ACA Welcomes New Board and Leadership Team for 2025/26

The 78th Annual General Meeting of the Association for Communication and Advertising (ACA) took place on Wednesday, 16 July 2025, where the new Board of Directors and Executive Committee (Exco) for the 2025/26 fiscal year was confirmed.

The incoming Exco will be led by Luca Gallarelli, Group CEO of TBWA\South Africa, who assumes the role of Chair. He is joined by Kagiso Musi, Group Managing Director of Meta Media, as Vice Chair. The Exco also includes Mpume Ngobese of Joe Public, Jarred Cinman, CEO of VML South Africa, and Gillian Rightford, Executive Director of the ACA. This dynamic leadership team brings together diverse experience and complementary skillsets to ensure a forward-focused, delivery-driven approach to the ACA’s mission.

A Year of Delivery and Momentum

Reflecting on the past year, outgoing Chair Sharleen James, Managing Director at Razor, described the 2024/25 term as one of meaningful progress and collaborative achievement. “We entered the year with a clear focus on delivery,” she said. “Together, we committed to driving real outcomes and were deliberate in our approach to execution.”

Under her leadership, the ACA drove several key initiatives forward—cementing the role of the six Tribes as core to the ACA’s structure and execution; launching the GenEra platform for young professionals; and strengthening its commitment to transformation, education, and advocacy. “We moved from setting intentions to implementing programmes, from ideas to impact,” she added. “The progress made was made possible by a highly engaged Board, an exceptional Exco, and a Secretariat team that remained consistently focused.”

The full Board of Directors for the new term is as follows:.

Looking Ahead – Continuing the Momentum

ACA Executive Director Gillian Rightford welcomed the incoming Board and praised the work of the previous leadership team, noting the shift in 2024/25 from “promise to performance.”

“I’m excited to be working with the dynamic new ACA Board and Exco as we continue to build on the strong foundations laid over the past year,” she said. “Together with the outgoing Exco—Wayne Naidoo, Luca Gallarelli, Brenda Khumalo, and Sharleen James—and through the collective effort of our Tribes, Committees and Task Teams, we identified tangible deliverables across our strategic focus areas and made real headway.”

She added, “This kind of progress doesn’t happen by chance. It’s the result of sustained commitment from a team of professionals who manage this work alongside demanding agency and corporate roles. I’m incredibly proud of what we’ve achieved and deeply grateful to all who contributed—including our tireless Secretariat team.”

A New Term, A Renewed Focus

In his first statement as Chair, Luca Gallarelli shared his perspective on the formation of the Exco and the intention behind it: “The choice of Exco came down to two key principles. Firstly, that it should be made up of credible, diverse and complementary personalities and skillsets to create a high-functioning, delivery-oriented and dynamic posture. It is important for this dynamic to strike a balance between the need for continuity and the ability to look ahead—not only to the challenges of today, but to those of next week, next month, and the years ahead. I have no doubt this group achieves all of this and look forward to the impact they will bring in partnership with the Secretariat and Tribes.”

The ACA is the official representative body for the Communications and Advertising profession in South Africa, representing agencies in the profession (who at present contribute approximately 95% of South Africa’s measured ad spend) 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.