The Media magazine's Women in The Media

WOMEN IN INDEPENDENT INDUSTRY INTELLIGENCE

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ISSUE 190 OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2021

POWERFUL PERSPECTIVES

ED’S NOTE INDEPENDENT INDUSTRY INTELLIGENCE

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I

t became very clear after reading all the submissions from women in South Africa’s media – and the contribution from one man – that while we have some extraordinary women in leadership positions, and many more climbing the rungs to the top, we have a way to go before we can claim to be truly represented in the media industry.

In her foreword, Sandra Gordon tracks the careers of the women who were honoured during 10 years of her Women in Media awards (ending 2013). She started the awards because: “Simply put, how women are seen – both by themselves and others – strongly influences what opportunities, lifestyles and identities they have access to. So it matters that women have a voice at all levels of the media industry (just as it matters that there be a diversity of race and background).

Women should have a say in how they are portrayed and what kind of content is prioritised.”

Cut to 2021. In her contribution, Quote This Woman+ founder Kathy Magrobi reports that women form half the population in South Africa, yet only one out of five sources quoted in media is female. When she started the organisation in 2019, she had 40 women+ experts in 10 different categories; she now has 550 names in 50 categories. As she says, “QW+ is slowly turning the tide on male-dominated sources, and at the same time making the jobs of journalists and producers easier.”

Koo Govender, as CEO of dentsu South Africa and chairperson of the Advertising Media Forum (AMF), believes strongly in the power of mentorship, something that has become increasingly important for a number of reasons. The AMF, she says, has a consistent focus on increasing women working in leadership positions within media agencies. And dentsu is part of the global Female Foundry programme that trains and mentors female entrepreneurs, with 15 female founders graduating from the programme in 2019.

This, our first issue of Women in The Media, comprises thought leadership articles from women – and one man – that challenge the status quo and offer insights, some very personal, into working in the media world as a woman. Then we’ve compiled a series of perspectives from other women working in different media sectors, who give their advice, insights and lessons learned through their work.

The Media.

Got to love it.

Glenda

Contributors: Simoné Bosman, Haseena Cassim, Celia Collins, Fahmeeda Cassim-Surtee, Sandra Gordon, Koo Govender, Janet Heard, Pippa Hudson, Gloria Isaacs, Tasmia Ismail, Deirdre King, Kgaugelo Maphai, Lizelle Mc Connell, Judy Milne, Kathy Magrabi, Ruchelle Mouton, Tshepiso Mpanza, Kagiso Musi, Pearl Muthivha, Lindiwe Mtwentula, Nosipho Mtshaulana, Boniswa Pezisa, Verashni Pillay, Tara Turkington, Tessa van Staden, Jorja Wilkins DESIGN Head of Design: Jayne Macé-Ferguson Senior Designer: Anja Hagenbuch Advert Designer: Bulelwa Sotashe SALES Sales Manager: Tarin-Lee Watts WattsT@picasso.co.za 079 504 7729 Sales Administrator: Neesha Klaaste PRODUCTION Production Editor: Shamiela Brenner MANAGEMENT General Manager, Magazines: Jocelyne Bayer Copyright: Women in The Media. No portion of this magazine may be reproduced in any form without written consent of the publisher. The publisher is not responsible for unsolicited material. Women in The Media is published

by Arena Holdings. The opinions expressed are not necessarily those of Arena Holdings. All advertisements/ advertorials have been paid for and therefore do not carry any endorsement by the publisher.

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4 I WOMEN IN THE MEDIA

EDITORIAL Editor: Glenda Nevill glenda.nevill@cybersmart.co.za Content Manager: Raina Julies rainaj@picasso.co.za Sub-Editor: Anthony Sharpe Content Co-ordinator: Vanessa Payne

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ISSUE 190 OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2021

POWERFUL PERSPECTIVES

ON THE COVER: From top left: Fahmeeda Cassim Surtee, Kagiso Musi.

From middle left: Haseena Cassim, Lizelle Mc Connell, Pippa Hudson. From bottom left: Boniswa Pezisa, Koo Govender, Nosipho Mtshaulana

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Contents

14 PERSPECTIVES

15 PERSPECTIVES

07 FOREWORD

Having launched the Women in Media Awards in 2003, SANDRA GORDON ran the event for a decade, culminating in the Woman of The Decade in 2013. Here, she looks back at why she started the awards in the first place, and where the winners are now.

10 INSPIRATIONAL LEADERSHIP

As the South African CEO of a global media agency and the chairperson of the Advertising Media Forum, KOO GOVENDER is well placed to talk about women claiming their space at the boardroom table.

12 A PASSION FOR EMPOWERMENT

When he launched the Matrix Communications Group, KGAUGELO MAPHAI knowingly went forth determined to employ women in his leadership structures and put them at the heart of his organisation.

Celia Collins and Fahmeeda Cassim-Surtee Tasmia Ismail and Haseena Cassim

28 A STORY OF GRIT

A major hiccup in her career as an editor saw VERASHNI PILLAY pick up the pieces and launch a company she had dreamed of creating.

18 HEAR THEIR VOICES

32 NO MORE CARICATURES

20 PERSPECTIVES

34 STRONG AND INFLUENTIAL

Over half the population, and

yet only one out of five of the

sources given a voice in the

media. Quote This Woman+ founder KATHY MAGRABI

on how she set out to

change these statistics.

Janet Heard and Nosipho Mtshaulana

21 PERSPECTIVES

Pippa Hudson and Lindiwe Mtwentula

22 THE GIRLS’ CLUB

It’s not a man’s man’s world, says SIMONÉ BOSMAN of

the creative advertising

industry. The uptake of women

leadership may be slow, but

she decided to set out on her

own to correct this imbalance.

24 PERSPECTIVES

Tessa van Staden and Boniswa Pezisa

The out of home sector has often been labelled the ‘Wild West’. No more, says LIZELLE Mc CONNELL. It’s time to leave old narratives behind and make the industry more inclusive.

Community media is a challenging space, writes PEARL MUTHIVHA. But there’s no room for self-doubt, only for determination to overcome obstacles and forge ahead.

35 PERSPECTIVES

Tshepiso Mpanza and Ruchelle Mouton

36 BETTER FOR BUSINESS

Diversity and inclusiveness aren’t just nice-to-haves.

TARA TURKINGTON gives seven tips on improving business through better gender diversity in the media and communications industries.

25 PERSPECTIVES

38 PERSPECTIVES

Gloria Isaacs and Jorja Wilkins

Judy Milne and Nicolette Lewin

20 22 6 I WOMEN IN THE MEDIA

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28

38

FOREWORD

A significant contribution

Founder of the Women in The Media awards, SANDRA GORDON, looks back at the 10 years she ran the annual awards, and the women who were honoured during that time.

CEO Koos Bekker, had this to say of her: “Esmaré faces two types of challenge in the years ahead: how to navigate this ship through turbulent political and regulatory waters; and, with print media in the dwang globally, she needs to shift to internet media. Esmaré will have to find a way to transform her ship from a sailing vessel to a steamship – while in mid-voyage on the high seas.”

