Lowe South Africa Welcomes Julian Ribeiro as CEO

Julian Ribeiro has been appointed to the role of CEO of Lowe South Africa, where he will lead the Cape Town and Johannesburg offices. Ribeiro will report to Jeremy Hine, President, Lowe and Partners, EMEA.

Adelle Wapnick is standing down later this year for personal reasons. Julian joins Lowe, having held the post of MD of O&M Johannesburg since 2006. During that time, he took the agency to new heights financially, and delivered consistent results at the top of the creative and effectiveness rankings. 

Ribeiro also lead the growth of OgilvyOne Worldwide Johannesburg, turning it into one of the leading digital agencies in the country. During his tenure, O&M produced campaigns such as "Skop" and the "So Good" brand launch for KFC, Channel O's "Young, Gifted & Black" and the recent Lucozade campaign. At Lowe South Africa, Julian will oversee clients including Unilever, SABMiller, Prudential, Nestle, Pioneer Foods, AFB, Development bank of South Africa and Sasol.

Jeremy Hine, President of Lowe and Partners, EMEA, commented: “We are sad that Adelle has decided to leave Lowe. Adelle evolved the culture at Lowe South Africa creating an environment for the focus to continually remain on our clients. We have worked together in finding her successor, and we both feel very excited about the impending arrival of Julian. Julian is a seasoned professional with a proven track record of growth and integrating new capabilities into agencies. Above all, like Lowe, he values creativity.”

Ribeiro added: “I’m absolutely delighted. I love the spirit of Lowe: distinctive, nimble, collaborative and creative. The SA operation is blessed with great clients and wonderfully talented people who have great aspirations for the agency. I can’t wait to get cracking.”

Wapnick said: “While I am sad to be leaving this truly wonderful group of people, I know that I’m leaving them, and the business, in the hands of a great ad man and have absolutely no doubt in his ability to do the job. His credentials say it all”.