Education Council
The Education Council seeks to contribute to meaningful education and skills development in South Africa through thought leadership and influence. It aims to achieve this through knowledge consolidation and creation that will bring about innovative, diversified and sustainable education and skills development initiatives.


Su Little >
Head of IAB SA Education Council
With over 22 years of experience in digital marketing strategy and implementation, supported by a Global MBA in Digital Business Transformation, Su Little helps organisations unlock their full potential in the digital age. From crafting impactful campaigns and learning programmes to optimising operations and enhancing customer journeys, she partners with businesses of all sizes to develop strategies that drive measurable results.
Her core expertise lies in digital business consulting, training, and mentorship. Su guides teams and individuals through the technical complexities of modern marketing, advertising, communications, and operations. As a seasoned digital marketing trainer, she is passionate about equipping professionals and emerging talent with practical tools and insights to thrive in a fast-paced, tech-driven environment.
In addition to her consulting work, Su plays a key role in developing South Africa’s MAC sector through her leadership as Head of the IAB SA Education Council. In this capacity, she advocates for skills development and meaningful inclusion in the digital economy. Her contributions continue to shape a future where innovation, creativity, and diversity are at the heart of the country’s advertising and technology industries.


Lauretta Mtlomelo >
Member of IAB SA Education Council
Lauretta Mtlomelo is the Learning Manager at Digify Africa with over five years of experience in digital training, content development and learning design.
She is an experienced facilitator passionate about education and understands how to instil a learning culture and close the digital divide by providing digital skills training programmes. As such, Lauretta is motivated by using technology to create an effective personalised learning experience and has a proven success record of developing and improving training programmes at all levels.
Those who have worked with Lauretta have found her to be resourceful, a self-starter and a problem solver. Having a bad day, Lauretta will surely brighten up your day.


Nikki Smith
Member of IAB SA Education Council
Philani Mokoena is a Midweight Community Manager at Wunderman Thompson South Africa boasting an impressive portfolio of clients across various industries, including creative and cultural, automotive, financial services, and telecommunications. His passion for content creation and brand strategy is evident in his track record of excellence in improving client workflows, enabling creativity, and transforming brands through social media.
His strong creative collaboration skills have allowed him to work effectively with strategic teams and clients, ensuring that all objectives are met. Philani's unwavering commitment to delivering exceptional results for clients has earned him a reputation as a leader in the digital marketing space. He is driven by curiosity, learning, and growth.


Kyle Oosthuisen >
Member of IAB SA Education Council
Kyle Oosthuizen is the CEO of Blue Robot, a MarTech company that powers platform-native brand experiences across social and programmatic media that aims to eliminate passive engagement and scrolling and replace it with meaningful active engagement. With over 11 years of experience in the advertising industry, Kyle has led over 3,000 campaigns for some of the world’s most iconic brands, including Coca-Cola, Nike, Samsung, Spotify, Porsche, and Mondelez across more than 25 countries.
Kyle is deeply passionate about marketing innovation, strategic leadership, and performance-driven creativity. Under his leadership, Blue Robot has become a partner to global platforms such as 𝕏, Spotify, Pinterest, Meta, and TikTok. His work focuses on helping brands shift from passive advertising to Active Engagements that improve recall, consideration, and conversion.
Kyle also contributes actively to industry growth by serving on various boards and councils, judging creative and effectiveness awards, and co-authoring advertising codes that shape the future of advertising in South Africa.


Deborah Whitlock >
Member of IAB SA Education Council
I am a marketing and advertising specialist with over 20 years local and international experience. I have worked in the South African advertising industry in client service since 2011. Currently I lead the marketing department for one of South Africa’s top advertising agencies, Joe Public.
Prior to this I spent 7 years as digital marketing manager with Weight Watchers, New York Stock Exchange listed global organisation which has helped millions of people around the world lose weight.
I have a proven track record in establishing and growing start-up digital businesses and building success for existing business, driving growth through digital performance marketing.
Despite my career in marketing and advertising, I started my working life as a primary school teacher! I qualified with a Bachelor of Primary Education at the University of Cape Town. I remain passionate about education and view my position on the IAB Educatioin Council as a means to unite this passion with my experience in my current industry.


Merissa Blanche Himraj >
Member of IAB SA Education Council
Wavemaker South Africa CEO, 19 years in the industry, founding member of the GroupM GradX programme. Media Maverick passionate about people, communication, innovation and technology. Voted #2 Most Admired Media Professional 2021/22 (SCOPEN) and MOST AWARDS Media Legend 2021.
My reason for joining the council is to help drive education in the sector, and make sure we attract curious young people into dynamic careers in the industry to sustain it long-term.