During her tenure she tackled distribution problems, pushed for transformation and diversification, and began the long transition from print to digital. She retired in 2018 after more than three decades in media and eight at the helm of Media24.

Sandra Gordon

I

n August 2003, I launched Women in the Media, with The Media magazine’s esteemed editorial board serving as judges of the event. The initiative was based on a simple, yet seldom-voiced fact: over several decades the influence, talent, drive and effect of women working across the media sector had not been acknowledged, let alone celebrated.

For the next 10 years – in the magazine and at classy invitationonly functions – we honoured more than 100 women who had made a significant contribution to the

FEARLESS EDITOR AND ACTIVIST economic, political, social or cultural development of the South African media industry.

In August 2012 we agreed to end on a high note – by celebrating three Women of the Decade who epitomised the qualities, skills and fortitude it took to stand out in an industry not fond of acknowledging its own.

PASSIONATE JOURNALIST WHO ROSE TO THE TOP

Esmaré Weideman was CEO of Media24, the largest media company in Africa. Her boss at the time, Naspers themediaonline.co.za

In 2004 Ferial Haffajee was appointed editor of the Mail and Guardian, becoming the first female editor of a mainstream newspaper. In 2009 she took on the task of repositioning City Press, increasing the newspapers readership to 1.75 million within three years.

At the time, Business Day editor Peter Bruce had a few things to say in his Thick Edge of the Wedge columns about her success: “Haffajee doesn’t so much edit her newspaper as engineer it,” and “City Press is now edited with considerable genius by a woman.” He wrote of her “fearlessly rebuilding the newspaper in her WOMEN IN THE MEDIA I 7

FOREWORD

HARD WORK AND CREATIVE APPLICATION OF VARIED TALENTS AND SKILLS, COUPLED WITH GRITTY DETERMINATION, HAVE LED THESE WOMEN TO MAKE MEANINGFUL AND LASTING CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE MEDIA

and received accolades with style and grace. These women have gone on to win numerous global and local awards, many are household names, LEADING FROM THE FRONT and many continue to study and WITH INSTINCT AND VISION stretch their wings.

Terry Volkwyn joined 702’s sales department in 1986 and in 2004 2004: Unathi Nkayi is a broadcast was appointed CEO of Primedia personality (SABC1, YFM, Metro FM, Broadcasting. Under her leadership, Kaya FM), award-winning singer, the business achieved compound actress, judge of Idols SA and annual growth of 18%, increased shareholder in a television production gross turnover five times, and by business. Her memoir, I Keep 2014 had exceeded R1-billion in Learning, was released in 2019. turnover. At the time, Primedia Group 2005: Tembisa Gebeda-Marele is CEO Kuben Pillay described her business journalist and presenter journey: “From successfully leading who went on to study strategy and the best sales team in the country’s management. She is currently head of media, to effectively integrating communications and reputation at the the various radio stations into Financial Sector Conduct Authority.

Primedia Broadcasting, to being the 2006: Nikiwe Bikitsha is a multiarchitect behind the positive financial award-winning journalist, radio turnaround of the businesses within host, television presenter, senior the stable – Terry’s story is the stuff news anchor (CapeTalk, 702, SAfm, that MBA books are made of.” eNCA), social commentator and Katy Katapodis, at the time founder of Amargi Media. She has Eyewitness News editor-in-chief, an MA in journalism and media had this to say: “She epitomises studies, is a Fulbright Hubert the leadership required to ensure Humphrey fellow, and has an that the media stands firm against MSc from Oxford University. the elements that threaten its 2007: Siki Mgabadeli is a independence and freedom. She has business and senior anchor, editor, a ‘gut’ for what is right, and what will presenter (SABC, CNBC Africa, work and what won’t. The media is SAfm, Moneyweb, eNCA, Power FM, often under attack and the underlying SABC2). She has an honours degree support that we enjoy from Terry in journalism from Rhodes University. is invaluable.”

2008: Redi Thlabi is a journalist, producer and presenter (702, SABC, Kaya FM, eNCA), and is presently THE RISING STARS host of The Big Debate on eNCA. She We were never short of nominations has written two books, Endings and for Rising Stars: young women who Beginnings, and Khwezi. She has an showed obvious promise and were honours degree in political economy likely to expand their presence across the sector were selected and honoured, and English literature.

8 I WOMEN IN THE MEDIA

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2009: Sbu Mpungose is a sub-editor, editor (Move!, Bona, True Love, Cosmopolitan), PR account director and communications manager. She studied journalism at Tshwane University.

2010: Natasha Joseph is a writer (Al Jazeera, The Atlantic, The Big Issue), news editor (Cape Argus, City Press) and commissioning editor (The Conversation). She has a BA in journalism from Rhodes University and is currently a much-in-demand freelance editor.

2011: Mandy Weiner is an investigative journalist and news reporter (EWN, 702, CapeTalk, 947, Kfm 94.5), author (Killing Kebble, My Second Initiation) and co-author (Behind the Door, Ministry of Crime, The Whistle Blowers). She has a BA in journalism from Rhodes University and is currently the host of the Midday Report on 702 and CapeTalk.

2012: Anele Mdoda is an award-winning radio and television personality (5FM, 947, Mzanzi Magic, SABC, M-Net) comedian, talk show host and Miss SA competition judge.

She studied politics and international relations at the University of Pretoria and is currently host of the 947 Breakfast Club.

Sandra Gordon is deeply schooled in marketing, with experience in media, advertising, branding, communication, public relations and publishing (print and online).

She is CEO of the Iconic Group, a collection of entrepreneurial companies offering services across the marketing and communication spectrum, including Stone Soup PR.

IMAGE: SUPPLIED

own image … and has become probably one of the country’s first celebrity editors in the process … thoughtful, conciliatory and gentle she is, for an editor, wildly popular.” It was rare praise from another of South Africa’s most fearless editors. Haffajee is currently associate editor at Daily Maverick.

Champions for meaningful progress

Level 1 B-BBEE 88% female-led business 69% female staff count

We are dentsu.

In good times and bad, we partner with brands to achieve meaningful progress as a force for growth and good.

Our teams of optimists, entrepreneurs and first-movers coalesce around the needs of our clients, unlocking unique possibilities for sustainable value and lasting change.

Koo Govender

Ruschda Ismail

Lerina Bierman

Clare Trafakowska

Lani Carstens

Sfiso Mdhluli

Carni Wilkens

Yevenia Naidoo

Lelani Makarchuk

Grant Jacobsen

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Claim your seat at the boardroom table Marketing and media should represent an aspirational, empowering environment for women, writes KOO GOVENDER.

A

s a female CEO, I have always had and continue to have a strong passion for female leadership and upliftment. I am humbled to lead a marketing and advertising agency in South Africa with an 88% female-led management team and 69% female staff capacity, and constantly look at opportunities to uplift women – more specifically, women in business.

Although the numbers mentioned above are extremely positive and a step in the right direction, they are agency specific and not a true representation of the South African media and advertising industry. Throughout my many years in the industry and as a chairperson of The Advertising Media Forum, the challenge of and focus on increasing women working

Koo Govender 10 I W O M E N I N T H E M E D I A

in leadership positions within media agencies has remained consistent.

