I am Yingcwaliso Mabandla, an Art Director Graduate/Intern at Ogilvy. I hold a Bachelor of Arts in Communication Design from the Cape Town Creative Academy.
Working at Ogilvy has given me the opportunity to work across a multitude of brands, which has exposed me to diverse ways of expressing my creativity and solving problems. I thrive in small doses of chaos and challenge, making this industry the most natural path for me. I love that a significant part of my job involves research, uncovering the weird and wonderful facts that can turn a good campaign into a great one, and finding insights that speak directly to an audience. I am deeply passionate about this work and this industry, especially how it constantly drives people to be their absolute best. I hope to be one of those very best.
What do you hope to achieve through the IAB Front Row?
Through this experience, I hope to build lifelong connections within the industry and learn not only from my seniors and industry leaders, but also from my peers in the Front Row Cohort of 2026. I want to push myself to try everything and put myself out there, making the absolute most of this opportunity while putting the skills I learn into practice to perfect my craft.