced and edited at Solemix Studios.
If you’re a content creator, marketer, producer or artist, Solemix Studios will offer you 30% off your first project. Tell them The Lead Creative sent you, and click here to book their studios.
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1h 6min
February 20, 2026Unpacking Client and Agency Relationships That Deliver Results
As AI-generated answers and generative engines reshape how brands are discovered, marketing teams are forced to rethink visibility, experimentation and partnership.
In this episode of our awards series, Mongezi Mtati and Danette Breitenbach, the Managing Editor of Bizcommunity, speak to Nomfundo Ndlangisa, Head of Marketing at Stellenbosch Business School, and Pareen Shah, Head of Analytics at Rogerwilco.
The conversation unpacks the partnership behind GEOFF, their award-winning generative engine optimisation tool. It explores trust, experimentation, data signals and what it really takes to build client–agency relationships that win both trophies and customers.
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The Lead Creative Podcast is available on:
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Make a donation to Threads for Ikasi, a foundation that provides school uniforms, dignity packs and other essentials to children in townships, rural areas and under-resourced communities.
To support them, go to: https://threadsforikasi.org
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55min
February 05, 2026Marketing Leadership In Complex African Markets: Lindy-Lou Alexander, CEO of WPP Open X Africa
Lindy-Lou Alexander, CEO of WPP OpenX Africa, shares how global brands like Coca-Cola stay relevant across Africa’s diverse markets. Working with The Coca-Cola Company in 54 African countries, Lindy-Lou operates at the intersection of marketing, advertising, creativity, data and technology.
She reflects on her career across Tiger Brands, Diageo, Vodacom and Standard Bank, and explains why marketers must actively represent consumers inside organisations, especially when budgets tighten and choice increases.
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Produced in collaboration with our partners, Soweto Media.
___________________________
The Lead Creative Podcast is available on:
Apple
Spotify
YouTube
Follow us on:
LinkedIn
Facebook
X
Instagram
Send us mail!
Support the show

___________________________

Follow us for more on:
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LinkedIn
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Send us mail!
Make a donation to Threads for Ikasi, a foundation that provides school uniforms, dignity packs and other essentials to children in townships, rural areas and under-resourced communities.
To support them, go to: https://threadsforikasi.org
Support the show
Buy us coffee here to help us grow.

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1h 2min
January 21, 2026How KFC Thailand Builds A Culture of Brave Advertising, Marketing and Creative Work
A conversation with Suhayl Limbada, CMO of KFC Thailand, on mirroring culture, earning creative bravery and building global work that resonates locally. From Let There Be Cake to Cannes Lions wins, this episode completes the 360 story after our earlier conversation with Saf Sindhi of Bananas.
More Marketing, Advertising and Brand Building Insights:
Culture must be earned, not extracted
Brave work needs trust, not ego
Heritage brands win when they remember who they are
Risk creates relevance when rooted in truth
Buy us coffee here to help us grow.
___________________________
The Lead Creative Podcast is available on:
Apple
Spotify
YouTube
Follow us on:
LinkedIn
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X
Instagram
Send us mail!
Support the show

___________________________

Follow us for more on:
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Send us mail!
Make a donation to Threads for Ikasi, a foundation that provides school uniforms, dignity packs and other essentials to children in townships, rural areas and under-resourced communities.
To support them, go to: https://threadsforikasi.org
Support the show
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1h 5min
January 15, 2026Building a Loved Challenger Brand That Encourages People To Buy Less Not More
What does it take to build a challenger brand with integrity in a market dominated by global players? In this episode of The Lead Creative, Mongezi Mtati talks to the founder and CEO of Desert Salt, Samantha Skyring, about growing with intention, encouraging customers to buy less, and why attention to detail matters more than scale.
The conversation explores storytelling, founder-led brand trust, social media as a tool for connection, and how long-term thinking creates brands that last.
___________________________
Buy us coffee here to help us grow.
___________________________
The Lead Creative Podcast is available on:
Apple
Spotify
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Follow us on:
LinkedIn
Facebook
X
Instagram
Send us mail!
Support the show

___________________________

Follow us for more on:
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Send us mail!
Make a donation to Threads for Ikasi, a foundation that provides school uniforms, dignity packs and other essentials to children in townships, rural areas and under-resourced communities.
To support them, go to: https://threadsforikasi.org
Support the show
Buy us coffee here to help us grow.

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...more
54min
December 22, 2025Creativity, Marketing Effectiveness and the Cost of Short-Termism: Effie Awards Trends
Marketing effectiveness is under pressure as short-term metrics continue to shape decision-making. Recorded at the Effie Awards South Africa as part of The Lead Creative Effies Series, this conversation with Gillian Rightford, Effie Awards South Africa Lead and ACA Executive Director, revisits the long-term cost of short-term thinking, now viewed through award-winning work.
Conversation highlights
Why long-term brand building is back in focus
Why vanity metrics carry less weight in judging
The limits of AI in creative effectiveness
Why playing safe is a brand risk
Produced in collaboration with our partners, Soweto Media.
___________________________
Buy us coffee here to help us grow.
___________________________
The Lead Creative Podcast is available on:
Apple
Spotify
YouTube
Follow us on:
LinkedIn
Facebook
X
Instagram
Send us mail!
Support the show