Through experience, I have learned that we as women, particularly women leaders, have an enormous responsibility to 1) encourage other female leaders to support women in business, 2) encourage women to reach their full potential within the industry and beyond, and 3) encourage, inspire and attract young, future female leaders to the industry. It is essential that marketing and media be seen as an aspirational career that delivers many opportunities, including working with a range of different clients and getting experience across a variety of brands.

The possibilities for individuals within the industry are endless, and one of the greatest unique selling points that we as industry leaders should continue to highlight is that for as long as consumers consume, brands have products/services to sell, trends continue to transform and the digital landscape continues to evolve, professional marketers will never get bored.

I AM HUMBLED TO LEAD A MARKETING AND ADVERTISING AGENCY IN SA WITH AN 88% FEMALE-LED MANAGEMENT TEAM themediaonline.co.za

THE BOARDROOM TABLE

LEADING VS MANAGING

“Management consists of controlling a group or a set of entities to accomplish a goal.

Leadership refers to an individual’s ability to influence, motivate, and enable others to contribute toward organisational success. Influence and inspiration separate leaders from managers, not power and control.” – Harvard Business Review Personally, I believe that leadership is people focused, which is where my passion lies.

I have always taken pride in the achievements of others, and choose to continue my career journey uplifting individuals and empowering professionals to live up to their full potential and to reach their goals. While this is my leadership style, I do recognise and respect that some leaders and managers lead differently.

This is why I strongly believe in the power of mentorship and having that ‘go-to person’ to hold one accountable, provide encouragement and act as a constant support.

I HAVE MENTORED AN ARRAY OF WOMEN FROM YOUNG GRADUATES TO PROFESSIONALS, AND BOTH HAVE BEEN EQUALLY REWARDING AND EDUCATIONAL

IMAGE: CANDICE ASHKAM

THE ROLE OF MENTORSHIP

Throughout my journey, I have had many mentors for many different reasons, whether for personal development, career development or networking.

However, since the start of my professional career, my passion

for mentorship has only deepened, inspiring me to play a significant role in the success of individuals and the promotion of women into senior leadership positions.

Personally, I have mentored an array of women from young graduates to professionals, and both have been equally rewarding and educational. Through offering practical experience and connecting others with new knowledge, networks and markets, the role of mentorship has become increasingly important, and I strongly believe that we as female leaders need to guide other women to rise as we as continue to climb the corporate ladder.

SUPPORTIVE PROGRAMMES

My passion for female empowerment has not been limited to mentoring one or two individuals, but rather extending it to large groups and supporting programmes (both personally and professionally) that take an active stand in bridging the gender parity gap across South Africa.

In 2014, through the VWV Group I developed and implemented the Phakama Women’s Academy, which is targeted at final-year marketing university students, empowering and equipping them with the necessary tools to enter the corporate world. To date, more than 150 students have graduated from the Phakama Women’s academy.

In 2019, dentsu South Africa launched the Female Foundry business growth programme, which is designed to close the gender parity gap by offering training and mentorship to female entrepreneurs. Fifteen female founders graduated from the programme in 2019, and after the successful launch of the programme themediaonline.co.za

I STRONGLY BELIEVE WE AS FEMALE LEADERS NEED TO GUIDE OTHER WOMEN TO RISE AS WE AS CONTINUE TO CLIMB THE CORPORATE LADDER there was no question that we needed to run it again. Thus, in 2021, dentsu South Africa launched the second edition of Female Foundry (virtually) in conjunction with National Women’s Month.

FINAL THOUGHTS

I have been in many situations where I was one of the few female leaders around a boardroom table. I believe that diversity of thought among different genders is crucial to create a balanced, collaborative, creative, successful and thriving workplace that not only breeds diversity but also encourages women to have a voice and to be heard.

As female leaders, we need to show up and be generous with our experience and learnings.

We must mentor, coach, enable and be invested in other women’s success, as this will develop longlasting relationships, foster a deep sisterhood, and allow for more women to claim their seat at that boardroom table.

“No matter where you are in life, inspire and empower the women around you. Success is never reached alone. And wisdom and wealth are sweeter when shared.” – Unknown

Koo Govender is CEO South Africa of dentsu International. She is also the chairperson of The Advertising Media Forum. She is passionate about social upliftment in underprivileged communities and is a women empowerment pioneer.

W O M E N I N T H E M E D I A I 11

In the company of women

Building a better society for the people of tomorrow requires the transformation of organisations, writes KGAUGELO MAPHAI.

M

y journey as a leader in the corporate sector started at the tender age of 25, and I’ve had the opportunity to work with various teams that were led by extraordinary men and women. My greatest takeaway is to embrace and encourage diversity and inclusivity, and that the workplace must be equitable for teams to thrive.

Havin grown up in a largely abnormal country that advocated and encouraged our society to be discriminatory and divisive, I’m vigilant about doing the right thing and very intentional in the way I lead. At the heart of leadership is embracing simple principles around fairness and giving everyone an honest chance irrespective of race, gender, age, religion, culture or sexual orientation. These are the principles I hold dear to my heart, and I believe that if many more leaders embraced them, we could really help this country transform itself into a progressive society.

I’m passionate about empowering others where I have the power to, particularly when it comes to women and young people. Corporate South Africa (shareholders, boards, excos, c-suites) is still largely white and male-dominated, and that is a

12 I W O M E N I N T H E M E D I A

problem, especially in a country that is majority black, young and female. This is obviously a result of the historical privilege that came with being white, including having access to capital, better education, and opportunities within the private and public sectors. The direct impact is that we are not taking advantage of the power that diversity brings, especially in our organisations.

CORPORATE SOUTH AFRICA (SHAREHOLDERS, BOARDS, EXCOS, C-SUITES) IS STILL LARGELY WHITE AND MALE-DOMINATED, AND THAT IS A PROBLEM FROM THE BOTTOM UP

In the first business I co-founded, in 2009, Dream Team Talent Management, 90% of our staff were young (under 30) and the majority were black females. For many of them, this was their first formal employment, so we took the time to nurture and develop them.

Today I’m proud that many of them have gone on to do great things as entrepreneurs or in corporates, and are leaders in their own right. themediaonline.co.za

When I joined media giant The MediaShop as Johannesburg MD in 2017, the management team were in their 40s and 50s. When I left we had a more racially diverse team of managers in their 30s and 40s, reducing the average age considerably.

When I started the Matrix Communications Group (Matrix Group) in 2020, I was clear that I wanted a female MD and, if possible, one from my home town of Pretoria.

Fortuitously, Dineo Mahloele and I found each other, and she ticked both boxes – an experienced corporate communications specialist who is originally from Mamelodi in Pretoria. Two months later we were joined by Tumi Makwela, our client service lead. The universe was listening to my thoughts.

When considering which companies to partner with and acquire, I approached African Response, a research company I had worked with for many years, which is led by the experienced marketer and researcher Mamapudi Nkgadima, and Integer\Hotspot, led by the passionate shopper marketing guru Diane Wilson. Both ladies have been running their respective businesses for well over a decade, building sustainable operations that got

LEADERSHIP

through the challenges presented

by Covid-19. Over time, they’ve also been able to punch above their weight in this male-dominated industry of ours.

