The Candid CMO: Absa’s Sydney Nhlanhla Mbhele

If anyone embodies Absa CMO’s view of marketing, it’s Eliud Kipchoge: The first man to run a marathon in under two hours and the brand’s new partner.

He’s the athletics superstar who has found global success from humble origins in Kenya, making him the perfect spokesperson for a bank that markets itself as the place where “your story matters”.

“He’s hugely inspiring and has taught people that the human spirit is limitless. Anyone can believe him because he's demonstrated it,” says Sydney.

Across Absa’s 12 markets, Kipchoge offers a unifying, pan-African voice, one that avoids the national bias often associated with team sponsorship.

More importantly, the partnership reflects Sydney’s belief in human-centred marketing: building an ecosystem of products that support customers at every life stage, guided by data but rooted in real experience.

That philosophy was shaped during a difficult period early in his career, when he left a job without something lined up.

“I spent six tough months hunting for employment and, of course, I went through quite a tough time financially,” he remembers. “It stripped away any corporate hubris. That experience built resilience, humility and a deeper understanding of financial vulnerability, lessons that would later define his leadership.

Not only that but it also gave him real experience of the economic vulnerability and anxiety that is experienced by a lot of people. “It made me more empathetic,” he says. “It grounded my thinking in the real world.”

That grounding marks a shift from his early focus on creative excellence to a broader ambition: using marketing to enable human progress. It’s a belief reflected in his work repositioning major financial services brands, including Nedbank, Sanlam and Absa.

From having all the answers to setting direction

Over time, his leadership style has evolved. Where he once saw leadership as having all the answers, “holding the loudest microphone”, he now embraces a more collaborative approach. “The trigger for change for me was realising that the complexity of modern marketing means you can't monopolise wisdom. It spans data, science, performance marketing, governance. And it means that no single leader, truth be told, can be the smartest person in the room.”

Today, his role is to create the conditions for others to succeed: setting direction, removing obstacles and unlocking talent. That philosophy extends beyond internal teams. “I don’t talk about agencies,” he says. “I talk about external partners. They are an extension of us.”

Go slower for better results

While technology, particularly AI, is reshaping the industry, Sydney warns against moving too fast or losing sight of fundamentals. Absa is experimenting with AI across areas such as personalisation, campaign management and insights, but he believes the industry risks overvaluing hyper-personalization and micro-targeting.

“There’s an obsession with micro-targeting,” he says. “But shared cultural moments and mass reach still hold the greatest value for long-term brand growth.”

Precision performance marketing may drive conversion but “if you sacrifice big, communal, multi-generational narratives, you know, the moments that an entire nation watches, celebrates and talks about, you tend to lose the emotional fabric”.

“AI should make us smarter and faster,” he says. “But what matters most is understanding the customer. That’s the heart of what we do.”

Encouraging the new generation

That human focus also shapes how he hires. While experience and qualifications matter, Sydney’s prioritises qualities that are harder to teach. “I look for attitude, curiosity and enthusiasm,” he says. “Those are the differentiators.”

His advice to young people reflects the same philosophy: stay open, be resilient and don’t underestimate your potential. “People often limit themselves,” he says. “But there are opportunities everywhere if you’re willing to step into them.”

Understanding Africa

With Absa operating across the continent, he’s well positioned to observe how brands based outside it operate within a region that’s predicted to grow GDP by 4.1% in 2026, according to the World Bank.

“You must experience it. You must walk the streets. You can't understand it from a head office somewhere else in the world”.

For him, real insight comes from engaging directly with people: understanding how they live, think and feel. “Nothing beats walking and feeling the heartbeat of the nation,” he says.

That perspective is especially important given the continent’s diversity. “Africa is one of the least homogeneous regions in the world,” he notes. “Thousands of cultures and languages.”

This diversity, he argues, is often overlooked in global creative evaluation. Having previously advocated for an African category at Cannes Lions, Mbhele believes work from the continent can be misunderstood without proper context.

“Some of the most powerful ideas come from here,” he says. “But without a deep understanding of the nuances, they don’t always get recognised globally.”

Ultimately, whether through partnerships, leadership or strategy, Sydney’s approach remains consistent: put people first.

It’s a philosophy that aligns seamlessly with Kipchoge’s example, and with Absa’s broader mission.