Superbrands East Africa names new council members
BUSINESS
By BiztechAfrica – April 4, 2012, 5:19 p.m.
Superbrands East Africa has appointed a 12-member council covering the period 2012-2014 to oversee the selection of the region’s leading brands and culminating into a gala dinner where the top brands are recognised and awarded.
The new council brings together leading players in the regions; marketing, public relations, advertising, legal and governmental sectors, who will be charged with the duty of selecting what they consider East Africa’s top brands in various categories.
Superbrands East Africa will thereafter, send out a shortlist of about 700 brands from the total 2,200 brands to TNS-RMS for a consumer survey to identify, recognise and fete the final leading brands of the region.
Jawad Jaffer, the Project Director for Superbrands in the region said the new council members were from all the four EAC member countries. “The entire council has six members from Kenya, three from Uganda, two from Tanzania and one from Rwanda. These are the people who will score on all the 2200 brands spread across the region,” Jawad said.
The Kenyan faces on the new council include; Gil Kemami, the Ogilvy & Mather East Africa Managing Director, Desiree Gomes, the Executive Director of Gina Din Corporate Communications and Sameer Merali, the Director of the Sameer Investments Group. Others are: Chris Harrison, the Young & Rubicam brands Chairman for Africa and the Indian Ocean islands; Ahsan Manji, the Managing Director of Weetabix East Africa and Anil Ishani, an Advocate and member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators.
Uganda’s Finance Minister, Hon Maria Kiwanuka, as well as Caleb Owino, the MD of Fireworks Advertising Limited and Roni Madhvani, the Director of Madhvani Group will represent Uganda while Francis Mugisha, the MD of Management Consult Associates will represent Rwanda.
Tanzania will be represented by Esther Tully, Director of Marketing and Research at CRDB Bank, and Mehboob Champsi of Gina Din Corporate Communications.
Chris Harrison said it was gratifying to see how the EAC member countries were making impressive steps towards branding excellence, knowing quite well that a good and strong brand guarantees greater returns to shareholders both in the short, medium and long-term and opens new markets for their products and services.
“When you travel the world you see Superbrands prominently in most markets. Am very pleased that East Africa now puts Superbrands on a global pedestal,” Chris said.
His remarks were echoed by Desiree Gomes who termed the move a step in the right direction since it would increase knowledge about the regions offerings while enhancing customer service through improvements in service delivery channels and strategies.
“I am very excited to be part of the Superbrands Council since it now puts me at the centre of initiatives to increase awareness about the region’s brands and promote branding excellence. It’s amazing to be behind the recognition and celebration of East Africa’s leading brands,” she said.
