Xolisa Dyeshana
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EXECUTIVE CREATIVE DIRECTOR – JOE PUBLIC / CHAIRPERSON OF THE LOERIE AWARDS
Finweek named him one of the Top 6 People To Watch In Advertising and Jeremy Maggs called him a “Game Changer” in The Annual, but you can just call him Xoli. (If you’re white, he’ll forgive you for replacing the tongue-click-intensive ‘X’ with a more palette-friendly ‘Kh’).
Xolisa Dyeshana is Executive Creative Director and partner at Joe Public, one of SA’s leading independent ad agencies. He was the second South African ever to be invited to judge John Caples in New York in 2007. He has judged the Loeries, Apex, Assegai, and the Cannes Lions. He sits on the Creative Circle Exco and has recently been appointed Chairperson of the Loerie Awards. Some of his recent achievements (because what we just mentioned are just normal things for Xoli) include Gold Loerie Awards, Cannes Lions Awards, Gold International Young Gun Awards, Gold Assegais, Gold Pendorings, a Gold Webby, a Gold OHMSA Award, a Gold Bees Social Media Marketing award for Best Use of Micro-Blogging Platform in San Francisco and a Gold Global Health Award, just to name a few.
Social change is a biggy for this guy. Through the education sub-committee of the Creative Circle, they help under-privileged young people gain access to the advertising industry, and he’s one of the brains behind Brothers For Life, one of South Africa’s biggest and most successful behavioral change campaigns in recent history.
Music is another major thing for Xoli. He is an avid R. Kelly fan (although not shy to sing to Rihanna in public) and, if you leave him alone at your party, he will step in as the DJ. Also, be careful of his foosball arm.
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