VMLY&R South Africa says that Patel founded a number of successful ventures, racking up awards both locally and internationally along the way.

Prior to his journey as an entrepreneur, he enjoyed a successful corporate career, predominantly in marketing, during which he championed innovation.

He brings a wealth of experience across:
  • innovation
  • marketing
  • technology
  • CX, and
  • EX.
"VMLY&R is, in part, the continuation of one of South Africa's leading digital, experience and platform development businesses. As such, this part of our service offering is key and we are thrilled to have someone of Imran's calibre take on this role and help us to grow into the next stage of our business," says VMLY&R joint CEO Jarred Cinman.

"This appointment, at a brand I've admired from afar for a long time, is an opportunity for me to elevate my skill set and capabilities, and to work with some of the most remarkable and talented individuals, teams and brands in South Africa and globally," says Patel.

"After working on my own businesses for the better part of a decade, it's enriching to be part of something with even more gravitas again, to be part of an amazing and hyper-talented team and to add more value to more clients, more products and more end-users," adds Patel.

"As always, I'm most looking forward to making an impact," he says. "I'm very passionate about enriching customer experiences and I'm passionate about our South African people. I want to create winning customer experiences for our clients that add growth to their business and ease to our people."

"The VMLY&R team is just a truly talented tribe of the nicest human beings. I met the leadership and found friends I wanted to work with every day; I met more of the team and found an energy that I wanted to share in," Patel adds. 

"Then I met the people and found artists I wanted to create with. Most importantly though, our client base comprises brands that make a difference to people's lives daily, and I'm going to strain every sinew to contribute to us creating experiences that live in people's lives," concludes Patel. 

For more information, visit www.vml.com. You can also follow VMLY&R on Facebook, Twitter or on Instagram.