New IAB committee to punt transformation in SA digital

You only have to go to a typical industry event to see how far the South African digital space has to go when it comes to being more representative of the South African population as a whole.

In recognition of that fact, the IAB South Africa has launched a new council aiming to push transformation among the country’s digital publishers, agencies, and marketers.

The council is one of two added to the voluntary, non-profit association’s portfolio and was announced on Thursday at the IAB Digital Summit.

The council will be headed by Metropolitan Republic’s Bronwen Auret, who pointed out that transformation isn’t just about race, but also language, religion, and culture.

While there have been a number of transformation initiatives in the industry in the past few years, the new council represents the first really concerted effort by the organisation.

“We have a very strong policy and mandate that’s in line with the constitution of the IAB,” she said, adding that the council is already putting together a programme for the coming year.

According to Auret, the transformation council will work closely with the IAB’s education council to ensure that the training initiatives it puts in place constantly bring new and diverse voices into the South African digital space.

The media and marketing head is aware however that the transformation council has a long path ahead of it. “We’re not here as a one-time thing,” she said.

Auret emphasised that the council isn’t the IAB’s bid to come down hard on businesses which it perceives to be untransformed. “This is about collaboration within the industry to ensure that it becomes a more diverse space,” she said.