Vodacom's chief officer of consumer business Jorge Mendes says, "We are highly appreciative of the professionalism and the work done for Vodacom by Ogilvy South Africa. This has been a highly successful partnership during challenging times for the telecommunications industry."

"Our internal procurement regulations required that after five years the account be reviewed and that we consider rotating the business for the next term as part of our governance procedures," adds Mendes.

During Ogilvy's tenure with Vodacom, it remained unchallenged as South Africa's leading network, with the highest market share and Net Promoter Score (NPS) in the telecoms industry, according to Vodacom.

Newly appointed group CEO of Ogilvy South Africa Enver Groenewald says that the agency is proud to have been part of Vodacom's successes during which its subscribers grew to 41.3million — 17% ahead of their nearest rival.

"As a level 1 BEE black majority-owned business, we are proud of the work done on the account. At the heart of any good agency's work is the ability to assist clients to drive their business forward and deliver value to shareholders. We have managed to do that since we were appointed," says Groenewald.

"We understand that internal procedures within the Vodacom group resulted in the account being reviewed. We are disappointed not to continue with this highly valued client but we respect their decisions and thank them for the opportunity," Groenewald adds.

Vodacom announced enviable financial results this week in which the South African service revenue climbed 7.1% and the company announced an increased dividend of 9.2% to R4.15 per share.

Mendes concludes, "We have our partners to thank, including Ogilvy, for helping us achieve very positive results during a challenging year."

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