Effie Awards South Africa has announced the senior panel of industry leaders who will serve on the 2026 Grand Jury, tasked with adjudicating the programme’s highest honour, the coveted Grand Effie.
Hosted by the Association for Communication and Advertising (ACA), the Effie Awards remain the globally recognised benchmark for marketing effectiveness. The Grand Effie recognises the campaign that best demonstrates effectiveness at its highest level, where clear strategic thinking, powerful creative work and measurable results come together. The Grand Effie is not guaranteed each year and is awarded only when a case meets the exceptional standard required.
The 2026 Grand Jury will meet in person on Thursday, 10 September 2026, to review qualifying Gold-winning cases and determine whether any campaign stands above the rest as the year’s most effective work.
“The Grand Jury represents one of the most senior and considered moments in the Effie process,” said Gillian Rightford, ACA Executive Director for Effie South Africa. “This panel is drawn from the highest levels of client and agency leadership, bringing together deep experience across marketing, strategy, creativity, media and business. Their role is to look beyond the award level already achieved and determine whether a case truly represents effectiveness at its peak. That requires judgement, rigour and a clear understanding of how marketing creates measurable value.”
The 2026 Grand Jury will be co-chaired by Refilwe Maluleke, Executive Head of Marketing at Discovery Health, and Ahmed Tilly, Creative Consultant at Number 10 | A Creative Consultancy.
The 2026 Effie South Africa Grand Jury:
- Refilwe Maluleke, Executive Head of Marketing, Discovery Health
- Ahmed Tilly, Creative Consultant, Number 10 | A Creative Consultancy
- Bridget Harpur, Head of Marketing, Volkswagen Group Africa
- Carl Willoughby, Chief Creative Officer, TBWA\Hunt Lascaris
- Gugu Mthembu, Chief Marketing Officer, Telkom
- Kagiso Musi, Chief Executive Officer, WPP Media
- Laurent Marty, Chief Strategy Officer, Joe Public
- Neo Makhele, Chief Strategy Officer, Ogilvy
- Roanna Williams, Chief Creative Officer, Boundless
- Robyn Lewis, General Manager: MTN Brand, MTN Group
- Tebogo Motsepe, Executive Head: Marketing Strategy, Nedbank
- Thabang Skwambane, Chief Executive Officer, Nahana
- Vaughan Croeser, Vice President: Marketing, South African Breweries
Winners of the 2026 Effie Awards South Africa programme, including the Grand Effie should one be awarded, will be announced at the Effie Awards South Africa Gala on Tuesday, 20 October 2026.
Effie Awards South Africa is hosted by the Association for Communication and Advertising (ACA) and sponsored by Nedbank, South African Breweries (AB InBev), Unilever, Heineken Beverages, Emeris, IAS, Eat Big Fish, Investec, Boundless and Motion Ads.
For more information visit the Effie South Africa website at https://www.effie.org/partners/south-africa/ or visit www.acasa.co.za.
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About Effie®
Effie is a global organisation whose purpose is to lead and evolve the forum for marketing effectiveness. Effie leads, inspires and champions the practice and practitioners of marketing effectiveness through education, awards, ever-evolving thought leadership initiatives and first-class insights into marketing strategies that produce results. The organization recognizes the most effective brands, marketers and agencies, globally, regionally and locally through its 55+ award programs across the world and through its coveted effectiveness rankings, the Effie Index. Since 1968, Effie is known as global symbol of achievement, while serving as a resource to steer the future of marketing success. For more details, visit effie.org.
About the ACA
The ACA is the official representative body for the Communications and Advertising profession in South Africa, representing agencies in the profession to government, media and the public. The ACA is a voluntary body formed by and for the industry, focused on and committed to self-regulation and to defending the highest standards of ethical practice.
For more about the ACA visit www.acasa.co.za or call the ACA on (010) 880 3399
