Sesing has been mandated to lead and drive the agency’s creative vision and manage the agency’s multi-disciplinary teams with a keen focus on integrating technology and business development into the MetropolitanRepublic ecosystem. Both the board appointment and Sesing’s new responsibilities reflect MetropolitanRepublic’s ambition and intention to solidify its position as a business-orientated creative company that employs innovation and business sciences to realise truly meaningful solutions and growth with purpose for their clients.
He has 16 years’ experience in the industry and has worked on some of the country’s largest brands including Pick n Pay, MTN, SABC and, most recently, South African Tourism.
I think it goes without saying that I’m quite excited about the appointment. More than anything I’m looking forward to adding value to the board and the organisation as a whole.
With every organisation, I’ve been a part of I’ve always wanted to play a greater strategic role in its direction and corporate governance. That intention has manifested itself in a continuous drive to understand every facet and aspect of the business and businesses we serve, and the board recognised that. Coupled with this is undoubtedly the desire by the board to have different voices from within MetropolitanRepublic represented at board level to contribute meaningfully in driving the agency forward.
I have a number of new responsibilities, all of equal importance, but what I’m really looking forward to is playing a key role in further refining who we are as a business, particularly in context of the world today.
The crisis our industry is currently facing is obviously a reflection of the crisis being faced by the rest of the world. Even as countries lift lockdowns and attempt to return to normal, the business remains quite strained and will be for a long time. MetropolitanRepublic, like any other agencies, has definitely felt that impact. We’ve all had to adapt to new conditions but what I’m most proud of is the swift and seamless manner in which we’ve done it, or what I often refer to as ‘changing gears without our passengers feeling the jerk’.By focusing on smoothly transitioning and acclimatising our teams to a new way of working, we were able to deliver what felt like a ‘business as usual’ experience for our clients. Internally, we’ve taken to overcommunicating; checking in with teams as often as possible and providing stimulus to try and keep everyone motivated and inspired.
I’m fascinated by human behaviour and its drivers. In my view, advertising is a continuous exercise of demonstrating a deep understanding of that behaviour.
I spent my early years at Y&R, worked and built my career at Hunt Lascaris, and then moved to Ogilvy briefly before venturing into the world of tech for a number of years.
Obviously, a lifetime spent in advertising comes with its share of highlights from pitch wins to awards. But, if I had to identify a recent highlight, it would be presenting and speaking at the Disrupt 2019 TechCrunch conference in San Fran last October.
It goes without saying that this year has been particularly difficult for businesses. But I think it’s been far worse on people… and a lot of us have been guilty of ‘getting on with it’ out of a need to survive. We’ve lost people, and we’ve had to rely more heavily on the ones left behind. We’ve had our routines completely changed, and have had to get used to isolation. Parents have had to add the role of ‘teacher’ to their daily workloads, and creative people have had to be more creative than ever with little to no creative stimulus. So, people have really taken a knock and one of the things at the top of my list will be focusing on our team’s wellbeing.
I’m currently reading Bob Iger’s Ride of a Lifetime and – like almost everyone – I’ve watched a few documentaries recently, most notably being the Michael Jordan documentary called The Last Dance, David Attenborough’s A Life on Our Planet and the Oscar Pistorius 30 for 30.
I love John Mayer a little more than I probably should.
