Amy Leibbrandt

Amy Leibbrandt holds a BA Marketing Degree and was awarded the Top Student Award in Brand Management and Account Management. She has had a remarkable journey in the media industry, and firmly believes that her accomplishments and leadership deserve to be recognized and celebrated.

Her career in the media industry spans an impressive 17 years, during which she has displayed an unwavering passion, relentless drive, and an unmatched commitment to excellence. Having recently taken the leap to take leadership as Managing Director of FAME Media, she has showcased tremendous courage, innovation, and resilience in navigating uncharted territories as this is her first time in this role.

The decision to lead a media agency for the first time after such a distinguished career is a testament to her unwavering determination to challenge herself and explore new horizons. She has fearlessly embraced the unknown, leveraging her vast industry experience to chart a course that is redefining the landscape of media agency operations in South Africa.

Through her leadership, FAME has witnessed remarkable success and rapid growth. Their unique blend of industry expertise, business acumen, and creative flair has not only attracted an impressive roster of clients but has also allowed them to forge meaningful partnerships with industry leaders. Under her guidance, the agency has consistently delivered exceptional results, surpassing client expectations and leaving an indelible mark on every campaign.

Throughout  her career, she tries to foster a collaborative and inclusive work environment, encouraging her team members to think outside the box and push the boundaries of creativity. Her commitment to mentorship and professional development has helped shape the careers of numerous aspiring media professionals, earning the respect and admiration of her colleagues and peers.

Beyond her professional accomplishments, she is also actively engaged in giving back to the community. She has consistently used her platform to advocate for social causes, leveraging her influence to create positive change. She is also accomplished in the sporting industry, having represented South Africa at the Aerial World Championships in Italy in December of 2022.

She started her career as an intern at Ogilvy Media whereby she enthusiastically dedicated herself to learning as much as she possibly could from such a prestigious company. From there, she started her full time employment at Media Coordination (prior to the Carat global buy-out). After a short time, she was offered full time employment at Ogilvy Media and she was excited to fulfil her dream of working as a leader in advertising. She spent 18 months at Ogilvy as a media planner, fully embracing the full-service agency model and working with industry legends.

In 2009, she was offered her first role as a media strategist at Carat, and she was excited to progress her career in this direction. She threw herself into this role, working on amazing brands and portfolios across her 7 year tenure with the Dentsu group. As part of this learning curve, she embraced the changing media landscape to upskill herself in digital, in order to offer clients full through-the-line strategies that met their business objectives.

In 2015, she moved over to PHD, another global media agency, and worked across a portfolio of incredible brands and categories, learning from her mentors and peers to further increase her abilities. This resulted in her being offered the Managing Director role of FAME Media in 2022 (sub-company of PHD media) which she embraced fully and bravely, albeit her first time in such an advanced role.

In her 18 months of running FAME Media, they won the Specialist and Overall Media Agency of the Year 2022 at the MOST Awards in 2022, as well as a VIP client award from Yfm. Their client rating score has remained unprecedented according to the independent third party auditors. They continue to strive to deliver excellent client service to their clients and partners, as well as deliver on excellent work.

She started the Gabriel Road Association in 2020, after she had lived in her community for 3 years. She had noticed that there was a lack of unity and development in the area and wanted to improve the lives of the residents. Along with her fellow exco members, she has conducted numerous community clean ups, organised community fundraising events and removed a derelict building that was a drug den in the area.

• More recently, they have converted the large open, city-owned, spaces in the community, to a community garden. This has been funded through fund-raising and negotiations with residents and businesses in the area. Last weekend provided their first garden yield, whereby they were able to sell their first set of produce, as well as donate produce to residents in the local council housing who were struggling with food. This is an ongoing project that they are working alongside the city and residents with and are excited to continue working on and expanding this project.

She is also a single mom of a 13 year old boy; balancing working a full-time job and being a mom has been a challenge which she has enthusiastically embraced and excelled at. She believes in maintaining a strong work/life balance, as family and mental health are the most important keys to success. In addition to this, she believes personal passions and exercise are the best outlets for stress, and she is a dedicated aerial dancer. Her dedication to this sport resulted in her being invited to the World Championships in Italy in December 2022, representing South Africa on the World stage.

Lastly, she is an open advocate against GBV. As a rape survivor who has been going through a rape trial since 2016, she is an open speaker about her experience with her peers and the public, and has worked with Rape Crises through their Speak Out programme. She has also appeared in various media (under a psyeudonym) talking about rape, therapy, the legal process and how to cope with such a traumatic event. She often speaks to parents and loved ones who need advice on this matter, as she feels that sharing her knowledge about such a terrible event, can help others to go on to excel in their lives.