IMAGE: SUPPLIED

THE HEART OF AN ORGANISATION

Women in leadership positions remind us that people should be at the heart of our organisations because they are generally very insightful and strategic in their approach, and also have an element of emotional intelligence. These are critical ingredients in today’s business culture, especially in an environment that has at times been dominated by people who are egotistical, arrogant, competitive and overly ambitious at all costs.

I’ve always believed women to have special leadership abilities that come naturally to them. They are generally nurturing people who get things done. They are forthright and reliable, and tend to be more empathetic. These are traits that have become even more crucial today in a world where we need to put people before profit in order to build sustainable business and a better society.

I must, however, also cautiously mention that I have sadly observed some women standing in the way of others progressing – professional jealousy, as I call it – for no justifiable reason. I’ve seen the misuse of power and authority to get to the top and then kick the ladder. This is obviously counter-intuitive, will slow the momentum of catapulting women to where they belong, and will also impact the advancement of women’s emancipation in both the workplace and society. In the midst of all the other terrible things happening to women all over the world like gender-based violence, femicide, rape and ongoing

inequality, I would implore women to be more supportive during these difficult times. This way they can triumph together as they take their rightful place at the head of the table, and start thinking in abundance and not in scarcity. This, I believe, will go a long way towards making the world a better place.

In conclusion, I must add that we are fortunate to be living in a country where women’s issues have made it to the national agenda in terms of policy formulation. We just need to ensure that these policies are implemented, and that women are protected against all prejudice in the home and workplace. My views have been largely shaped by women, on both my maternal and paternal sides of the family, which are

dominated by my aunts. I also have daughters who I pray will grow up in a better society than their grandparents and parents did, and that they are given a fair chance, at all times, to be the best versions of themselves.

Kgaugelo Maphai

Kgaugelo Maphai is chairperson of Matrix Communications Group and former MD of The MediaShop (Johannesburg).

Passionate about South Africa and its people, Maphai’s interests lie in consumers and the nuances that exist in the various parts of South Africa.

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W O M E N I N T H E M E D I A I 13

Stand tall and be proud H

aving been in the media industry for more than 20 years, I have learned many lessons. When I think back to them now I can smile, as they all taught me valuable life lessons, even when they were hard to stomach!

Firstly, the biggest lesson I learned very Celia Collins early on in my media career was always to learn something new, no matter how small it might be. I don’t mean having to do courses or degrees, but find a person within your agency who is willing to teach you

something new outside of your job title. Never limit yourself to your job title and never say “It’s not my job”.

Welcome the work with open arms, ask as many questions as possible, and learn how, why and what. If you make a mistake, own it and learn from it.

Secondly, see yourself as an equal in any boardroom, have your say, and make sure it is relevant and adds value to the overall equation. Equality is about being proud of what you are able to add to any job or situation, no matter how large or small it is.

Choose happiness I

have been in the media industry for about 26 years, and in a senior leadership role for at least half that time. I am currently the CEO of DStv Media Sales, a challenging but also gratifying job.

I often get asked about the secret sauce. These are just some lessons that I have learned on my journey.

BE A RISK TAKER

Don’t be afraid to try something Fahmeeda Cassim-Surtee

14 I W O M E N I N T H E M E D I A

new. Taking risks also showcases your confidence levels, which is especially important for women because the barriers to entry in top positions are much higher. Develop that self-belief that you can achieve anything. It takes courage and persistence to get this right. When evaluating situations, always just ask: “What’s the worst that could happen?”

DON’T WORK FOR NASTY PEOPLE

It is important that you work for someone who becomes a mentor, who has your best interests at heart. Mentors will advocate for your success. If you don’t feel this way, leave. themediaonline.co.za

Finally, learn to speak up. This was one of the hardest things for me, as I would sit in the background and not have a say, then expect my bosses to see the work I had done. Be proud and show your work off – this took me many years to master but it worked by understanding my clients’ and bosses’ personalities, and when and how to pitch to them.

I am a firm believer that life is what you make it and you have to drive your ambitions yourself. No one will help you, so stand tall and be proud!

Celia Collins is general manager of the Omnicom Media Group.

INVEST IN YOURSELF

Look out for your well-being.

Take intentional steps to improve yourself physically, mentally and emotionally. If you create goals around this you can be the best version of yourself. Run that race, take that holiday, book that massage, take that course – it’s worth it.

BE AN OPTIMIST

I believe you can choose happiness and see the best in every situation. We all face challenging situations on a daily basis; how we respond is all that matters. Optimistic people are just nicer people. They are also magnets for great opportunities.

Fahmeeda Cassim-Surtee is CEO of DStv Media Sales.

PERSPECTIVES

Future voices of society

T

hese are some of my key takeaways from my career in media.

CONFIDENCE COMES FROM WITHIN Be confident in your own abilities.

Women have many strengths, one being intuition, which guides and strengthens our decisionmaking ability.

MENTORSHIP MATTERS

Media24 CEO Ishmet Davidson has supported and guided my career path, and reminds me that to succeed I need to let go of certain

two crucially important commercial teams: Ads24 and The Space Station.

LESSONS FROM MY CHILDHOOD

Tasmia Ismail

responsibilities when my role in the business has grown and changed.

Rika Swart, general manager of contract logistics at Media24, has encouraged me to be fearless.

These have occurred during times of change. Encouraging Die Burger readers to access the publication electronically, driving excellent commercial results (after a heartbreaking restructure process), introducing integrated multi-platform media solutions to customers, and currently I am leading a pivotal change in Media24 by aligning

Don’t be afraid of taking chances, as with willpower and a desire to learn they will carry you a long way. I was never fortunate enough to follow through with a tertiary education after school and started working straight after matric. Now I am completing an MBA at the age of 46. Patience is a virtue!

Media remains one of the most challenging and exciting industries.

It has a crucial role to play in our democracy. Young women are best positioned to be the future voices of society.

Tasmia Ismail is general manager of news advertising sales at Media24.

Being female is powerful

IMAGES: SUPPLIED

I

pondered the advice I could give to young women entering the workplace and those feeling the corporate frustration of stagnation in a patriarchal society. Looking back on my own journey, I’ve unpacked the key moments that cemented my path to where I am today.

I matriculated with ambitions of being a graduate, but not a cent to my name. A few years later I was an LLB graduate working as an article clerk with the title of PA. Throughout this 10-year period, through a tonne of naysayers and those who said I would amount to nothing or that I was insane to be making

tea after spending years of sacrifice to become a lawyer, I learned some lessons.

• Define what success means to you.

• Understand that where you are right now is exactly where you are meant to be.

• There is knowledge in doing whatever you’re doing right now.

Do it with passion and zest.

You are learning skills every day without realising it.

• Life is meant to be enjoyed, so find the silver linings around the darkest of clouds. Laugh, dance and enjoy the beauty around you. themediaonline.co.za

• Trust your gut instinct.

• Nothing comes without effort.

• We are all equals; titles and status do not define your worth. Your character and ability to rise define your worth.

• Consider all opportunities and take the ones that feel right.

• Aspire to be fearless.

