WHO IS
FABRICE SAWEGNON ?
A BORN OPTIMIST
Born in Ivory Coast – Abidjan (Marcory) to a mother and father from Benin, Fabrice Sawegnon will never know his father, who tragically died in a traffic accident when he was 3 months old.
He grew up in a blended family of 17 children in the “Chiens Méchants” district, which is located in the commune of Plateau. His mother remarried to a railway worker, an employee of the RAN, and originally from Saïoua..
His history, associated with its cultural diversity and its religious education, have led Fabrice SAWEGNON to become a person with the values of HARD WORK and SOLIDARITY..
“Self-suggestive Compulsive Acute” as he defines himself, it was his optimist who allowed him to transform his life.
A FRUIT OF EXCELLENCE AND OF THE IVOIRIAN SCHOOL
A high school graduate from the Technical High School of Abidjan, Fabrice Sawegnon then graduated from ESCAE (Higher School of Commerce and Business Administration), one of the six schools that includes the Institut National Polytechnique Félix Houphouët-Boigny de Yamoussoukro (INPHB ).
In 1993, he began his professional experience at Metal Ivoire / Jal Afrique as product manager. But his career in advertising began in 1995 when he joined ‘Panafcom Young & Rubicam’ where he held the position of Advertising Manager for 2 years. He went on to become the Customer Director of Coca-Cola and Sprite at the ‘International Mc Cann-Erickson’ for 21 African countries, before creating his very own agency called Voodoo in 1999.
Fabrice Sawegnon holds several national honors: Officer in the National Order (2015), Commander in the Order of Agricultural Merit (2019) and is cited among the 50-100 most influential figures in Africa.
A FREEDOM-SEEKING ADVERTISER
Fabrice Sawegnon was 27 when he started the Voodoo adventure in 1999. Tired of readapting advertisements designed for the Western world and far from the reality of the African continent, he decided to create his advertising agency and described it as: “an agency with an African personality, with a quality of execution worthy of international standards and an operating method in line with local culture and creativity.”
His intelligence quickly dazzled professionals in the sector. On November 25th, 2002, in Beirut, the agency won the first Mondial d’Or award for Francophone advertising ever awarded to an African agency for the rebranding campaign of telecoms operator Orange. The event was a first honor!
Accompanied by a young, dynamic and multicultural team, the “small” advertising agency is transformed and becomes the leading communication group in French-speaking Black Africa. It has established itself in several African territories, creating its own brands and being involved in many business opportunities.
AN UNSTOPPABLE ENTREPRENEUR
Fabrice Sawegnon’s entrepreneurial streak speaks for itself:
- 1999 : CREATION OF VOODOO COMMUNICATION
Fabrice Sawegnon, accompanied by a handful of young African advertisers, created the communication agency Voodoo.
- 2003 : EDITION AND MANAGEMENT
The establishment of an advertising agency for content creation ‘Espace Images Régie’, publisher of Tycoon and Life magazine, which has now been renamed Voodoo Media.
- 2006 : THE EVENT
The creation of Voodoo’s event platform, Event Entertainment, which was recently renamed New SODA. Under this brand are three main professions: management of entertainment spaces, organization of innovative public and professional events.
PASSIONATE TOWARDS PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT
Passionate about reading, Fabrice Sawegnon read books from an early age. Paul Sullitzer is the author whose story “changed his life”: Sullitzer was an extraordinary businessman, smart, invincible and ready to take on the world. He was inspired by him to in turn become an emblematic figure of the Ivorian business community and to be among the greatest success stories of entrepreneurship in Africa.
A source of inspiration for young people, he wants to encourage them to just go for it, to be independent and in turn to inspire others. In this momentum, he participates in various events (conferences, trainings, etc.) to motivate the youth and in 2018, he launched the COUP DE BOOST program which has enabled several entrepreneurs to launch or develop their activities.
Fabrice Sawegnon also initiated the MEET UP platform to provide young people with a framework for them to exchange and share experiences on a social network. He is working on the publication of a book called “LA THEORIE DU MIRROIR”, an introspective exercise in self-discovery, self-acceptance and personal transformation that aims to help young people become aware of who they are and what they can accomplish. This book is presented as the first personal development book based on the experience of an African in an African environment
A PROTECTIVE FATHER
Fabrice SAWEGNON has been married since 2001 to Laurence Kouakou. Originally from Abengourou, she is an agri-food engineer, and has had a career for more than 20 years in food quality and regulation. Today, Fabrice and Laurence are parents of two boys and two girls who have very Africanized first names: Gille-Akeem, Jahlen, Jayah and Kimia.
Fabrice is a devoted and protective father, anxious to transmit to his children two core values: hard work and love thy neighbor.
AN EPICURIAN
Positive, smiling and a bit cheeky, Fabrice enjoys being surrounded by positive people and sharing his passions. He enjoys music, cinema, tennis, discoveries and “energizing” experiences. He has integrated these worlds into his professional life to share them with as many people as possible, thus combining the useful with the pleasant.
Fabrice Sawegnon also develops projects that entertain him and which he is first in line for:
- His hotel complex on Boulay Island: BOULAY BEACH RESORT, the most beautiful beach club on the scene.
- His club, the Life Star, a benchmark for Abidjan nightlife.
In 2019, he moved the general public at the release of the film JUSQU’AU BOUT, a film inspired by his life.
CONTACT
