Mzamo Xala, the previous group CEO of Avatar, has launched his own design innovation company (image supplied)

The previous group CEO of Avatar, he decided to forge his own path.

"I wanted to create something new. With a marketing experience deeply rooted in innovation, I was inspired to launch this to fill the real need for innovation and growth in businesses.

"On a personal level, I want to leave a legacy in South Africa by building a company with a purpose to create solutions that are better for society, the planet, and customers, all through the lens of marketing.”

The #NedbankIMC conference took place on Thursday, 19 September at The Focus Rooms, Johannesburg, where a lineup of international and local experts shared their knowledge with 2,000 delegates who attended virtually and in person.

Bizcommunity chatted to some of the speakers and sponsors.

He says that when people think about marketing, they think about advertising, and while this is what they do, they also deal with customer insights and finding white space to develop new products that create value for businesses, stakeholders, and investors.

For him, this space has been filled by companies like Accenture, Deloitte, or PWC from an external perspective.

“I haven't seen an African unicorn company that brings African insights into that space and builds an African brand that leads into the future.”

Solving African problems for Africans

This company needs to address pressing problems in education, such as the African language not being a medium of instruction, which disconnects generations from their roots and also means that we as a country miss out on opportunities within the language economy.

For him, bilingualism and multilingualism are the future as they offer cultural insights into how people behave.

“This allows us to better understand why customers use certain things and why they don’t.

“It’s a powerful space for solving African problems for Africans as well as solving global problems with African insights”.

He says there are issues in other industries, such as pharmaceuticals, and issues in society like crime, that we can tackle to leave the world a in a better place than we found it.

“By addressing higher-order issues, we can solve the everyday problems that are causing us pain.”

“There’s a constant understanding that if we don’t fix things ourselves and instead look to others, they’ll never be fixed. We all have unique talents, and that’s why we’re here.”

He says the voice inside him saying, "You need to do something in this area," kept growing inside of him. “I finally decided it was time to act.”