APO Group announces stunning jury for the inaugural Rugby Africa Media and Photography Awards

APO Group has been the Main Official Sponsor of Rugby Africa since 2017. Led by Founder and Chairman, Nicolas Pompigne-Mognard ( www.Pompigne-Mognard.com ), the company has assembled a fantastic judging panel. It is headed by the Chairman of World Rugby, Sir Bill Beaumont, and brings together luminaries from the worlds of business and sport. No fewer than three of South Africa’s Rugby World Cup winners of 2019 are on the jury - including Tendai ‘Beast’ Mtawarira’.

There are also representatives from dozens of multinational organizations operating in Africa, from Google to Uber; Toyota to Visa; Pfizer to Harley Davidson!

Here is the full list of jury members:

Sir Bill Beaumont, Chairman of World Rugby (Chair of the jury)
Hennie Heymans, CEO - DHL Express Sub Saharan Africa
Nitin Gajria, Managing Director of Google Sub-Saharan Africa
Richard Gouverneur, Managing Director of Jaguar Land Rover South Africa and Sub-Sahara Africa
Allan Kilavuka, Group Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Kenya Airways
Dr. Kolja Rebstock, Vice President of Europe - Middle East – Africa of Harley Davidson
Tendai Beast Mtawarira, Rugby World Cup-winning Springbok legend, CEO of Umlindi Security and Founder of The Beast Foundation
Somesh Adukia, Managing Director of Canon Central & North Africa
Jaco Beyers, Managing Director Africa Middle East of John Deere
Dr. André Schulz, General Manager Southern Africa & East Africa of Lufthansa Group
Patrick van der Loo, Regional President Africa Middle East of Pfizer
Dr. Johan van Zyl, Chairman of Toyota South Africa Motors
Hendrik Du Preez, Vice President – Africa of Qatar Airways
William McIntyre, Regional Director Africa of Radisson Hotel Group
Mark Alexander, President of the South African Rugby Union (SARU)
Thulani S Gcabashe, Chairman of Standard Bank Group
Danni Xu, Vice President of TECNO Mobile
Frans Hiemstra, General Manager of Uber Sub-Saharan Africa
Sipho Dlamini, CEO South Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa of Universal Music Africa
Aïda Diarra, Senior Vice President - Visa, Sub-Saharan Africa
Samaila Zubairu, President and Chief Executive Officer of Africa Finance Corporation (AFC)
Grégoire Ndjaka, CEO of the African Union of Broadcasting (AUB)
Gert Jonk, Senior Vice President EMEA of Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise
Thusang Mahlangu, CEO of Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty Africa
Angela Russell, CEO of the American Chamber of Commerce in South Africa
António Nunes, Board member of Angola Cables
Brandon Oelofse, Regional General Manager - Sub Saharan Africa of Atlas Copco
Babalwa Latsha, Captain of the Springbok Women, First pro female rugby player in Africa
Bruce Schubach, Director of Operations, Africa of Baker McKenzie
Breyton Paulse, Former Springboks
Garreth Bloor, President of Canada-Africa Chamber of Business
David Preston, CEO and Managing Director of Canon South Africa
Collins Injera, Kenya Rugby Sevens player and two time Olympian
Zemedeneh Nigatu, Global Chairman of Fairfax Africa Fund
John Saunders , President & CEO of FleishmanHillard
Lee Martin, Senior Advisor of Getty Images
Rupert Adcock, CEO of Global Career Company Ltd
Humphrey Kayange, Chairman of the Olympics Kenya Athletes Commission, World Rugby Player of the Year Rugby 7s panel member
Ian MacIntosh , Former head coach for the Springboks
Christian Bwakira, Managing Director, Middle East and Africa of Ingenico
Inia Maxwell, Former Cultural advisor of the All Blacks
Dr. Pascal Lorot, Chairman of Institut Choiseul
Robert Hersov, Founder and Chairman of Invest Africa
Jacques Burger, Former Namibia captain and Saracens flank
Jean de Villiers, Former Springbok Captain
Pierre Havenga, Managing Director, MEA of Vertiv
Wayne Godwin, Head of Advisory Sub-Saharan Africa of JLL’s Hotels & Hospitality Group
John Smit, Former Springbok Captain, CEO of SSG Holdings
Kelly Brown, Former captain of the Scotland national rugby union team
Ron Stuart, Executive Director: Head of Clients & Markets of KPMG
Nic Rudnick, Group CEO of Liquid Intelligent Technology
Lukhanyo Am, Rugby World Cup Winners 2019
Phillip Liu, General Manager of the Middle East and Africa of Alibaba Cloud Intelligence
Alisdair Sinclair, Managing Director, South Africa of Mondelez International
Simon Rahmann, CEO of Mondia Pay
Douglas Rowlings, Senior Vice President- Head of Africa, Relationship Management of Moody's Investors Service
Makazole Mapimpi, Rugby World Cup Winners 2019
Hassan El-Houry, Group CEO of National Aviation Services (NAS)
Amadou Gallo Fall, Vice-President of the NBA, President of the Basketball Africa League of NBA
Ms. Vidya Ramnath, MEA President of Emerson Automation Solutions
Jean Willers, Managing Director of Nielsen Sports South Africa
Precious Pazani, Rugby Africa referee
Michael R. Yormark, President and Chief of Branding & Strategy of Roc Nation
Ryan Collyer, CEO of Rosatom Central and Southern Africa
Coralie van den Berg, General Manager of Rugby Africa
Duncan Bech, Chairman of Rugby Union Writers’ Club (United Kingdom)
Nelly Mukazayire, CEO of Rwanda Convention Bureau
Oliver Fortuin , Group CEO of Seacom Ltd
William Moroney, Managing Director, Middle East & Africa of Temenos
Tim Vieira, CEO of Brave generation Academy / Special Edition Holdings Africa; Honorary member of the SA Rugby Legends
Tonderai Chevanga, Former Springboks, Director at QMM and co-founder of the S-Group
Olivier Laouchez, Co-founder, Chairman and CEO of TRACE
Robins Tchale Watchou, CEO of Vivendi Sports
Alioune CISS, CEO of Webb Fontaine Group
Wejdane Limame, Citing commissioner of World Rugby, Rugby Africa and the French professional championship (Top 14)
Dillyn Leyds, Former Springboks
Raymond Rhule, Former Springboks
Abi Mustapha-Maduakor, CEO of African Private Equity and Venture Capital Association (AVCA)
Matthew Weihs, Group Managing Director of Bench
Brian Katzen, Chairman of BLK Sport SA
Laurent Kayser, CFO of Cafeyn Group
Keegan Cooke, Strength & Conditioning Coach, Touring Manager of Zimbabwe national rugby sevens team
Sami Porkka, Former American football player
Laurent Larrieu, Founder and CEO of Larrieu Terrassement
Nicolas Pompigne-Mognard, Founder and CEO of APO Group (Award Director)

