2026 Leadership Award
Marketer of the Year
The Marketer of the Year celebrates individuals who understand the art and science of marketing. Those who have business, brand, and category at heart, and the skill to grow all three. In today's landscape, the standout candidate connects insight to strategy, creativity to outcomes, and ambition to results that last.
Proudly sponsored by
- The Marketer of the Year is the MAA's most prestigious individual recognition, and its most rigorously contested.This is a nominated category. No one enters themselves. Nominations come from peers, from MASA, and from the MAA Council. A selection committee then verifies eligibility and invites qualifying candidates to put their name forward.From there, the process is unlike any other award in South African marketing. Candidates provide a short synopsis of their work over the past two years to frame the conversations ahead, then complete a written submission covering five areas of their marketing leadership and take part in a recorded video interview conducted by the judging panel.
A separate interview is conducted with each candidate's CEO, covering their perspective on the candidate's leadership and impact on the business.All materials, written submissions, recorded interviews, and supporting evidence, are reviewed by an NDA-bound panel of senior industry judges via a secure adjudication portal, before a final two-hour live deliberation session where every candidate is weighed against the full body of evidence.The winner doesn't just win an award. They earn the acknowledgement of their peers, through a process built to withstand scrutiny. Any senior marketing executive on the client side, recognised as a consummate professional, is eligible. This individual could hold titles such as CMO, CEO, Chief Customer Officer, Chief Experience Officer, Chief Growth Officer, or Chief Strategy Officer. Regardless of title, they lead their organisation’s marketing strategy with insightful direction.
To qualify, nominees must have at least eight years’ experience as a marketing lead, and a minimum of two years’ tenure in their current position at the time of nomination.
Nominees must demonstrate outstanding leadership over the past 24 months across five key pillars:
- Leadership: Influenced overall business strategy, contributed to team development, and is a recognised thought leader for the profession.
- Business and Brand Growth: Consistently grown brands and produced work that makes a measurable difference to business and the South African cultural landscape.
- Modern Marketing: Proven track record in integrated, insight-led marketing strategies that deliver a better customer experience and measurable results.
- Internal Culture: Evolved their organisation to be more diverse, equitable, and inclusive, building engaged and productive teams.
- Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment: Actively driven the transformation agenda across their organisation, strategic partners, and the work they produce.
- Nominations for this season are now closed
Nominations for the Marketer of the Year are open to anyone in the industry. If you know a senior marketer who has delivered outstanding results over the past two years, we want to hear from you.
Submit your nomination using the form linked below. Tell us who they are, what they've achieved, and why you believe they deserve this recognition. Strong nominations speak to leadership, business impact, and the measurable difference this individual has made to their organisation and the profession.
The selection committee reviews all nominations, verifies eligibility, and contacts qualifying candidates directly.