From left to right: Mthunzi Plaatjie, Grant Jacobsen, Grant Sithole
Coming off one the strongest years in the agency’s history, FoxP2 is delighted to announce the appointment of Grant Jacobsen as group managing director, Mthunzi Plaatjie as the general manager for FoxP2 Cape Town and Grant Sithole as executive creative director for FoxP2 Johannesburg effective from January 2020. Founding FoxP2 creative partner Justin Gomes takes up a regional role as SSA ECD, overseeing the quality of the creative product across the DAN group.
Having previously led DDB and FoxP2 Joburg since its inception in 2013, Grant Jacobsen has been appointed as group managing director, taking the reins from Charl Thom who has taken on the role of group commercial director. Jacobsen is tasked with combining the strengths of the two FoxP2 offices with the incredible data and digital strengths plus African scale of Dentsu into a truly game-changing offering.
Commenting on this recent restructure at FoxP2, Koo Govender, CEO of the Dentsu Aegis Network South Africa, said: "At DAN, we are absolutely delighted with the promotion of Grant Jacobsen as group managing director of FoxP2. We have the utmost confidence in Grant and trust that he will continue to lead and scale our award-winning creative agency with strong leadership, passion and determination to succeed. The appointments of Mthunzi Plaatjie and Grant Sithole are a testament to the group’s efforts to attract and on-board only the best talent the industry has to offer and we are confident this team will ensure the agency is led with talent, leadership, experience and optimised creativity to service any client."
"I had the pleasure of teaming up with Jacobsen very early on in both our careers. I knew he was the partner we needed when we embarked on founding FoxP2 Johannesburg, and my faith in him was rewarded by the impressive performance of the office. I’m now excited about the prospect of unleashing his leadership and skill across the group as a whole, and I am confident about the heights to which we will take our valued clients’ and our own business in our exciting new roles." – Charl Thom.
In Cape Town, Mthunzi Plaatjie joins FoxP2 as general manager with years of experience gleaned at some of the most respected advertising agencies in South Africa. Prior to this new role, Mthunzi had led the formation of Avatar Cape Town and, under his leadership, despite the notoriously tough Cape Town advertising economy, had grown it to include some of SA’s top brands.
Said Justin Gomes, co-founder of FoxP2: "Mthunzi brings a powerful entrepreneurial drive to the top seat in Cape Town. His incredible ‘can-do’ energy, a relentless passion for problem-solving and an all-round no-ego, no-nonsense approach is one that clients and staff love. He’s absolutely the real deal."
On his new role, Mthunzi Plaatjie said: "Being able to join the FoxP2 team is a huge accomplishment for me as I’ve always been a huge fan of this agency and the work they produce. Apart from the fact that FoxP2 is currently ranked the number one medium-size creative agency in South Africa, what attracted me to the agency (and the Dentsu Aegis Network, at large) is the ability to seamlessly integrate our best in market big data expertise with our technology and creative excellence. The combination of these capabilities positions us as a strong agency of today and the future." Mthunzi is partnered by long-time FoxP2 creative stalwart Michael Lees-Rolfe as ECD in Cape Town.
Grant Sithole takes the top creative seat at FoxP2 Johannesburg. Having won and judged at every major award show, and active on many industry panels, Sithole is a highly regarded leader, whose voice is shaping the future of this industry.
On this new appointment, Grant Jacobsen, group managing director of FoxP2, said: "With an easy laugh, an indelible talent and a formidable body of work, Grant Sithole will lead the creative product across some of South Africa’s biggest brands. Driving ground-breaking, integrated work that connects hearts with smiles across cultural barriers – as he’s always done. Grant and I first started working together 15 years ago on Vodacom, creating work and memories that I still treasure today. I am thrilled to be working alongside him again as we build the agency of the future."
The former chief creative officer at Avatar has created loved and awarded work for several of South Africa’s most iconic brands. At FoxP2, he will join forces in Johannesburg with long-time trusted general manager Lynda Fiebiger and group strategy lead Zetu Damane in setting the standard and direction of the FoxP2 creative product.
Commenting on his new role at FoxP2 Sithole said: "It’s incredibly inspiring to be a part of this new chapter in the FoxP2 story. The prospect of leading the creative conversation on some of SA’s iconic brands is truly exciting and I can’t wait to get stuck into the Dentsu Aegis Network way while bringing that South African flavour and flair to it."
Justin Gomes continues: "FoxP2 continues to attract the absolute best talent that the advertising industry has to offer. Having finished Loeries 2019 as South Africa’s number medium-size creative agency and one of the most awarded at Apex, these leadership changes position the agency for its next chapter."
"We’re building the agency of the future," says Grant Jacobsen. "A data-fluent, tech-savvy, enabler of breakthrough creativity. I’ve never been more inspired by the vision, the capabilities or the leadership we have right now. Bring on 2020."
About FoxP2Part of The Dentsu Aegis Network SA, The Johannesburg and Cape Town-based creative agency is founded on the belief that creativity is often the most-undervalued tool for business. FoxP2 is driven by the power of insightful strategic thought beautifully expressed. They love results. They love their people. They love difficult challenges.
