JOHANNESBURG — Samsung's Abey Tau, Deloitte's Martyn Davies, and digital media authority Patrick Conroy are the latest additions for the Holmes Report's first African Innovation Summit, taking place in Johannesburg on 1 April.

Abey Tau, who is public affairs and corporate citizenship manager for Samsung Electronics, will feature in the conference's closing session, while Deloitte emerging markets MD Dr Martyn Davies will discuss the region's cross-border communications challenges.

Patrick Conroy, who recently joined Platco Digital after a decade with eNCA, will participate in a session on how technology is disrupting media and content.

Draft programme details for the event are available here.

The new additions join a lineup  that already includes:
- Kate Johns, head of Africa communications, Standard Bank
- Google South Africa communications head Mich Atagana
- Telkom group communications chief Jacqui O'Sullivan
- Weber Shandwick EMEA CEO Colin Byrne
- King James Group co-founder and creative partner Alistair King
- Khadija Patel, co-founder, Daily Vox
- Gau Narayanan, regional director, BBDO Africa
- Kevin Welman, managing director, FleishmanHillard South Africa
- Magna Carta CEO Vincent Magwenya
- Burson-Marsteller chairman/CEO Robyn de Villiers
- Keri-Ann Stanton, managing partner, Engage Joe Public.

The conference, which is taking place at the Hilton Sandton hotel, will explore how communications and marketing are evolving in South Africa and the wider African region. The conference is being backed by eight partner firms: Weber Shandwick, Atmosphere, Burson-Marsteller, FleishmanHillard, Engage Joe Public, Magna Carta, Ogilvy PR and WE Communications.

Thanks to these partners, and as a signal of our long-term commitment to the market, registration for the event is currently free, until 4 March. Once this early bird offer ends, registration will be priced at US$50 (ZAR800). Early bird registration is open for one more week.