NATIVE VML CEO, Jason Xenopoulos took home the coveted Entrepreneur of the Year award at the annual All Africa Business Leaders Awards (AABLA) that took place on 30 September 2015 at The Hilton Hotel in Sandton.
AABLA in partnership with CNBC Africa, honour remarkable leadership and salute game changers of business on the continent for their continuing commitment to excellence, developing best practices and innovative strategies.
“I am speechless! Considering the great business leaders who have been recognised by AABLA in the past, as well as this year’s highly accomplished nominees, I feel truly privileged to receive this honour. But this award certainly doesn’t belong to me alone.
“It belongs to my brilliant business partners without whom NATIVE VML would not exist… and to the awesome team of NATIVES who carry the torch every day. Thank you all for trusting the vision!” says Xenopoulos.
When NATIVE was formed in 2010 it was with the bold ambition to become South Africa’s leading digital agency.
Under Xenopoulos’s leadership the agency has reached incredible milestones for a relatively young agency including joining global digital advertising giant VML, being named as agency of the year at Bookmarks 2013, ranking 5th in Loeries Large Agency category and winning Lead Agency status on Chivas Regal and Absolut Vodka.
“Our cornerstone has always been “purpose-driven work that lives in people’s lives”. This mantra has taken us down a deliberate path of transformation – from a digital agency, to an “Agency for the Digital Age”, concludes Xenopoulos.