THE REAL SHIFT ISN'T TECHNOLOGICAL. IT'S PSYCHOLOGICAL.

TAHAAB RAIS JOINS THE NEDBANK IMC 2026 LINE-UP

International keynote speaker brings practical thinking on behaviour, decision-making and human motivation to Africa's biggest marketing conference.

Johannesburg – The Nedbank IMC has announced Tahaab Rais, Group Chief Strategy Officer and Film Director at Publicis Groupe Middle East & Turkey, as an international keynote speaker for its 2026 conference, taking place on 17 September 2026 at Mosaïek, Johannesburg.

Under the 2026 theme Shift Happens™, Tahaab's session, The Real Shift Isn't Technological. It's Psychological., brings the conversation back to the human shift behind the technological one: how people think, decide, buy, resist and change.

For the past decade, business conversations have been dominated by technology. Artificial intelligence, automation, platforms, data and algorithms have transformed industries, reshaped organisations and altered the way people live and work.

Yet despite extraordinary technological progress, many of the challenges facing marketers and business leaders remain fundamentally human.

Why do people resist change even when it benefits them? Why do some ideas spread while others disappear? Why do organisations struggle with transformation despite having access to the same tools and technologies?

Rais's keynote explores the idea that while technology changes the environment around us, psychology determines how we respond to it.

Drawing from behavioural science, strategy, creativity and real-world business transformation, the session will examine the forces that shape decision-making, influence behaviour and drive action. It will challenge audiences to look beyond the latest tools and trends and focus instead on the beliefs, biases, emotions and motivations that ultimately determine whether change succeeds or fails.

"We’re living through one of the strangest and most transformative periods in modern history. Technology is shifting. Culture is shifting. Attention is shifting. Identity is shifting. Even our relationship with reality feels like it’s changing in real time. And yet underneath all of that, human beings are still trying to answer the same ancient questions: Who am I? Where do I belong? What matters? What do I believe in?", said Rais. "The real shift Isn't technological. It's psychological."

Rais is one of the region's most awarded and respected strategic voices. His work has been recognised across major international and regional creative and effectiveness platforms, and he is known for combining sharp strategic thinking with a deeply practical approach to creativity and business.

As Group Chief Strategy Officer at Publicis Groupe Middle East & Turkey, he has helped shape growth strategies for some of the region's most influential brands and institutions, building a reputation for turning human insight into measurable business impact.

For marketers facing real business pressure, that combination matters. Rais's work focuses on the human systems that shape growth: how people make choices, how teams create, how cultures evolve, and how strategy can move from theory into ideas that work in market.

The Nedbank IMC 2026 will again feature a curated, not crowdsourced, speaker line-up, blending global insight with African context. Students from across South Africa will again attend virtually at no cost through the YOUTH1000 programme, in partnership with MASA.

For media enquiries, interview requests with Tahaab Rais or organisers, and high-resolution assets: Ibrahim Lukombe – ibrahim@imcconference.com

Africa’s biggest marketing conference, the Nedbank IMC advances marketing’s place in the boardroom and uplifts young talent across the continent. Proudly endorsed by MASA and PRISA.

To find out more, visit www.imcconference.com.

Source: Briefly News