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Wendy Clark, president and chief executive of DDB Worldwide, has quit her post from the Omnicom company to become global chief executive of Dentsu Aegis Network (DAN).
Following Clark’s resignation, John Wren, Omnicom Group chairman and CEO, announced that Chuck Brymer, former DDB Worldwide CEO and current chairman, would assume additional responsibilities for the company while a search is conducted to Clark’s replacement.
In a statement to the media, DAN said Clark’s appointment would bolster its ambitions to be seen by clients as “data-driven, tech-enabled and ideas-led,” and build on a recent period of growth within the business.
DAN has said it wants to bring its Japanese headquartered and global operations closer together.
DAN’s CEO Toshi Yamamoto commented: “Our philosophy is that innovation can come from anyone, anywhere, and it is clear Wendy shares our passion for discovering new and better ways to solve client challenges and will be motivating and inspiring for our global workforce.”
Clark said of her move to DAN: “It’s both an incredible honour and deep responsibility to join DAN at this crucial time.
“The focused investments made by DAN over the last few years to acquire and grow the right assets, talent and capabilities, enabling modern marketing solutions, is undeniable and ready-made for today’s marketplace and beyond.”
•Courtesy: B & T Magazine
People still think I’m meant to be a man –Bakare, MedPlus CEO
The conversation around female empowerment is expanding. It is growing to address the glass ceiling and the levelling of the financial grounds/opportunities for women in Nigeria. As we explore these complex topics, it is important to bear witness to the exciting and awe-inspiring strides women across various industries in Nigeria are consistently making. 
Women such as Joke Bakare, MedPlus managing director, a renowned pharmacist, who was a guest, along with other women leading their respective industries, on a special edition of Nigeria’s favourite youth talk show Rubbin’ Minds.
The show was sponsored by Lipton, in celebration of women creating impactful contributions, through their work across generations.
In a conversation with Zimbabwean television personality Vimbai Mutinhiri, the guest host of Rubbin’ Minds, Bakare shared her thoughts on this year’s theme for International Women’s day: “All for equal, generation equality.” She eagerly shared her story, expounding on the challenges she faced as she pioneered the concept of a chain pharmacy in Nigeria in the early 1990s, long before franchising became a business idea Nigerians were willing to invest in. She also shared profound advice on work ethics, discipline, and navigating the Nigerian entrepreneurial space, especially for women.
“If you’re disciplined with yourself,” she says, speaking of her journey from operating just one retail outlet to running up to 54 independently-managed stores across the country, “start small, overcome the fear and uncertainty. I think the sky’s the limit.”
In 1993, at a point in history when there was widespread apprehension across Nigeria, MedPlus opened its first store. Bakare, who was then a 26-year-old registered pharmacist, looked at the reality all around her and was spurred by her passion and the desire to build a future of access for herself and everyone else to create MedPlus.
Bakare has in previous interviews stated that the major inspiration for her chain pharmacy dream was the drive to go far and beyond. Both as a pharmaceutical practitioner and as a consumer; she’d found the easy availability of quality drugs and medical supplies hard and that it wasn’t a problem she was ready to look away from.
To get her business off the ground she had to deal with the perennial Nigerian entrepreneur’s problem, the dearth of capital. But she didn’t let that stop her, “I would rock jeans and a t-shirt and every day I’ll go to my suppliers. Why? Because I didn’t have enough capital at the time … don’t let finance discourage you.”
Looking at the brand now, it seems almost impossible to think it started as a daily purchase and resell business. Today, MedPlus is more than a drug dispensing retail store, it is a massive empire that deals in total wellness services provision. The years have not seen MedPlus’ commitment to revolutionising the healthcare sector waver one bit, as is the case with many local startups. Quite the contrary. Year in, year out, the chain pharmacy has seen growth and expansion into new communities.
CSR: Wellbeing Foundation partners PocketPatientMD on e-health check tool
Her Excellency, Toyin Saraki, founder of The Wellbeing Foundation Africa, has just launched a powerful new e-health check tool in partnership with PocketPatientMD, which will make free ‘COVID-19 Health Check’ available to all 200 million Nigerians.
