The award was made during the final awards ceremony of the Loeries® 2016 on Sunday, August 21, at the Durban International Convention Centre.

Loeries® CEO Andrew Human said the award recognised Ntshingila-Njeke’s unwavering commitment to the creative spirit of the industry over many years.

A veteran of the South African advertising space, Ntshingila-Njeke helped turn Ogilvy & Mather South Africa into the formidable agency player it is today. In her new role as Head of Africa for Facebook, she’s charged with building the social network’s commercial presence in South Africa and the continent as a whole.

In her many years at Ogilvy, becoming chairman in 2012, she oversaw the agency’s evolution into a diversified communications group that delivered integrated, effective and award-winning work for South Africa’s biggest and most well-recognised brands, including DStv, SABMiller, KFC, Cadbury, BP, Volkswagen and Coca-Cola.

She has served as a Director on the Boards of Old Mutual, the V&A Waterfront and Transnet.

Ntshingila-Njeke also worked as the communications director for Nike South Africa, and holds an MBA from America’s Morgan State University. She has received numerous awards over the years, including a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Financial Mail and an AdReview Lifetime Achievement Award for her contribution to the advertising community and industry of South Africa.

“It is an incredible honour and career highlight to receive this award from the creative fraternity. I hope this award continues to inspire young women to find their voice and to ensure opportunities for them to thrive in the creative industry,” said Ntshingila-Njeke on being awarded the accolade.

“I am excited about the journey that Facebook and Loeries are taking to invest in and grow the next generation of creatives in a world that is more open and connected. I believe in the power of technology to enable and drive creative ideas that will ultimately change humanity for the better.”

The annual Loeries® Creative Week took place in Durban from 15 August until 21 August. First staged in 1978 to support South Africa's television advertising industry, the Loeries® have since expanded to encompass all areas of brand communication throughout Africa and the Middle East.

The Loeries® first introduced the Hall of Fame in 2008. Past winners include:

• 2008 - Mike Schalit (Chief Creative Officer, BBDO South Africa)
  
• 2009 - Nkwenkwe Nkomo (Group Chairman, Draftfcb)
  
• 2010 - Robyn Putter (1950 - 2010) (Former WPP Creative Head)
  
• 2012 - John Hunt (Worldwide Creative Director, TBWA/Worldwide)
  
• 2013 - Graham Warsop (Founder and Chairman, The Jupiter Drawing Room)
  
• 2014 - Keith Rose (Director and founding partner, Velocity)
  
• 2015 - Tony Koenderman (Editor of AdReview and Associate Editor of Finweek)

All the 2016 Loeries® winners will be listed on the Loeries® website (www.loeries.com) from Monday, 22 August.

Follow the Loeries® on:

Twitter: @loeries #Loeries2016
Instagram: Loerieawards
Facebook: The Loeries

Major Partners of the Loeries 2016

Tourism KwaZulu-Natal (TKZN), the Department of Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs, KwaZulu-Natal Province (EDTEA), EThekwini Municipality – Durban Tourism, DStv Media Sales, Gearhouse South Africa.

Category Partners

Accenture, Adams & Adams, ADreach, Channel O, Facebook, Film & Publication Board, Google, JCDecaux, Public Relations Institute of Southern Africa (PRISA), The Times, Unilever South Africa, Woolworths, YFM.

Additional Partners and Official Suppliers

AAA School of Advertising, Antalis South Africa, Aon South Africa, Arcade Content, Association of Practitioners in Advertising, Backsberg, BEE Online, Castle Lite, Clive Stewart Photography, Circus Circus Beach Café, Egg Films, First Source, Fresh RSVP Guest Logistics, Funk Productions, Gallo Images, Graphica, Grid Worldwide, HelloCrowd, Hetzner, Independent Agency Search and Selection Company, Locomute, Multiprint Litho, Newsclip, Paygate, Red Hot Ops, Rocketseed, Scan Display, South African Airways, Telkom SA SOC Ltd, Tiekie Barnard Consultancy, Total Exposure, Tsogo Sun, Universal Music Group, Vega School of Brand Leadership.

Official Media Partners

Between 10and5, Bizcommunity.com, CliffCentral.com, Coloribus Advertising Archive, Design Times, Film & Event Media, Goliath and Goliath, iDidTht.com, Marketing Edge Nigeria, Music in Africa, The Redzone, YouTube.