Advertising heavyweight Mike Abel recently bagged one of the industry’s greatest accolades — the Financial Mail Adfocus Lifetime Achiever Award. The executive chair and founder of The Up&Up Group was presented with the award at a gala dinner in Johannesburg on Wednesday last week. Two days later, the former Gqeberha resident received the inaugural AAA School of Advertising Alumnus Luminary Award.
After more than three decades shaping SA’s advertising landscape, Abel said the accolades left him profoundly moved. “I feel enormous pride and immense gratitude because so many people go through life without ever stopping to recognise how they got where they are,” he said. “For me, this [lifetime achiever] award is a moment to pause and appreciate the journey.
“It’s lovely to be recognised, but I also know you can’t win something like this alone. “So yes, it’s for me personally, but it’s just as much for my team who helped me get here.” In 2010, the former Grey High School pupil founded M&C Saatchi Abel, which became the fastest-growing agency in South African history, reaching R100m in gross profit within just three years. In 2025, he led a landmark management buyout that transformed the multinational network into The Up&Up Group, Africa’s largest independent marketing, communications and strategic advisory group.
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The group comprises M&C Saatchi Abel, Razor, Levergy, Connect, 2Stories, Black & White Consulting and Dalmatian. Collectively, the companies employ more than 500 people and partner with leading brands across the continent.
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