South Africa: Access South Africa.(Interview)

Omnicom Media Group's Josh Dovey talks to Mark Tungate about South Africa's media industry.

Josh Dovey is used to tough places: born in South Africa, he was educated at an English boarding school. These days, he is back in South Africa as the chief executive of Omnicom Media Group. When he is not overseeing billings of more than pounds 200 million, he eases his stress by racing classic cars around the local circuit. Campaign caught up with him taking a holiday on the farm he recently purchased. 'It's great for the kids at weekends, and I get to play with a 1956 Massey Ferguson Tractor,' he enthuses.

- So you were born in Cape Town but educated in London?

That's right. I went to a boarding school in west London called St Paul's. It was either that or the South African army. I'm sure the food at St Paul's was worse. But at least there were no guns.

- You should've gone to my comprehensive. I'm pretty sure there were guns.

(Laughs) You're probably right! Anyway, after a stint back in South Africa for Mobil Oil, I started my advertising career at Saatchi & Saatchi in London in the 80s. I worked at Zenith, then CKT, then a fabulous stint with Charlie Makin, Steve Booth, Nick Lockett and Alec Kenny. We were huddling together for warmth, but even then it had the makings of something cool. But my ambition was always to come back to South Africa and start my own agency. My last London position was deputy managing director of what was then CIA Medianetwork. I set up OMD in Johannesburg in 1996 with my business partner Gary Westwater, the financial director.

- Johannesburg seems to get a bit of a bad rap compared with Cape Town, which gets all the tourists. Is the city as ridden with crime as people say? Are there armed security guards on every door?