Trading places
● VML SA has appointed Parusha Partab as chief strategy officer. Before the merger of VMLY&R and Wunderman Thompson to form VML, Partab was group strategy director at Wunderman Thompson.
She was named Strategic Planner of the Year at the Global Women in Marketing Awards in 2023 and one of Mail & Guardian’s Top 200 Young South Africans in 2023. She also serves as head of the IAB SA (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) Council.
VML SA CEO Jarred Cinman said: “Parusha is one of the most imaginative and skilled strategy leaders I have had the opportunity to work with. She brings a refreshing and quite revolutionary mindset to the business, and will now be leading the best strategy team in the industry. We are thrilled to have her take on this new role.”
● Cell C has appointed Bryan O’Donovan as its chief data and analytics officer. He has worked in actuarial science, financial services and telecommunications in his 19-year career.
Before Cell C, he held various posts, including managing executive roles at Vodacom SA. He also spent 15 years at Hollard Insurance. He has a Bachelor of Economic Science in actuarial science and a BSc (Hons) in actuarial science and mathematics of finance. He is also a fellow of the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries and the Actuarial Society of South Africa.
Cell C CEO Jorge Mendes said: “Bryan’s appointment underscores our commitment to harnessing the power of data and analytics to drive innovation and enhance customer experiences.”
● BDO SA has appointed Christo Geyer as head of actuarial. He has experience in life insurance, employee benefits, reinsurance, listed investments and alternative investments. He has a BSc (Hons) in actuarial science and is a CFA Institute charter holder, among other qualifications. He has worked for Altvest Capital, Old Mutual Alternative Investments, Prudential Investment Managers and Investec Asset Management.
Thuto Masasa, the head of advisory services at BDO SA, said:
“It gives us great pleasure to announce Christo as head of actuarial at BDO.”