Meet our long-timers: Andrew Brand, Group CEO at 99c
For our 10th birthday, we sat down with the 99cers who’ve been with the agency since Day 1, to find out from them how the agency has changed over the past decade, their favourite memories of the early days, and if the coffee was always this good.
First up is our very first Day 1-er, our founder and Group CEO, Andrew.
What is your job title at 99c? Has it changed since you started?
A little. From “Andrew” to Procurement Manager (there’s a lot to sort out when starting up!) to MD to CEO. But I still prefer “Andrew”.
What is your first memory at 99c from Year 1 (2008)?
So many memories…
- Checkers agreeing to let me pitch
- Neil Schreuder, Group Marketing Director at Shoprite Holdings, calling me at 6 pm on Friday 13 June 2008 to inform me we’d won the business
- Croissants and coffee “meet and greet” on trestle tables in our sub-leased office at M5 Park on the Saturday morning before opening on a Monday
- Gladys’ first cappuccino from our coffee machine (that’s still going strong ten years later!)
How has the agency changed over the past 10 years?
Immeasurably. I used to personally interview each and every employee. I knew everyone by name, who their partners and parents were…
We didn’t have HR, IT, Digital, PR, Media, Post Production…
What hasn’t changed though is the coffee, the importance of our culture, our can-do attitude, our relentless passion for making our clients shine, and our ability to do work that works!
What are you most proud of during your 10 years here?
Too many things to mention – but the overriding thing I am most proud of is that our core values have never changed. It’s our DNA and our true north – many other things may change and need to change, but our honesty, transparency, generosity and willingness to get things done no matter what are the cornerstones of our philosophy, and they must never change.
In no more than nine words, sum up what 99c means to you?
My passion, my purpose, and my destiny.
What is your favourite 99c quote?
“Never trust anyone whose eyes are too close together” – Marius van Rensburg, Executive Director at 99c
