Ashantha Armogam is not afraid to shake things up. In fact, “transformation” is the best way to describe how she turned a fledgling design company into a top, award-winning, black-empowered brand agency that is fast being recognised for its creative approach to business.
For 39-year-old Armogam, managing director and shareholder of Grid Worldwide Branding and Design, “transformation is not about ticking boxes, it’s something woven into a philosophy of ‘brave thinking’”. It’s this kind of thinking that inspired Armogam to initiate Grid’s independence from international agency TBWA through a bold buy-out in 2006. It led her to spearhead black economic empowerment and social responsibility initiatives and instil her philosophy in her team.
In five years, Grid has added many industry jewels to its crown — three Loeries, a Cannes Lion and a Silver Pencil. It has reigned as Financial Mail and Finweek Ad Review’s Agency of the Year and, with Armogam at the helm, claimed Top Media Company in the Top Women in Business and Government awards 2010. For her astuteness and success in transforming the agency, Armogam was named Top Black Businesswoman in South Africa in 2011 at the BEE “Oscars” — the Metropolitan Oliver Empowerment Awards.
But the real reward for Armogam lies not in awards but in building brands that shape the country’s future — such as the work Grid did for South African Tourism, branding all 10 of South Africa’s airports and driving social initiatives that propel positive change.
— Lu Larché
