Kabelo Ncholo, the founder and CEO of Y-Brand, an African-based Marketing, Advertising and Communications agency was named HR Leader of the Year at the Future of HR Awards Ceremony on the 23rd of October 2025. The event, held at Emperors Palace in Johannesburg was hosted by Topco Media. The Future of HR Awards is South Africa’s annual event that aims to recognise and celebrate excellence in human capital management, HR innovation, and HR technology.
Now in its 10th year, the awards have aimed to become the benchmark for HR excellence and honour the most exceptional, inspiring and effective leaders in the HR industry.
Focused on innovation in leadership, talent, and the future of work, the agency feels that these awards align with Y-Brand’s evolution and people-first strategy.
Kabelo is handed the HR Leader of the Year Award aiming to highlight his leadership of Y-Brand’s HR team. At the helm of the organisation, he aims to demonstrate a track record of excellence in managing HR functions and employee engagement, ensuring to strengthen the company’s organisational framework to align with best-practice HR policies and industry standards. He leads an HR function that aims to attract top talent, which drives initiatives that improve morale, teamwork, and workplace satisfaction, while inspiring staff to perform at their best. Through his management, Y-Brand’s HR Department implements progressove approaches to recruitment, retention, and succession planning, all of which are executed HR strategies that have improved business performance, according to the agency.
Speaking at the Awards Ceremony, Kabelo says, “We believe that the most valuable asset of a business is every employee that makes up the business. We strive to create a psychologically safe work environment that encourages opportunity and promotes diversity. To be a leader is to lead the people. You can really appreciate yourself as a leader when you see the people you lead excelling.”
Boitumelo Moahloli, Y-Brand’s Head of Corporate Services, says she is so proud to see Kabelo recognised as HR Leader of the Year and that it is an honour. “This achievement is a true reflection of his visionary leadership and the example he sets by leading from the front, fostering accountability, and continuously inspiring us to grow and do better,” she says. “It is a privilege to work with a leader who not only drives results but genuinely champions people, growth and purpose.”
Boitumelo adds that Y-Brand believes that the true measure of success is not only in financial performance, but in creating an environment where employees thrive, feel valued and are inspired to contribute their best every day. “We have built a workplace culture that is rooted in belonging, empowerment and collaboration; one that is high-performing and deeply human,” she says.
Y-Brand, aiming to build a workplace that prioritises employee wellbeing, celebrates diversity and invests in continuous learning and development leading Kabelo to not only winning the HR Leader of the Year Award, but to also being nominated for the CEO of the Year and the Employer of Choice (SME) at this year’s Future of HR Awards. This recognition aims to showcase his leadership and people-first approach and his commitment to building a workplace culture that is innovative, fair and supportive, says the agency.
It is this dedication to making Y-Brand an enjoyable and professional place to work that has enabled the business’s employees who operate from eight offices in Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban, Gqeberha, Windhoek, Lusaka and Lagos, to be a strong and productive workforce, says the agency.
This latest achievements in the field of HR will add to a string of other accomplishments awarded to Kabelo and Y-Brand in the company’s 21-year existence.
Staff satisfaction is critical to the overall success of an organisation. Y-Brand will continue to prioritse the holistic well-being of its staff, which the aim to advance its continued growth and prosperity, concludes the agency.
