J. Walter Thompson, the world’s best-known marketing communications brand, announced the promotion of Paul Grater to Managing Partner of its Cape Town operation, effective immediately. Grater will report directly to Jim Faulds, CEO, J. Walter Thompson South Africa.
In his new role Grater’s remit will include honing the agency’s integrated offering and capitalizing on the network’s unique talent base of transformational skills, driven by technology and insight that consistently provide innovative business solutions for clients.
Grater’s promotion to Managing Partner is testament to the agency’s commitment to the South African market, to developing its talent, and to recognizing and rewarding sustained professional growth and achievements, within the company.
Commenting on the appointment, Faulds said, “I’ve worked with Paul for 3 years and his proven ability to stay on the cutting edge of world class solutions – leveraging our digital and experiential capabilities to deliver business defining results for clients – made him a clear choice for this role. His promotion demonstrates that we build not only lasting relationships with clients, but with our talent as well. By so doing, we are adding exceptional value across the width and breadth of our offering.”
Grater began his career at J. Walter Thompson Cape Town in 2013 as a Business Unit Director on Smirnoff and J&B before progressing to become Client Services Director working in partnership with the worldwide network to harness global best practices for clients such as Lucky Star, First Bank of Nigeria, Pioneer Foods and Heineken. Prior to J. Walter Thompson, Grater spent six years at other multinational agencies in the region, managing international brands in the food & beverage, investment banking, and retail sectors.
Speaking about the appointment Grater added, “My career at J. Walter Thompson has been an incredible experience. This promotion is the result of work and experiences we have managed collaboratively as a courageous, flexible and dynamic team, in a challenging economy and consumer market that has evolved considerably over the past few years. I am honored to be leading this team of dedicated professionals and look forward to driving the agency’s continued success.”