My appointment is scary, keeps me awake at night- Tayo Oyedeji
Outgoing Managing Director of Media Perspectives, Dr. Tayo Oyedeji has said that his recent appointment as Managing Director of Starcom South Africa and Head of Publicis Media Africa is a tough challenge that keeps him awake at night.
Dr. Oyedeji’s surprised appointment was made public last month, after he had accepted an offer from Public Groupe to head its media business in Africa. He is expected to resume on January 1, 2017, in his new office in Johannesburg, South Africa, where he will anchor Publicis Media strategic growth initiatives.
“I think it is first of all scary because it keeps me awake at night. A friend actually told me that i had better not fail because if i fail, the door will be closed to other Nigerians. So I have a feeling that I am not just representing myself, I am representing all of us in that space,” Dr. Oyedeji told MARKETING EDGE in an exclusive interview.
He also pointed out that the appointment was a direct fallout of the relationship between Troyka Holdings and Publicis Groupe which took off in March 2016, adding that many more of such opportunities could follow in the nearest future. His appointment is the first of such for any Nigerian in the integrated marketing communications industry.
When Oyedeji begins his new job in January, he will oversee Publicis Media in all the countries in Africa. He will also manage all of Publicis Media subsidiaries like the Starcom agencies, the Zenith agencies, Blue 449 and MediaVest.
“Blue 449 and MediaVest are not very predominant in Africa, so the two key branches that we operate in Africa are mostly Starcom and Zenith. And so in Nigeria for instance, Media Perspectives is the Starcom agency, All Season Media is the Zenith agency, and you will find that in many of the countries where both Starcom and Zenith operates. I am responsible for Starcom in South Africa, I am responsible for both Starcom and Zenith for the rest of Africa,” Oyedeji said.
Oyedeji who holds a PhD in Media Management from the University of Missouri-Columbia, USA and an MBA in General Management from Oxford University, UK, said he has been preparing for his new assignment by reading voraciously and consulting with friends and mentors who have been in similar positions.
He also noted that his experiences working with MediaReach OMD and now Media perspectives, two of the top media independent agencies in Nigeria alongside his global qualifications have given him the required stamina and toughness for the Public Media job.
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