The digital e-health tool, soon to be complemented by a mobile application and an offline version, will educate the public on how to stay healthy, provide users with information about whether or not they need to be tested for the coronavirus, give public officials critical insights into vulnerable populations while providing early identification of potential COVID-19 hotspots around the country.
“This is a first-of-its-kind tool in the global fight against this pandemic. This health platform has the potential to be an effective early warning system, accelerating the response time of public health officials with limited resources, and giving every Nigerian accurate and immediate health advice,” said Saraki, who is also the special adviser to the World Health Organisation Africa Office Independent Advisory Group.
“Our efforts will complement the heroic efforts of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) and all those working to solve this unprecedented challenge.”
Dr. Chikwe Ihekweazu, director-general of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), commending the efforts of The Wellbeing Foundation Africa, noted the importance “that Nigerians have the tools that enable them to take proactive steps to protect their health as we work hard to prevent and control the spread of COVID-19.”
In the same vein, Dr. Sani Aliyu, the national coordinator of the Federal Government of Nigeria’s Response to COVID-19, has lauded the tool as “a welcome digital innovation to help Nigerians better understand their potential risks and symptoms and direct them to government resources for any required follow-up.”
SABRE Awards: Chain Reactions Nigeria wins prize
Chain Reactions Nigeria, one of the country’s leading public relations and integrated communications consulting firms, and exclusive Nigerian affiliate and West Africa’s partner of Edelman, the world’s largest PR firm with presence in 65 countries across the globe, has again shone brilliantly on the global industry map as it emerged the overall winner of a major prize and three certificates of excellence at the prestigious 2020 SABRE Awards Africa.
Provoke Media (previously The Holmes Report), in the 2020 SABRE Awards Africa winners’ list announced on its official website, named Chain Reactions Nigeria the overall winner in the Travel and Leisure category with its entry, “Building Positive Narrative for Dubai as Affordable Destination for Nigerians.” The winning entry was a perception management campaign run for Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) to cause a shift in the perception among Nigerians about Dubai being an expensive city to an affordable city of immense opportunities.
Three other entries by the firm that were awarded certificates of excellence include “Strategic Public Relations to Raise Awareness and Drive Participation for The Jack Ma Foundation’s Africa Netpreneur Prize Initiative”in the Not for Profit/Charities category. The rest are Facebook’s “Icons of Change – An Initiative To Connect The Youth Market Segment (Nigeria and Ghana)”under Technology category, and “Media Relations & Management for Cellulant’s Inaugural Partner Summit 2019”in the Media Relations category.
Commenting on these latest awards, Israel Jaiye Opayemi, MD of Chain Reactions, expressed delight at the global recognition of the works by the firm, and dedicated the awards to the clients for their confidence in the company to look after their brands.
…Modion Communications campaigns win SABRE Awards
Modion Communications, one of Nigeria’s fast-growing Public Relations and Marketing Communication solutions providing agencies, has through two of its campaigns won the SABRE Awards, Africa’s most coveted prize in Public Relations.
The agency joins 16 (Sixteen) other PR agencies across Africa awarded 35 Diamond and Gold trophies in the 2020 African SABRE Awards competition. PRovoke Media which manages the Sabre Awards in partnership with the African Public Relations Association (ARPA) said it received 150 entries from agencies across Africa.
Modion Communications’ 2019 gripping teaser activation for Leadway Assurance, tagged #SeeFinish, was adjudged the winner for The Sabre Award For Superior Achievement In Brand-Building. This category featured competitive entries from Nigeria’s LSF| PR’s Darling X LFW19 campaign and Ogilvy Africa’s Wings to Fly campaign for Equity Group PLC of Kenya, both of which received the Sabre Certificate of Excellence.
The 2019 multi-layer crisis management strategy for Gokada, Nigeria’s leading mobility firm, tagged #Gokada2.0, was the agency’s second entry for the competition. The campaign emerged winner of The Sabre Award for Superior Achievement in Reputation Management category, beating leading agencies from Kenya and Ghana.
