LEADERSHIP
BRAND LEADER OF THE YEAR (2025)
Ms Gugu Mthembu - Telkom
PNG
Silver
| Title: | Ms Gugu Mthembu |
|---|---|
| Brand: | Telkom |
| Product: | Telkom |
| Agency Name or Internal: | DNA Brand Architects |
| Brand Representative/Marketing Director: | Sylvester Chauke |
| Agency: | DNA Brand Architects |
| ECD: | - |
| Copywriter: | - |
| Creative Director: | Kgomotso Molosioa |
| Art Director: | - |
| Strategist: | Nkanyezi Sangweni |
| Executive Summary: | At the heart of Telkom’s reinvention story is a leader who dared to turn a whispering legacy brand into a bold, culture-driving, digitally led force, Gugu Mthembu. When Gugu stepped into Telkom, the brand was adrift: underperforming, undervalued, and misunderstood. Marketing was seen as decorative rather than directional. She walked into a boardroom filled with scepticism and turned it into a space of respect, not through speeches, but through results. With a background in IT and a career carved through grit and reinvention, Gugu brought a fresh, fearless energy into the CMO role, shifting Telkom from legacy-heavy to future-forward. She began by rebuilding the internal culture. Her first mission? Restore the pride and belief of a disillusioned marketing team. She restructured the department, took digital marketing back from IT, built a data science function led by a mathematician, and rewired Telkom’s entire marketing engine to be consumer-obsessed, insight-led, and commercially sharp. Marketing became a growth lever, not a support act. From a net sentiment score of -56% to +10%, Telkom's brand strength surged. Market share grew from 14% to 18%. Prepaid revenues became the primary revenue driver, with Gugu at the helm of both product and brand strategy. Through strategic brand repositioning under platforms like “Monate” and “Possible Begins Here,” she reshaped Telkom’s image from being ‘affordable’ to being valuable, modern and inclusive. But her leadership wasn't just data-deep. It was human-centred. Gugu rewired how sponsorships were done in South Africa, pivoting away from the conventional and investing in women’s sport. Under her guidance, the Telkom Netball League flourished, culminating in the world’s first Netball World Cup on African soil, where #StandTall won over 15 industry awards, including Gold at the WARC Awards. More importantly, it sparked opportunity for young girls across the country. Her leadership transcends the boardroom. Gugu mentors female leaders across Telkom and beyond. She serves on boards that advocate for children and communities. She redefined Telkom’s agency model to reflect true transformation, favouring black-owned, female-owned, and emerging talent over traditional giants. It’s not tokenism. It’s impact with intention. Under her leadership, Telkom crossed the 24-million customer mark, made AI and machine learning central to social listening and customer care, and created a brand that speaks to all South Africans with resonance, with relevance, and with results. Gugu isn’t just Telkom’s CMO. She is a builder of belief. A shaper of modern marketing. A voice that proves creativity and commerciality can dance, and win. Her story is proof that marketing doesn’t sit on the sidelines. It leads the game. And with Gugu Mthembu at the helm, Telkom turned on more than connectivity, it turned on possibility. |
