As Publicis Groupe’s first ever group chief strategy officer, Tahaab Rais is committed to driving strategy that empowers brands to live their best lives – by maximising on creativity, empowering people, driving effectiveness and delivering measurable and meaningful results.
Tahaab Rais, group chief strategy officer at Publicis Groupe
One of six international keynote speakers at this year’s Nedbank IMC, Rais holds the number one position as the world’s most awarded strategist for effectiveness and strategy, winning over 1,100 regional and global awards (and counting). Most recently he was also recognised for the third consecutive year, as the 2024 Strategic Leader of the Year by Campaign Middle East, and was integral to Publicis Groupe MEA earning the Regional Agency of the Year award at the Loeries 2024.
For Rais, successful campaigns are about hard work, caring and creativity – carefully underpinned by data and real value impact. He will be taking to the stage on 18 September to illustrate how to bring back marketing's magic by showcasing its power and recognising its role as a key business driver.
The Nedbank IMC caught up with Tahaab and chatted to him about his experiences and fascinating insights.
As the first ever chief strategy officer for the Publicis Groupe, what is it that you hope to achieve?
For me, strategy is about liberation. Liberating ideas. Liberating creativity. Liberating potential. Where every challenge is met with curiosity, not caution. My goal is to make strategy the heartbeat of our Groupe – a company-wide culture that fuels every conversation, brief, idea, and outcome. And to give people the tools, the mindset, and the permission to think critically, act creatively, and deliver meaningfully. Our training programmes focus on sharper briefs, deeper thinking, and smarter planning. And the results speak louder than we ever could – winning more business, earning more fame, and delivering more impact than anyone expected.
As a champion of creative effectiveness, how do you think brands can balance data-driven decision-making with creative intuition to drive results that matter?
Data vs creative gut – stop treating them like opposites or adversaries and start embracing them as allies for maximum effect. Often the best ideas start with a revelatory truth, backed by empathy-driven or numbers-driven data. A truth that makes people think, Hey, that’s me.
By combining human intelligence with data intelligence, we unlock ideas that are creative, credible, scalable, and meaningful. The key is to build a system (within teams and clients) that integrates art and science, heart and head, gut and data. Not an easy ask, but one that is crucial to driving real results for both people and brands.
What advice can you give marketers to help drive the Marketing is Business® mantra?
Marketing is so much more than just communication or chasing impressions and engagement rates. If all your marketing does is make people notice you, you’re doing advertising. If your marketing makes people need you, you’re doing business.
When done right, marketing transforms brands, shifts culture, and solves real human problems. When people’s lives are better, easier, richer because of what your brand does – that is the magic that makes businesses grow, reputations rise, and value multiply.
So focus on transformative work that proves its impact and value. When marketing drives real impact, it stops asking for permission and starts proving its power. To me, marketing doesn’t just deserve a seat at the boardroom table, it is the table – around which business, people and culture meet real value.
What unique opportunities and challenges do you see in the African marketing landscape?
Africa is a continent of contrasts – progress alongside deep divides. And that’s exactly where the opportunity lies. Marketing here should not be about more campaigns, it should be about more real transformation. Transformation that turns brands from advertisers into agents of progress, for people, for businesses, and for the wider economy.
But marketing often focuses on short-term gains rather than long-term impact. The opportunity is to flip that and deliver work focused on relevance, reputation and real-world change. Understand the deeper problems worth solving, deliver creative work that drives behaviour change and foster connections across culture, behaviour and technology.
We have a responsibility to measure what matters, not just likes or reach, but real behaviour change, brand value uplift, and long-term business growth. Because in a continent where the stakes are high, and the potential is even higher, the brands that win will be the ones who prove that marketing isn’t a cost. It’s the multiplier. It’s the difference-maker. It’s business itself.
What’s your secret to success – at work, in life?
My secret to success? Treating every day like it's my first. I approach each day with curiosity, eagerness, and caring – just like you do on your first day at work. Eager to learn, hungry to contribute and respectful of the people around. You care, and when you care, the people around you care too.
I live by this "first day" mantra both at work and at home. Imagine greeting your partner with the same excitement as on your first date, or collaborating with colleagues with the same enthusiasm and dedication as your first day on the job. This mindset keeps me connected, motivated, and ultimately more human.
Be a part of the most prestigious marketing event of the year and catch more of Rais’s industry insights on 18 September in Johannesburg or online. Venue: Mosaiek Teatro, 1 Danielle Street, Fairland, 2030.
First early bird sold out. In-person tickets priced at R3,500 (excl. VAT). Limited seats available. No allocated seating. Virtual tickets priced at R950 (excl. VAT). Book now.
For more information visit https://imcconference.com/.