• Being female is powerful.

Rise, young queens.

Haseena Cassim

Haseena Cassim is managing director at YFM.

W O M E N I N T H E M E D I A I 15

Making our voices heard

O

ver half the population, and yet only one out of five of the sources given a voice in the media.

South African women are still very much fighting to be heard – and non-profit company Quote This Woman+ (QW+) is fighting alongside them. By curating a database of women+ experts for news producers and journalists to use, QW+ ensures that change-makers, agitators and experts from the most marginalised parts of society are given a chance to make it into journalists’ contact lists and onto news programme talk shows. (The ‘+’ in women+ refers to experts beyond women who are marginalised for other reasons, such as sexual orientation, gender identity, poverty, rural living spaces, lack of formal education, or not speaking with the right model C accent for a TV interview.)

There are many complex reasons why the gender gap exists with regards to whose perspectives are platformed in news stories.

When QW+ was formed in 2019, the founders assumed that the main reason was implicit bias, and that there’d be resistance to using the database. However, in every newsroom approached, a couple of things happened. Firstly, the idea of a database of verified women+ that could be accessed when needed for news stories was welcomed with 18 I W O M E N I N T H E M E D I A

Adding the voices of women to more news stories can only enrich our media landscape, writes KATHY MAGRABI.

Kathy Magrabi

skewed distribution of power. Rather, this default reflection of social norms and structures has remained in place despite a raft of initiatives to stamp out patriarchal bias in news. Why? Because maintaining the status quo is what takes the least effort and the least imagination in a highly stressed and critically short-staffed newsroom environment. It’s not even that there is a lack of credible expert women+ sources, but rather that tracking them down when they’re unknown quantities takes longer than the journalist working in the age of social media can afford.

TAKING STEPS TOWARDS PARITY

open arms. Secondly, when asked to estimate, the journalist, editor or producer in question significantly underestimated the actual size of the source gender gap in their area of news, and was committed to improving it within their context.

TIME IS NOT ON OUR SIDE

QW+ has come to realise that in our current finance- and resourcestrained context, newsrooms are not actively trying to maintain a themediaonline.co.za

We work in a world where newsrooms have haemorrhaged jobs, and the time to research and write stories has shortened inconceivably, where the number of pairs of eyes on a story has reduced from five or six to sometimes no more than one. Journalists are often forced to fall back on the sources they’re familiar with – the sources who are known quantities, who they in turn are known to, and who can be relied on to take their calls even when it’s not convenient, and who they trust can be relied upon to deliver a great soundbite. Often this means they default to using the same sources over and again, who are, in the majority, men. This is the first part of the context.

Sometimes, journalists tell QW+ that they’re frustrated with interviewing capable women+ experts because these

WOMEN’S VOICES

same trailblazers lack the confidence for the media spotlight. QW+ recognises that we live in a world where religious, social and cultural imperatives have colluded to silence women+ voices over time, and that changing this will take more than media training or positive self-talk.

To this end, QW+ has devised a twostep programme. The first step is offering a series of training seminars called Women Own The Spotlight, devised with top media trainers, presentation skills trainers, a team of psychologists and LifeLine trainers.

This is aimed at women in academia, business and the NGO world. The second step is an annual membership programme called Quote Me On That – an ongoing mentorship programme where experts work together, and with the QW+ feminist team, to break down barriers and move up through a programme of sustained inner work and mini-training events that leave individuals with ownership of their voices, despite a world that actively stifles them. This is the second part of the context.

IMAGE: SUPPLIED

TURNING THE TIDE

By connecting the media to credible and confident women+ experts, QW+ is slowly turning the tide on maledominated sources, and at the same time making the jobs of journalists and producers easier. The organisation has taken the context of the news environment into consideration, devising its theory of change accordingly. Each member of the database has been vetted and verified before being added.

Each person’s biography, key tags and location are listed in their profile.

Journalists who want access to the database can contact QW+, who will share it with verified reporters. To save journalists and producers even more time, QW+ can also recommend experts to contact for specific stories. Beyond

this, as a feminist organisation QW+ constantly works with experts to build skills in owning the media spotlight and taking a seat at the table.

Aside from ensuring that women+ experts are quoted, QW+ also fights for gender parity in the language of reporting. The organisation insists that the language and framing in a story should be no different if men or women+ are featured, and strongly encourages journalists and readers to do the gender reversibility test within the context of news as a quick way of checking if gender-neutral language is being used.

Simply put, this asks: If the writing is about a man, could it also be about a woman and vice versa? For example, you’ll find that “Ms/Mr X delivered an informative speech on eradicating child hunger” is reversible, while “Ms/Mr X, dressed in a questionable floral print, shrilly declaimed corporation-led decreased emissions in fighting climate change” seems to show irrelevant information if written about a man. Therefore, to make it gender neutral, the sentence should be rewritten regardless of which gender is being referenced.

TOWARDS A RICHER MEDIA LANDSCAPE

QW+ holds as its core belief that in the majority of cases, the voices and narratives of women+ are different from those of men, because the constellation of stresses and demands that operates on them is different. QW+ is clear that this difference needs to be better articulated and understood for a sounder democracy to emerge as South Africa builds from the myriad social, political, economic and health issues it faces at present, and that gender transformation will lead to a media landscape that is a richer, deeper and more robust. themediaonline.co.za

There is much happening, both in South Africa and the rest of the world, that convinces QW+ that democracy will be deepened if women+ voices talk more publicly on a greater variety of topics and the gender gap in media sources is brought to a close.

QW+ was launched just before South Africa’s 2019 general elections through the Wits media accelerator programme, JAMLAB, and received start-up funding in 2020 and part of 2021 from the South African Media Innovation Programme. At launch, there were 40 women+ experts on the database in 10 different categories relevant to the 2019 elections, and probably the same number of journalists – a mixture of foreign correspondents, independent media, broadcast producers and traditional news journalists – using the database. At latest count, the database has 550 names on it in 50 categories and serves over 1 500 news producers and journalists – both foreign and local. For 2022, QW+ has received partial funding from the Open Society Foundation South Africa but is still short one half of its project funding. To support the QW+ vision, you can donate to QW+ here: www. quotethiswoman. org.za/#join, or use this QR code for SnapScan.

Kathy Magrabi is the founder of Quote This Woman+, a non-profit company based in Hilton, KwaZulu-Natal, but working throughout South Africa. Its aim is to contribute to gender transformation of the media landscape through the use of women+ voices and narratives that better correlate to South African demographics.

W O M E N I N T H E M E D I A I 19

Remember to breathe W

hen I started out as a cub reporter at The Star, there was an intimidating mahogany row of mostly white, male editorial executives. Fortunately, today traditional newsroom floor hierarchies have been disrupted (and lately gone virtual) and there has been a sea change in diversity of senior editorial staff.

But we are not quite there yet.

So here are some tips for those starting out.

In my experience, men still generally have a greater sense of entitlement than women, who need

FIND A MENTOR

Janet Heard

to work harder to be heard. Don’t be drowned out; speak up.

