With more than 18 years of experience in digital transformation, customer strategy, and brand innovation, Ronnie’s appointment reflects MMA’s bold intent to shape the region’s marketing agenda through collaboration, creativity, and purpose.
“Being appointed as chairperson of the Marketing + Media Alliance South Africa is both an honour and a call to lead with intent.
“Our industry is evolving at unprecedented speed, and this moment demands leaders who can bridge creativity with commerce, and technology with humanity. The goal is to shape a marketing landscape that is dynamic, data-driven, and deeply human, empowering South Africa to lead on the global stage,” says Ronnie.
To support this vision, MMA South Africa has also announced a new Leadership Council, including:
Along, along with the MMA SA Board, they will work closely with Ronnie to expand the alliance’s presence and impact in the region.
With growth across sub-Saharan Africa in view, MMA South Africa will establish a Regional Executive Committee to guide expansion into key markets across the region, maintaining a strong local focus within global frameworks.
As part of the local rollout, two key initiatives will launch in 2026:
Focused on organisational AI-readiness and personalised marketing applications under MMA’s ALTT Think Tank.
Sarah Utermark, regional director for MMA SSA and South Africa, says this is an exciting next step for MMA in South Africa, one that reflects the ambition, collaboration and innovation already happening across our region.
“Our renaming to the Marketing + Media Alliance isn’t just a name change, it signals a stronger commitment to empower CMOs and senior marketers in Africa to lead with purpose and proof.
“Our local industry has the ambition, the talent and the market relevance to shape global marketing’s future and through this alliance, we are bringing that potential to life.”
The rebrand globally will crystallise the MMA’s evolution into a foremost global community of chief marketing officers and senior marketing leaders.
The repositioning signals the organisation's foundational commitment to advancing marketers' ability to create value by uniting CMOs worldwide to shape the future of marketing, brands, and business.
MMA is the only association that encompasses all parts of the marketing ecosystem at the governance level, including brand marketers, media, adtech, martech, agencies, and consultants, all working together, in support of CMOs.
This shift intends to clarify what MMA stands for: An alliance of action-oriented leaders driving measurable enterprise impact through proven models, frameworks and insights.
The MMA rebrand has been built around the CMO voice. Its board, which includes marketing leaders from some of the world’s most influential brands, shaped each aspect of its new direction.
The rebrand and repositioning, thus, captures what senior marketers have been seeking: validated tools, collaborative problem-solving, and a space where marketing’s enterprise impact is proven, not just discussed
.“MMA is for CMOs, directed by CMOs, but supported by the whole marketing industry,” says Greg Stuart, CEO, MMA Global.
“We are committed to adding new knowledge to address CMOs’ and marketing’s greatest unanswered questions and unlock its biggest opportunities. Our members aren’t just talking about change, they’re driving it."
Stuart adds, “This new positioning makes it clear that we are an alliance for leaders who push marketing to deliver proven, enterprise-level impact.
"We believe that if a marketer were to implement all that MMA’s Think Tanks and Labs have discovered, their company could raise its market valuation. We’re proving that marketing can and does matter.”
With the mission to advance marketers' ability to create value, the MMA develops revolutionary and award-winning models, frameworks, thought-leadership, and initiatives — many spanning several years and millions of dollars — to help CMOs confidently tackle their biggest challenges.
All MMA Labs experiments and explorations provide proprietary and powerful insights and models.
Stuart adds, "This rebranding is simply catching up to who MMA has already become."
Founded in 2003 as the Mobile Marketing Association, the organisation expanded its mission to broader marketing transformation in 2018 and formally changed its legal name to MMA Global, Inc. in 2022.
This announcement cements that evolution. The repositioning includes a new purpose & mission, a complete brand message house, a naming hierarchy, a new logo, and brand guidelines.
