ABOUT OUR FOUNDERS

BANA is more than a group of individuals united by a common cause. We are a whole that is more than the sum of its parts. With over 100 years’ experience of marketing and communication experience, BANA founders are a team of highly sought-after, well-respected and uniquely qualified men and women with the drive and acumen to transform their industry.

GROOVIN NCHABELENG

FOUNDER AND EXECUTIVE CHAIRMAN OF BLUEPRINT GROUP

 

Groovin Nchabeleng is a highly successful, multi-award-winning South African entrepreneur, philanthropist, and advertising and marketing guru. He is the Executive Chairman of Blueprint Group, the largest and oldest black-owned advertising agency that has been in business for 22 years. Blueprint is the holding company for several strategic business units, all with the greater goal of transforming and empowering the lives of ordinary people in South Africa and the continent. Groovin is also the CEO of Blueprint Media Group (BMG), the former Group CEO of the Leo Burnett Group, former Chairman of Publicis and former Director of the ACA, ASA and Saatchi & Saatchi. He serves on several boards and NGOs that include the United Royal Investments, which represents Royal Houses in South Africa.

BONGANI GOSA

FOUNDER AND CEO OF BWD ADVERTISING

 

Bongani Gosa is the founder and CEO of BWD Advertising, a full service marketing agency that was established in 2006 to help companies leverage digital communication to achieve their business goals.

Under Gosa’s leadership, BWD has shown extraordinary growth. Their achievements include: a listing in
SA Digital Landscape, being featured in the Financial Mail, landing blue chip clients such as T-Systems and Wits University. BWD is also responsible for creating award-winning work that earned the University of Johannesburg a MACE Award.

A number of Gosa’s opinion pieces have been published in the media. He has been a speaker at numerous
industry events such as the Marketing Your School In The 21st Century 2015 Conference where he shared
the stage with world-renowned futurist Arthur Goldstuck and spoke on the Anatomy of Great Website
Design that Google loves.

BOITUMELO MOHUBE

FOUNDER AND CEO OF MOHUBE MEDIA (PTY) LTD

 

Boitumelo Mohube is the CEO of Mohube Media, a consultancy, that uses unorthodox methodologies to solve business problems and provide brand solutions through its network of partners. She is a qualified and highly experienced marketing executive and entrepreneur with more than 15 years of Integrated Advertising and Communications under her belt. Her experience includes managing internal and external creative and multi-disciplinary teams to deliver and implement strategy that integrates business, media and technology tools to help clients gain major competitive traction in the markets where they operate.

In 2016 she served on the Communication Information and Marketing committee of the Engineering
Council of South Africa. In the same year she attained global recognition and was awarded the Vuyelwa
Jajula Global Fireside Chat Award* for Inspiring Entrepreneur in South Africa

*(Global #FiresideChat Awards, hosted by international entrepreneur Alysia Silberg).

BRA WILLY SEYAMA

FOUNDER OF ENITIATE INTEGRATED SOLUTIONS

 

Bra Willy is a GIBS MBA graduate, an avid Digital Strategist, self-confessed digital data junkie and eternal student.

He writes extensively on various digital marketing trends and predictions across the African continent. He also features regularly on South African TV and radio, giving his expert opinion about the digital marketing industry.

He founded a digital performance marketing company called eNitiate Digital Content Solutions (eNitiate) in 2008. Before then, he had a 16-year stint in the corporate world where he cut his teeth mainly in traditional marketing.

eNitiate’s core mission is to assist brands develop and effectively leverage their digital marketing assets, backed by data-driven content marketing solutions. eNitiate’s service offering has grown over the years and since 2011 it now spans the continent of Africa.

LUFUNO MAKUNGO

FOUNDER OF NGANO MEDIA

 

Lufuno started his career as a sales representative at Edcon. He soon joined Gold Reef City Casino as a croupier before moving to their marketing department where he was part of the team that successfully launched the Smart Card – an innovative loyalty membership card that improved efficiency and gamblers’ convenience while earning them loyalty points.

In 2007, he joined Ogilvy Johannesburg where he worked on several sub-brands under the South African Tourism portfolio, including Business Tourism, Global Trade, Tourism Indaba, India, Japan, China, Australia, Brazil, UK, and USA. He was the lead Project Manager for Tourism Indaba 2010. At Jupiter Drawing Room Johannesburg, he handled the Absa brand and sponsorship portfolio. At MotherRussia, beyond his role as Account Director, he was also a Producer, having successfully produced and organised events for clients such as Silverstar Casino (Players’ Club), Rand Refinery, SABC1 (Tshisa 3 Launch), Entyce’s launch of Five Roses Select African Blend, SABC Radio stations, Standard Bank Joy of Jazz, and Essence Festival Durban.

He spent three years as Business Unit Director at MKT Media (2015-2017). In 2018, while freelancing at King James Digital, he looked after Budweiser and led the Budweiser 2018 FIFA World Cup Campaign, which led to Budweiser becoming the most talked about brand globally on Twitter during the World Cup. He’s a passionate writer, and in 2017, he founded Ngano Media as a vehicle to publish his own work. When he is not writing, he is training for his next marathon.

MALEBO LESEJANE

FOUNDER AND MANAGING PARTNER OF ETHNO LAB

 

Malebo is the Founder and Managing Partner of Ethno Lab, a consumer insights agency that specializes in ethnographic research in the mass market. With more than 18 years’ experience in the marketing industry, Malebo has gathered extensive knowledge on consumer psychology, brand development and marketing strategy.

Malebo began her career as an intern at Herdbuoys Advertising – an iconic and the first black-owned agency in South Africa. She then continued to gather experience from multi-national companies such as Ipsos, Millward Brown (now Kantar) and L’Oreal. She has also worked on world-renowned brands such as Unilever, Coca-Cola and McDonald’s, to name a few.

This experience has been instrumental to her growth and continues to shape her understanding of the local consumer landscape relative to key markets abroad.

Malebo draws on this experience to drive growth at Ethno Lab. Since its inception in 2015, the business has grown to have a footprint across all South African provinces, an office in Lesotho, and formal affiliations with partners in Botswana, Kenya, Nigeria and Zambia.

PALESA GCABA

OWNER OF ALTITUDE COMMUNICATIONS AND EVENTS

 

Palesa an event management specialist and entrepreneur who boasts over 22 years’ experience in strategic event conceptualisation, design and execution; production and logistics management; conference management and implementation, as well as project planning and management.

Her journey and initial experience began when she was employed as a project manager over a period of 2 years, for one of the largest events companies in South Africa, The Event Production Company.

She was also a shareholder in a travel incentive business World of Incentives, which was subsequently sold in 2008. Beyond conferencing services, the company offered a full turn-key offering comprising destination proposals for corporate groups including flights, full itinerary, transfers upon arrival at proposed destination, themed events and facilitation of all excursions.

In her tenure running her own event management company, Altitude Communications & Events for the past 20 years, she has acquired vast knowledge in Event Management for the public and private sector, large scale conferencing, exhibitions and brand activation events.

She is adept with concept design and exhibition stand management, event concept pitch and negotiation at the c-suite level, coordination of event teams as well as budget planning and management.

In the last 22 years, she has led, overseen and delivered on over 200 different events.

COMPANY STRUCTURE