SUPPORT YOUR COLLEAGUES

When I started out, there was great camaraderie among reporters and photographers. Reach out and support each other, especially female colleagues who may have shared challenges about, for instance, tonedeaf race and gender issues, cyberbullying and other harassment. It is important to gain strength by talking about experiences and also to alert your line manager, who can hopefully offer guidance – if looped in.

Navigating your way around a tricky story can be daunting.

Pester experienced colleagues beyond your news editor, who is multitasking and time-short. Find a mentor and accompany them on stories to see how they conduct interviews, manage volatile conflict situations and ensure fair, factchecked reporting. Pick up tips by offering help with research for their investigative stories. I am grateful to old hands who taught me the power and skill of “Show, don’t tell”, and how to navigate the sensitivities and nuances of reporting. The press code is the gospel of journalism. Follow it, and do what is right and ethical.

And finally, remember to breathe.

Janet Heard is day managing editor at Daily Maverick.

Mental health in the newsroom A

rush from one breaking news bulletin to the next, staying on top of the news agenda and being constantly switched on – that’s just a glimpse of a day in the life of a journalist.

The news cycle is a relentless, neverending one. The adrenaline rush keeps us moving when we are caught in the moment.

However, the past 17 months or so have Nosipho Mtshaulana highlighted

20 I W O M E N I N T H E M E D I A

the importance for us of hitting the PAUSE button and taking a step back. As journalists, we’ve been at the centre of the Covid-19 pandemic and reporting on the ever-evolving virus that has claimed the lives of millions of people around the world. It’s been tough and depressing. Most among us have experienced heightened anxiety, stress, depression and burnout.

It’s for this reason that it has become so important for newsrooms to prioritise the mental health of their editorial staff. We need a newsroom culture where people are free to speak out about their experiences, themediaonline.co.za

without fearing that it will affect their careers. While there’s a glimpse of hope, with various newsrooms implementing different programmes for their staff, there’s room for more to be done. After all, we need journalists who are mentally healthy and fully supported.

It’s also upon us to exercise self-care. The demands of the job are plenty, and it almost seems impossible to switch off. But we are of no use to anyone if we don’t put ourselves and our mental well-being first.

Nosipho Mtshaulana is news editor at Newzroom Afrika.

PERSPECTIVES

Anything can happen I

f I had R50 for every time I’ve heard the words “Women don’t do well in talk radio”, I’d be retired in Clifton by now, living my best life and sipping cocktails each evening instead of prepping for the next interview. I’ve always chosen to view that statement as a dare rather than a refusal, but there’s no denying that overcoming that mindset has been a challenge at times.

My hope is that the next generation of women won’t have to hear that statement at all, and won’t face the anger, disappointment and self-doubt that comes with it. But at least if they do hear it, they will be able to look around and find role

models who immediately prove it wrong – women who have fought hard to win their place behind the microphone, to deliver great content, and to be compensated fairly and equitably for their work.

That’s not to say that the battle is fully won just yet, or that simply being allowed into the room is enough. Getting on air is only the start; staying on air requires energy, creativity, focus, teamwork and thorough preparation, every

Nourishing innovation

IMAGES: SUPPLIED

A

s a child I was always fascinated by marketing, specifically advertising – TV ads, radio and billboards, the idea behind how people in media construct a product message, and the manner in which the medium allows you to be creative!

It is fun and things are never the same, which is why I ended up in media, an industry that nourishes innovation. This exceptionally creative industry nurtures creative talent, and

Lindiwe Mtwentula

allows people interested in communication to combine their love for marketing with creativity and originality.

Over the past two years I have learned that “you don’t know what you don’t know”. The pandemic certainly confirmed this. The way we knew marketing suddenly changed almost overnight and we had to be innovative.

For radio stations, events disappeared, partnerships became immaterial, and we had to find new ways to entertain listeners and still provide clients with campaigns that aligned with their business needs. themediaonline.co.za

single day. And even with all of that, no show is entirely predictable or plannable.

It’s live radio, so you never know what the next caller will say, or what breaking Pippa news event will throw Hudson your carefully planned running order out the window. On any given day, absolutely anything can happen.

That’s why we love it so much.

Pippa Hudson hosts Lunch with Pippa Hudson on CapeTalk, weekday afternoons from 1–3pm.

It is out of this that we came up with great CSI projects, creating non-traditional revenue streams outside broadcasts while raising money to give to the local community. With such projects we evoked the community to come together and help us change people’s lives. Clients partnered with us and the brand association with the project gave them brand awareness similar to or better than the traditional way of adverting on radio.

Being with a brand such as OFM is truly amazing, and I am proud to be part of an amazing team of strong, powerful women leading the brand. Media is most certainly the place to be.

Lindiwe Mtwentula is marketing manager of OFM radio.

W O M E N I N T H E M E D I A I 21

Simoné Bosman

Creating a Girl’s Club Forget the Boys’ Club, writes SIMONÉ BOSMAN. It’s time to form a Girls’ Club.

22 I W O M E N I N T H E M E D I A

themediaonline.co.za

THE CREATIVE SECTOR

T

o quote the legendary late James Brown’s iconic song It’s a Man’s Man’s Man’s World, “This is a man’s world, but it wouldn’t be nothing, nothing without a woman or a girl.”

The very same applies to the creative advertising industry.

While our industry has historically been and still is dominated by males, we have in recent years seen a slow increase in women taking up roles that were previously occupied by men. The slowness of this uptake, especially in key decision-making roles, is the challenge on which we need to focus. In 2021, we can easily count on our fingers how many female ad agency founders and CEOs, CMOs, CCOs, ECDs, film directors, DOPs and so forth there are. To me this is pathetic, especially when our industry “wouldn’t be nothing without a woman or a girl”.

brothers, I had to learn from a young age to outsmart them, which meant that I had adopt their ways of doing things and balance them with my intuitive feminine powers.

In an interview about M.M.LaFleur, industry leader Cindy Gallop said, “I always tell women to do what the men do: go in there and bullshit…”

The more that women see their male counterparts as their equals in the workplace, the better it becomes for women to challenge them without feeling like their contributions or feelings are less important. To witness a faster uptake of women in key positions we need women to see themselves as equal to men – to bullshit like them, knowing full well that we are able to back it up no matter what. Because let’s face it, when a man bullshits in this industry, the majority of the time he will still need a woman to help back him up.

DON’T GET ME WRONG, WOMEN ARE RISK TAKERS TOO … BUT MEN ARE OFTEN EASILY ABLE TO TAKE A RISK WITHOUT HAVING A SAFETY NET BELOW

The sad reality is that men support other men more than women support other women. I have seen in business how men would easily ‘put their boys on’, especially when it will make them look good and feed their individual self-interest. For as long as a man can bullshit his way around the boardroom and bring in his ‘boy’ who can back it up with conviction, the perpetual Boys’ Club will never cease to exist. And the open secret spice that fuels the Boys’ Club is men’s inherent ability to be risk takers.

Don’t get me wrong, women are risk takers too. However, men are often easily able to take a risk without having a safety net below. As for women, well, we tend to take risks with caution. We are planners; we think before we do and this makes us brilliant. But the only way that women will counter the Boys’ Club

As a woman who decided to bite the bullet, start and self-fund my 100% self-owned company, I am motivated by women in the industry who look at my journey and see it as motivation. Some would say, “You are so brave,” and I am often baffled by that because I did what I did because I wanted to and I was hungry for it.