___________________________

Follow us for more on:
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Send us mail!
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...more
12min
December 17, 2025Building Loved Brands in an Age of Data and AI
What separates effective marketing from short-term noise? Recorded at the Effie Awards South Africa, this conversation with Thami Majola, Executive Head of Brands and Communications at Vodacom, unpacks advertising effectiveness through a brand and business lens.
Thami shares insights on data-driven marketing, customer understanding, AI and the discipline required to build trusted, loved brands.
Produced in collaboration with our partners, Soweto Media.
___________________________
Buy us coffee here to help us grow.
___________________________
The Lead Creative Podcast is available on:
Apple
Spotify
YouTube
Follow us on:
LinkedIn
Facebook
X
Instagram
Send us mail!
Support the show

___________________________

Follow us for more on:
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Send us mail!
Support the show
Buy us coffee here to help us grow.

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...more
14min
December 11, 2025The Secret Behind Vaseline’s Advertising and Consumer Success
Simple work is often the hardest to make. In this episode, Kenosi Matsebatlela, Head of Marketing for Vaseline, and Tumi Moutlana, Creative Director at VML, share how trust shaped the Mntana Ka Gogo piece.
We explore why the idea resonated, how cultural memory works in advertising and why clarity outperforms complexity. They share how instinct, chemistry and timing help teams create work that feels familiar and honest.
___________________________
Buy us coffee here to keep us fuelled.
___________________________
The Lead Creative Podcast is available on:
Apple
Spotify
YouTube
Follow us on:
LinkedIn
Facebook
X
Instagram
Send us mail!
Support the show

___________________________

Follow us for more on:
YouTube
LinkedIn
Instagram
Send us mail!
Make a donation to Threads for Ikasi, a foundation that provides school uniforms, dignity packs and other essentials to children in townships, rural areas and under-resourced communities.
To support them, go to: https://threadsforikasi.org
Support the show
Buy us coffee here to help us grow.

Follow us for more on:

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...more
1h
December 04, 2025Most Advertising Is Afraid to Succeed: Chasing Trends Hurts Brands
Advertising faces a growing challenge: too much work is created to avoid failure rather than pursue meaningful success. In this episode, creative consultant and Number 10 founder Ahmed Tilly breaks down why this mindset persists and how brands can move beyond it.
Ahmed’s work includes Nando’s campaigns across 14 countries and the launches of Virgin Money, 1LifeDirect and Mazda. As Effie Awards South Africa Co-Chair (2024 & 2025) and Loeries Jury President, he offers clear insight into what makes work effective.
Midway through our conversation, he recalled an insight he shared two years ago: trends are diluting creativity.
“Trends are the opposite of creativity. If you’re not different, you’re dead.”
Conversation highlights
True creativity requires resisting trends, not chasing them
Distinctiveness drives real effectiveness
Trend-chasing weakens creativity
Effies work requires rigour and originality
Many marketing issues are rooted in strategy
Thank you to the Effie Awards South Africa team and Soweto Media.
___________________________
Buy us coffee here to help us grow.
___________________________
The Lead Creative Podcast is available on:
Apple
Spotify
YouTube
Follow us on:
LinkedIn
Facebook
X
Instagram
Send us mail!
Support the show
___________________________
Follow us for more on:
YouTube
LinkedIn
Instagram
Send us mail!
Make a donation to Threads for Ikasi, a foundation that provides school uniforms, dignity packs and other essentials to children in townships, rural areas and under-resourced communities.
To support them, go to: https://threadsforikasi.org
Support the show
Buy us coffee here to help us grow.

Follow us for more on:

YouTube

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Instagram
...more
28min
November 25, 2025From Chappies to Cadbury: How Mondelez Builds Heritage Brands That Lead Culture
How do heritage brands stay relevant in a world full of choice? At the Effie Awards South Africa, we sat down with Arpan Sur, CMO of the Sub-Saharan Africa Business Unit at Mondelez, to discuss marketing effectiveness, cultural leadership, and what makes brands like Chappies and Cadbury endure.
Arpan shares why “marketing should lead culture”, how brands build rituals, and why effective work must deliver his “trifecta” of consumer impact, business outcomes, and fame. As an Effie Awards South Africa juror, he explains the rigorous judging process and what trends stood out this year.
Highlights:
Why Chappies became a cultural category cue.
The rise of “value as effectiveness” in inflationary markets.
Why clear, focused briefs deliver stronger work.
Thank you to the Effies for the platform.
Produced in collaboration with our partners, Soweto Media.
___________________________
Buy us coffee here to help us grow.
___________________________
The Lead Creative Podcast is available on:
Apple
Spotify
YouTube
Follow us on:
LinkedIn
Facebook
X
Instagram
Send us mail!
Support the show

___________________________

Follow us for more on:
YouTube
LinkedIn
Instagram
Send us mail!
Support the show
Buy us coffee here to help us grow.

Follow us for more on:

YouTube

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...more
18min

FAQs about The Lead Creative:

How many episodes does The Lead Creative have?

The podcast currently has 109 episodes available.