Meet BRFC's new ECD, the woman challenging creativity in SA

With over 20 years of brand communication experience, her career has seen her working at some of the country’s top advertising agencies. She is constantly is seeking out work with a ‘what if…’ factor, work that pushes the boundaries and innovates.

She has worked on an extensive stable of clients, some of which include South African Breweries, Nedbank, Nandos, Chicken Licken, and POWA. Her trophy cabinet is testament of the quality of creativity she produces as it includes many local and international awards including Loeries, Cannes Lions, Apex’s, One Show Pencils and D&AD’s. She has had the opportunity to be a judge at Cannes Lions Advertising Festival and served on many Loeries and Creative Circle judging panels.

Roanna continues, “Like a moth to a flame, a fresh idea will attract the brave towards it. It motivates and ignites velocity. It aims high and when it’s intention is right, is a commodity that’s worth investing in. The world is changing at a rapid pace. Budgets have been cut. This is why investing in great creative thinking and ideas is so important, they’re the only currency we have to keep up.”

As the new ECD at BRFC, Roanna plans on inspiring creative confidence in the talented people at the agency.

Trevor Ndhlovu, managing director at BRFC, says, “When I was appointed last year, I set out to build an agency that will reward and recognize people at their level of performance and not years of experience. Roanna brings a mentoring and motivating approach to working with her teams, and I believe with our different but complementary ways of working, we are destined for good things, with good staff. I’m excited to have her on board and look forward to creating work that’s discussed for years to come.”

“Most creative people battle with self-confidence so I am working on building my BRFC teams self-belief and creative skills so that they can become tomorrow’s creative leaders. Working alongside Trevor, I am very focused on transforming BRFC into an agency that has a strong full creative offering, is nimble, proactive and gains its rightful place as one of Africa's top creative agencies, producing work that inspires people, grows brands and has long lasting impact.”

Black River FC is a small agency with a big heart and a confusing name. Although it’s not a football club, it is a group of team players with a healthy respect for its clients, their needs and each other. The ability to pull together is what sets them apart.

Follow the agency on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for updates.