IMAGE: SUPPLIED

BACK IT UP

I suppose that my upbringing had a lot to do with me growing up with my “If he can do it, I can too”, attitude. As an only girl with elder

PUT YOUR GIRLS ON

themediaonline.co.za

THE SAD REALITY IS THAT MEN SUPPORT OTHER MEN MORE THAN WOMEN SUPPORT OTHER WOMEN is to create a Girls’ Club that will build the aeroplane on the way up without the parachute. As women we need to trust our gut more and dial down a bit on the caution and over-analysis. We need to open up to all of our individual possibilities and unashamedly, like men, put our girls on no matter what.

The only way to defeat the status quo is for women to rewrite it by adding the ‘s’ in front of ‘he’. If we don’t do it, who will?

As women in business and women in the industry we must believe that we have each other’s backs. That we will hold each other accountable in a way that will not alienate, but rather build so that we can grow. Replace gossip with honest accountability.

Replace caution with risk-taking.

Put your selfish interest ahead and back it up with a girl who can get you to your goals a whole lot faster.

Trust women more than men.

Because as women, when we trust each other, we grow each other, and we put each other in key positions just like men put their boys on.

Women are the key influencers of all time, why not own it and exercise it?

Simoné Bosman is Osu Creative Production’s founder and executive creative producer. She has been a senior TV producer at leading ad agencies, from Saatchi & Saatchi Cape Town to MetropolitanRepublic and Ogilvy South Africa.

Working alongside top industry creatives on renowned brands, she saw the need to become the conduit for new eyes and ideas, particularly regarding the talents of black film directors and photographers, thus opening the creative economy to be more inclusive. She has a BA in Film and Media from UCT.

W O M E N I N T H E M E D I A I 23

The three Cs L

et me start by saying that when experienced individuals are asked for advice that may serve as guidance to those just starting out in their careers, it may give the impression that those giving input have it all figured out.

I certainly don’t. I still have a lot to learn. I’m figuring things out as I move through life. But I will emphasise the three Cs: choices; compassion and curiosity.

CHOICES

I had an epiphany while I was studying abroad. While working hard at my career dreams, I had been on a string of highly disappointing blind

Tessa van

dates. It Staden dawned on me that I could not expect the same results in my personal life if I did not choose to invest as much of myself in relationships as I had been focusing on professionally. It was an important lesson for me.

COMPASSION

This is a value and a form of love that I hold very dear. Of course there have been times when I wasn’t compassionate or when I judged too quickly or became impatient or let anger rule a response.

Overall, however, I want to be more compassionate with others and also with myself. We all deal with so much, even more so if you’re working in a fast-paced environment like media in a developing country with ongoing, daily life-and-death challenges.

CURIOSITY

The wonderful thing about being in the media is that we get to tell stories. But sometimes those stories weigh heavily on us and we become despondent. When I realise I am in a creative slump I need to find inspiration, not only to do my job but also to fuel myself.

Tessa van Staden is station manager of CapeTalk.

The gift of understanding W

e’ve all probably heard the sayings “Hindsight is 20/20”, “In hindsight everything is much clearer” or my personal favourite, “Life is lived forwards and understood backwards”.

They’re all true.

However, as I’ve moved forward with my life, I have learned the wisdom of pausing, reflecting and accepting that everyone I meet or encounter is my personal Boniswa teacher in this Pezisa life school called earth.

24 I W O M E N I N T H E M E D I A

The season of Covid-19 has taught me to enjoy every moment, including the tough and challenging ones, because those are life’s greatest gifts.

Coming from a fear-based background and history of exclusion, yet operating in a ‘culture-defining’ profession of communications, media, marketing and advertising, I now know for sure that inclusion is liberation. It’s an act of true love and openheartedness from which real seeds of growth and development (socially and economically) germinate, grow and thrive – thus my deep themediaonline.co.za

belief in the principle and value of inclusion and oneness.

My guiding principles and values are: • Being an activist of what is right and good • Networking with purpose and a positive intention • Seeing curiosity as empowerment • Collaborating with love is rewarding • Understanding setbacks are the mother of my reinvention and stepping stones to my next best things.

Boniswa Pezisa is executive director of Mediology.

PERSPECTIVES

We are enough A

s women, I think we begin to flourish – whether it’s in out of home (OOH) or in the home – when we have the boldness to be authentic.

A quote that has caused me to look at my intentions when making decisions is: “People who exercise their embryonic freedom day after day, little by little, expand that freedom. People Gloria Isaacs who do not will find that it withers

until they are literally being lived.”

This to me is profound because there are myriad ways in which we as women ‘get lived’.

It’s often by our fears and it is sometimes by living up to the expectations placed on us. We must dare to be unique, to truly make a meaningful contribution in whatever path we pursue. There is a ludicrous amount of pressure placed on women by society to be this or that. We must remind ourselves that we are enough.

I hope that women that are entering the industry will do so with the courage that comes from knowing they belong in OOH. They belong wherever they choose.

The OOH arena, just like any other career they pursue, will have challenges, but you must persevere and allow yourself the freedom to grow and the grace to make mistakes.

At Eazy Ads, what drives our team is the hope that we can be of service while allowing each other the freedom to be unique, as that is the only way we can execute our dream.

Gloria Isaacs is sales director at Eazy Ads.

The power of passion

IMAGES: SUPPLIED

“H

ard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard.” – Tim Notke There is one key trait that has led me to where I am today and that is my undeniable passion for what I do. I really do believe passion is the main contributing power to value that you can bring to a company and use to breed success for yourself. Passion will get you through the long hours and the tight deadlines. Passion will ensure you are disciplined when you are not motivated.

Two other important prerequisites for success that go hand-in-hand with passion are knowledge and people.

The combination of these pillars will benefit you throughout your career.

Knowledge has helped me achieve a great part of my success thus far.

I have a hunger to learn and absorb as much information about the industry and our audiences as possible.

Formal education is always key, but the crux is in what is happening in the world around us with regards to the industry and our audiences.

I cannot stress this enough: read, listen and watch! Be a sponge, be constantly curious about the world around you and engross yourself in knowledge.

People make success Jorja Wilkins sweeter. If you do not nurture and enhance your relationships internally and externally, you will not succeed.

Commit to themediaonline.co.za

intensifying your relationships across your company and with your customers. Make a difference by being committed to your team and the people who make it all come together. As a leader, I am devoted to the success of my teams; I want to see them shine and inspire them by showing how amazing they are.

One final bit of advice: nothing worth having comes easily. Work hard, keep your promises and deliver exceptional work always.

Jorja Wilkins is executive of marketing and marketing services at Primedia Outdoor.

W O M E N I N T H E M E D I A I 25

wwen in local drama SHOWS

Leading

Put your hands up Transforming an uneven industry requires women to take every opportunity to succeed – and even fail – writes VERASHNI PILLAY.

S

ometimes I look around and wonder … where are my female peers?

I am a young-ish female media entrepreneur. I can count on one hand others like me in South Africa – heck, even in the region.

