FIRECRACKER - Key Persons
Ben is a highly experienced creative - without giving his age away - he has over 25 years delivering cutting edge design and creative strats for clients in the UK, Australia and South Africa. Although not a full time Firecracker you'll recognise his work in the beautiful brands, digital campaigns and marketing collateral we deliver to our clients.
For someone raised in London Ben is unusually outdoorsy and spends his spare time mountain biking, surfing and buying camping gear in the hope his wife (refer to Nicola the co-founder) will get on board with this idea…
Candy is a highly experienced events manager, she brings over 15 years experience to our events team. It's no secret that events are stressful, but Candy's combination of calm exterior and endless energy make for a smooth event experience.
Candy loves a game of tennis, fine wine, camping and whatever adventures her partner Lance springs on her.
Fernando is our hand-on, ‘nothing is too much trouble events' co-ordinator. His fantastic work ethic and positive attitude makes him a perfect addition to the Firecracker family.
He is passionate about making an impact in his community, and runs a fantastic child and youth sports programme. He and his beautiful wife Liah love spending time outdoors and with their friends and family. Look out for Fernando at your next Firecracker event, he's the one with the big smile.
Job Titles:
- Communications Strategist
In his 20-year advertising career, Jason has worked on numerous blue-chip brands across a diverse set of industry sectors, mainly in managerial roles for international communication networks such as IPG (MullenLowe), WPP (Ogilvy & Mather), Omnicom (BBDO), M&C Saatchi and most recently Publicis Groupe.
Jason is well-travelled and has along the way, curated a vast network of local business owners, partners and service providers that reaches all corners of Africa. This network gives him and his client's access to Africa's burgeoning middle-class through real-time local insights, operational support and quality integrated marketing services on the ground.
His entrepreneurial spirit and penchant for the business of marketing & advertising has recently seen him make the bold move to go it alone as a Strategic & Creative Communications consultant, specialising in business development in emerging markets.
Nicola is our resident branding and marketing expert with over 20 yrs experience. She studied for her BSocSci degree from the University of Cape Town before she left African shores to broaden her horizons with the stop being in America. She gained an exceptional track record in London, Sydney and back home in corporate South Africa covering a range of marketing disciplines at KPMG, WWF, Vodafone and Old Mutual. Returning to South Africa with demonstrated experience (and a hubby), it gave her the edge to start her own agency.
Nicola's husband, Ben, is an accomplished Creative Director. They have two children, Ella and Sam. As it stands, Sam wants to be a fireman.