MEDIA RELEASE
28 November 2013
New interim CEO appointed to manage SAARF’s overhaul
Following the announcement in July this year that the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) would withdraw from SAARF by the end of 2014, the future of joint-industry media audience research has hung in the balance. After months of consulting with stakeholders, the SAARF Board has now taken the next step towards clarifying the future of the industry body.
The Board has appointed a new interim CEO, Ettiene van den Berg, who is tasked with ushering in the next chapter of media audience research in South Africa, in whatever form this may take.
Van den Berg, currently MD of collaborative marketing intelligence firm, BrandFusion, joins SAARF from 1 December 2013, until the end of 2014. Dr Paul Haupt, who retires at the end of March 2014, will take on the title of executive advisor from 1 December 2013.
“Ettiene is well known in the industry, especially in agency circles, for being a highly experienced Mr Fixit,” says Virginia Hollis, acting chairperson of the SAARF Board. “The SAARF Board has every confidence that he is the ideal change facilitator for this complex task.”
Van Den Berg says he comes at this challenge from a fresh perspective. “I am not a researcher, but rather a research user,” he says. “Having spent years in a number of industry environments, including broadcasting, marketing and advertising, I’ve used the SAARF products intensively, and so can bring a user-centric perspective to the current industry debate.”
While Van den Berg’s mandate has yet to be finalised by the SAARF Board, he says the first step in his role as change agent will be to engage intensively with stakeholders to clearly understand the business case for change, and the extent thereof.
The second step will be to create a new vision and business model for the new envisioned SAARF, in whatever form it might take.
Once this is done, Van den Berg will put together a representative group of stakeholders to form a guiding coalition willing to effect this change.
“This is the start of a new era for all of us, and we encourage the industry to get involved in this process,” says Hollis.
ABOUT ETTIENE VAN DEN BERG
As a seasoned marketing professional, Van den Berg has dedicated 25 years to refining his diverse skills set. Various senior executive leadership positions within corporate media have allowed him to transact business dealings with most sectors of top South African businesses, international brands and government. A client-centric turnaround strategist at heart, Ettiene has built up a wealth of experience in the fields of strategy, branding, media, advertising and production.
It is his experience as a change facilitation specialist, as well as a transformational and business coach, that has special relevance to the process of transforming SAARF.
<CAPTION Ettiene vd Berg.jpg> Ettiene van den Berg has been appointed as the new interim CEO of SAARF.
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