Applications for these awards are still open, but the deadline for entries is July 17, 2021. The results will be announced on August 18, 2021, with the two winners walking away with USD1,500 in prize money.

Entries can be submitted through the following links:

Media Award: http://bit.ly/Rugbymen
Photography Award: http://bit.ly/Rugbypen

Rugby Africa and APO Group have a common goal to help African rugby break through on the international stage. APO Group is using its unparalleled media network and international reach to bring the best of African rugby to new audiences all over the world. South Africa’s win at the 2019 Rugby World Cup might have grabbed the headlines, but the sport is on a huge growth trajectory across the whole continent, with 24 African nations now full or associate members of World Rugby.

“We are thrilled to have a jury that reflects the magnitude of these awards - and shows the popularity of rugby in Africa,” said Coralie van Den Berg, General Manager at Rugby Africa.

“It is so inspiring to read the stories and see the pictures produced by the talented men and women who are chronicling our sport. Their work deserves recognition, and I’m delighted we are able to share and celebrate the best of African journalism and photography on such a grand scale.”

“I would like to personally thank all the jury members for devoting their time and energy to these Awards,” said Nicolas Pompigne-Mognard, Founder and Chairman of APO Group, and the Award Director. “The size and influence of this group of people is extraordinary, and it just highlights the level of support that exists for the game of rugby in Africa. I look forward to joining them in trying to find winners that have captured the spirit of African rugby, and brought it to life.”

This is a joint press release by Rugby Africa and APO Group.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of APO Group.

Media Contact: marie@apo-opa.com

About APO Group: Founded in 2007, APO Group ( www.APO-opa.com ) is the leading pan-African communications consultancy and press release distribution service. We assist private and public organisations in sharpening their reputation and increasing their brand equity in target countries across Africa. Our role as a trusted partner is to leverage the power of media and build bespoke strategies that enable organisations to produce a real, measurable impact in Africa and beyond. The trust and recognition granted to APO Group by global and multinational companies, governments, and NGOs inspires us to continuously enhance our value proposition within Africa to better cater to our clients’ needs.

Among our prestigious clients: Facebook, Dangote Group, Nestle, GE, NBA, Canon, Coca-Cola, DHL, Marriott Group, Ecobank, Siemens, Standard Chartered, Orange, Jack Ma Foundation, African Development Bank, World Health Organization, Islamic Development Bank, Liquid Telecom, Rotary International, Kaspersky, Greenpeace…

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