Our Man Crush, Yanfo Hackman is at the forefront of digital advertising, marketing, and communications in Africa. In 2020, the 34-year-old founder and CEO of the award-winning digital agency Social Ghana was a recipient of Ghana’s 40 Under 40 Award, and his record over the past few years is an attestation that he is well-deserving of the accolade.
Yanfo’s interest in advertising was sparked while undertaking an internship at Ogilvy in 2007 where he worked on a Vodafone campaign. It is therefore not surprising that soon after earning a bachelor’s degree in English from the College of Wooster, Ohio, he moved to London where he worked as a Marketing Assistant at Volvo UK. At Volvo, he made his mark by helping to establish their social media presence on Facebook and Twitter, as well as implementing the strategy for their local and national advertising campaigns. He moved on to the award-winning digital agency Found UK where he worked as a Social Media Manager.
After two successful years in London, Yanfo moved back to Ghana and worked as a Copywriter and Digital Strategist at Publicis West Africa. There he wrote adverts for Vodafone, Samsung, Milo, Nescafe, Guinness and Maggi amongst others.
In November 2012, Yanfo founded Social Ghana. The digital agency has grown from strength to strength, with Yanfo at the helm of affairs. He manages a team of over 20 creatives, and has engaged with 100 clients and counting including FanMilk Ghana, FanMilk Nigeria, Gino Tomato Mix, Hollard Insurance, Moet & Chandon, and Uber Ghana. In 2019, they were awarded the Digital Agency of the Year award at the Africa Digital Awards.
In 2013, Yanfo was featured on CNN’s African Start-Up, and participated in the global Social Media Week conference in London in 2016. He has given talks for the Advertising Association of Ghana, Ghana Center for Democratic Development, Colgate Global and Accra Rotary Club. In November 2019, he was invited by Facebook as a speaker at their African Development Conference in Nairobi, Kenya.
Yanfo Hackman’s talent and tenacity are paying dividends, and the sky is not the limit. He is certainly a worthy Man Crush Monday.
Just like Yanfo remember to #TakePrideDaily in who you are and what you do.