MarketingWorld Magazine’s Top Three (3) CMOs of the Week from August 26th – August 30th 2024

We are thrilled to announce MarketingWorld’s Top 3 CMOs of the Week, celebrating the innovative leaders who have set new benchmarks in the marketing industry. These exceptional Chief Marketing Officers have demonstrated unparalleled creativity, strategic brilliance, and impactful leadership, driving their organizations to new heights in a competitive industry.

Here are the Top Three (3) CMOs:

Kirby Gordon Emerges as MarketingWorld’s CMO of the Week

FlySafair’s Executive Manager & Chief Marketing Officer, Kirby Gordon, a renowned marketing expert has been crowned as one of MarketingWorld’s top three CMOs of the week.

Appointed in the year February 2020 as Executive Manager & Chief Marketing Officer of FlySafair, Kirby oversees all client acquisition and retention, brand reputation, content production, and publication for South Africa’s largest low-cost airline.

With over nine years of experience in this role, Kirby has led the airline to achieve a 67% market share in the South African domestic market while maintaining a low cost per acquisition rate and a high net promoter score.

Prior to his current appointment, he was the VP: Sales & Distribution for FlySafair from October 2015 – February 2020, Vice President Marketing for Safair (Pty) Ltd from February 2015 – October 2015. As the VP of Marketing for Safair (Pty) Ltd, he was responsible for the full client acquisition strategy for the new start-up low-cost airline FlySafair, as well as for all public relations and corporate communications. He, together with the team managed to quickly grow the airline to hold an enviable 20% of the market share among domestic low-cost carriers in the country, all while maintaining a superbly low cost per acquisition rate (approximately one-third of the closes competitor).

Aside from the aforementioned, Kirby was the Head of Brand and Communication for kalahari.com from April 2014 to January 2015. In this capacity, he was responsible for the development and execution of the kalahari.com brand strategy. This included all messaging, production of above-the-line advertising, management of public relations, content management and publishing, client retention strategies, third-party advertising sales and strategic brand partnerships. Other notable achievements include the Launch of a new brand identity in 2014, the Launch of the iconic Karl Ahari campaign in 2014, and near 100% growth year on year. Still at kalahari.com, he served as the Marketing Manager from Jun 2013 – Apr 2014 · 11.

Kirby’s passion in the industry is to apply the science of marketing to bridge the gap between traditional advertising and digital marketing and to use the former to drive critical mass and efficiency in the latter. He is deeply interested in the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into marketing and customer service management.

His other focuses include online advertising, and search engine optimization, for which he has earned two certifications from the Red & Yellow School. Kirby’s mission is to deliver value to customers and stakeholders by leveraging data, insights, and innovation.

Kirby is experienced in Public Relations and Crisis Communications Management and has served as a spokesperson for the airline for the past 9 years.

Maureen Sika Emerges as MarketingWorld’s CMO of the Week

Multichoice Kenya’s Head of Marketing, Maureen Sika, a passionate and strategic leader has been crowned as one of MarketingWorld’s top three CMOs of the week.

With over 17 years of experience in marketing, Maureen has driven growth and innovation for a multitude of brands in the Sub-Saharan Africa region.

Appointed as the Head of Marketing (Kenya) for MultiChoice Group in the year November 2023, Maureen has been at the forefront of the brand’s marketing initiatives. With extensive experience and expertise in leading and managing brand, advertising, and communication efforts across diverse and dynamic markets, she has delivered impactful and consistent brand messages and experiences to consumers.

Prior to her current appointment, she was the Head of Marketing, Kenya for Red Bull from 2020 – 2023 where she performed several functions such as developing the marketing strategy and organizational design to anchor the marketing plan, leading cross-functional and cross-platform customer engagement programs to support brand-building efforts, designing premium customer experiences through sports & culture events to bring the world of Red Bull to local consumers, expanding the scope and depth of the field marketing activities and generating consistent word of mouth through an always-on communication plan in traditional and digital media platforms.

Also at Red Bull, she was the Head of Brand & Advertising in Sub-Saharan Africa from 2020 – 2023 where she led and managed the brand, advertising and communication efforts across the SSA markets.

Aside from the aforementioned, she was the Consulting Partner, Marketing for MS Consult, Manager, Online Testing Centre for Computer Pride (Business Solutions) and Head of Marketing, Tanzania, Senior Marketing Manager: Coca-Cola Brand Strategy & Planning, Marketing Manager: Mozambique, Kenya, Angola (Brand Portfolio Planning, Management & Implementation), Assistant Marketing Manager: Coca-Cola Brand Strategy & Planning, Marketing Assistant: Tanzania (Brand portfolio implementation) and HR Assistant at The Coca-Cola Company.

Throughout her career, she has leveraged her cross-industry knowledge to provide end-to-end marketing solutions. She has a proven track record of developing and executing effective marketing plans, engaging customers across multiple platforms and expanding the scope and depth of field marketing activities.

Maureen is passionate about marketing and the value it brings in driving real business results. As a teacher of marketing, she is always eager to share her knowledge and experiences as well as continue learning and growing in the field of marketing.

In terms of her educational background, she is a product of the University of Nairobi where she obtained a Bachelor of Commerce (B.Com.), Finance Major, Finance from 2002 – 2006.

Aron Luhanga Emerges as MarketingWorld’s CMO of the Week

Absa Bank Tanzania Limited’s Head of Marketing and Corporate Affairs, Aron Luhanga, a seasoned marketer has been crowned as one of MarketingWorld’s top three CMOs of the week.

With 15 years of experience in leadership, communication strategy, brand management and corporate relations, Aron has a proven track record in managing and transforming brands into desired brand positioning through strategic marketing mix executions to reach and surpass desired ROI. He is well-capacitated in Digital Marketing Analytics to drive leads to sales conversions.

As the Country Head of Marketing and Corporate Affairs for Absa Group, he has successfully led and managed one of the continent’s largest brand transitions in Tanzania, transforming from Barclays Bank Tanzania to today’s Absa Bank Tanzania.

Prior to his current position, he was the Country Head of Marketing and Communication for Commercial Bank of Africa (CBA Group) from February 2009 – June 2016 as well as Relationship Manager – Treasury and Institutional Banking for Commercial Bank of Africa (Tanzania) Limited from February 2008 – February 2009 where he was responsible in Complex Financing and Deposit Mobilization from corporate and government institutions.

Aron is a product of Texas Southern University where he obtained a Bachelor of Business Administration (Hons) – BBA, Marketing in the year 2002 – 2006.

The outstanding contributions of these CMOs to their various industries make them a deserving recipient of the CMO of the Week recognition by MarketingWorld Magazine.

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MarketingWorld Magazine’s CMO of the Week is a weekly recognition of top-performing CMOs across the African continent. This recognition is based on spectacular brand transformation, market growth, breaking new frontiers, disruptive innovation, exemplary leadership, exceptional service and professional experience.