That’s understandable. It’s damn hard to be an entrepreneur in any field – especially journalism, where the business model is still in disarray.

And with the added, invisible pressures of being a women? Ha. In fact, just being a woman leader is difficult. The double standards are real.

You’ve probably heard a bit about the most infamous episode of my career: the HuffPost fake blog.

I learned my lesson and resigned on principle. The experience heavily informed my current project: explain.co.za. As I said in my TEDx talk, thanks to my mistake I started earnestly researching and working on new models of news that are in-depth and thoroughly researched.

Looking back, it’s clear that I paid a much steeper price than other editors who made similar mistakes.

For example, HuffPost and Soccer Verashni Pillay

28 I W O M E N I N T H E M E D I A

themediaonline.co.za

Laduma were both Media24 titles.

Soccer Laduma once published fake quotes but the editor, Peter du Toit, didn’t face anywhere near the same heat I did from Media24’s bosses, nor consequences for his livelihood and reputation.

So how do we as women overcome these double standards, and the increased pressure we face in the public space as leaders, particularly in an area as tricky as media? And all this while usually assuming more of the domestic responsibilities at home.

I firmly believe in the levelling effect of support programmes and policy.

HOW MUCH PRIVILEGE IS ENOUGH?

I left full-time employment for the first time at the end of 2019, and started explain.co.za, after years of dreaming about it and preparing. I was 35.

I became an entrepreneur relatively late in life, after going the corporate career ladder route in my 20s and early 30s. This means that I have access to more social and financial capital than the average entrepreneur.

This includes personal savings (now depleted, haha).

But here’s the thing: it’s been so hard for me. And I’m so privileged.

For others, particularly black women, it’s insanely hard.

Getting one’s foot in the door as an entrepreneur requires so much support. There’s a reason many of those who make it in South Africa come from the upper middle class.

One solution is incubation/start-up programmes that actually work. This is a buzzing space with so much on offer but little of value. Personally

IMAGE: SUPPLIED

PERSONAL JOURNEY

I have been blown away by the support offered by the South African Media Innovation Programme.

Every industry needs something like this. The support surpasses anything else on offer to up-andcoming entrepreneurs.

Another incredibly valuable input on my journey was my selection as a Mandela Washington Fellow in 2018, following which I studied the basics of business in Austin, Texas.

The experience of bonding with 27 other young entrepreneurs from across the continent and learning about business for the first time was incredible. It was like a mini MBA, and it gave me the skills I needed to start my business.

Women need to start putting their hands up and taking advantage of these opportunities. Why? Having the start-up space and media space in general dominated by male voices and leaders means we have distorted services, ones that often don’t properly comprehend the needs of half the world’s population.

were 28% of board members.

What’s concerning is the number of independent titles that don’t release this information and are clearly untransformed.

That’s just another reason women should put up their hands to lead, particularly at a young age: it leads to greater understanding and innovation later down the line. Scoring both huge successes and making big mistakes at both jobs really gave me enormous perspective and courage!

Once you’ve done all that, it’s easier to do something crazy like quit your job, start a business and more.

THE COST

FIXING A FAILING MODEL

But what of the emotional cost of being a female leader?

The bullying that women in the industry face is obviously quite substantial, particularly on social media. We also know that insults aimed at women over their work very quickly turn sexualised and violent.

There is also a more subtle challenge in terms of becoming senior quite young as a female newsroom leader.

Challenges include being secondguessed and gaslit, and facing sheer aggression.

Women representation in the media space generally is getting better, for sure, but it still needs work.

The latest State of the Newsroom report in South Africa shows that 33% of editors surveyed were female, as

I THINK WE’RE GOING TO SEE MORE FUNDING AND SUPPORT FOR JOURNALISM BECOMING AVAILABLE AS THE WORLD RECOGNISES HOW FAKE NEWS IS THREATENING THE VERY FABRIC OF SOCIETY

Getting high-profile jobs like editorin-chief of the Mail & Guardian and HuffPost SA in my early 30s showed me first-hand how – and in some respects, why – our news model was so dramatically failing both audiences and journalists. It was a struggle to create work we could be proud of with newsroom budgets always shrinking and the very news model under threat as the digital ad model shifted towards behemoths like Google and Facebook, leaving just crumbs for publishers to fight over.

I also started to obsess about how to reach more people with the news they need to know – beyond the audiences mainstream news in South Africa reaches again and again.

From my experience working on themediaonline.co.za

complicated investigative articles in the M&G, I knew from audience stats that too few people were reading and engaging with the details. I also know that news tends to reach the elite, marginalising younger audiences, women, non-English speakers and those outside urban centres.

I started explain.co.za to address those issues.

It was incredibly validating when Our Weekly Wrap, which summarises the news of the week in a conversational and easy to understand way via WhatsApp, was recently named the best media literacy project in Africa by the World Association of Newspapers.

So my advice to future female leaders is simple: Put your hand up. Stop doubting yourself. Stop holding back.

I think we’re going to see more funding and support for journalism becoming available as the world recognises how fake news is threatening the very fabric of society.

It won’t have to be this desperate hunt for money to produce the journalism that society needs to function.

When that funding becomes available, grab it with both hands.

Put your hand up and lead. Too often it’s only men who take these opportunities. Women’s voices, issues and needs are too often left out of the conversation. It’s time to change that.

Verashni Pillay is the founder of the award-winning news platform and digital communications agency explain.co.za. She was editor-in-chief of the Mail & Guardian and HuffPost South Africa. She was named one of the BBC’s top 100 women in 2015 and is a recipient of the CNN African Journalism Award, an Open Society Foundation journalism fellowship and the 2018 Mandela Washington Fellowship.

Follow her @verashni on Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn, or on Facebook: https://web. facebook.com/verashnipillay

W O M E N I N T H E M E D I A I 29

Women in leadership: The secret is …

According to the Harvard Business Review, although most people at the top of organisations are men, it is women who have what it takes to lead effectively. So, rather than advising female executives to act more like men to get ahead, I think society would be better served by leaders who emulate women, writes BONI MCHUNU

I HAVE LEARNED THAT PEOPLE DO NOT DO BUSINESS WITH BUSINESS; THEY DO BUSINESS WITH THE PEOPLE THEY LIKE AND TRUST 30 I W O M E N I N T H E M E D I A

because we are – this is the spirit of Ubuntu. Fortunately, at Kagiso Media, the business believes in women empowerment and equal opportunities for all, so I feel supported.

RELATIONSHIPS, INFLUENCE AND TRUST

Being a female leader is fulfilling because I know I can positively impact others. I know my limitations; I know when to lean on other leaders because the ‘power of the pack’ is more powerful than being alone.

My philosophy is about prioritising relationships with like-minded women who have my back. In business, I have learned that people do not do business with business; they do business with the people they like and trust. This is my daily mission: to make meaningful and sustainable friendships.

My experience of leadership is that it is about an ability to influence yourself and others. As a leader, you need to have a vision and be able to communicate it efficiently. During this unprecedented time, you need to themediaonline.co.za

show up, especially for your team.

If my team wins, I shine a spotlight on them. If they lose, I take on the responsibility and accountability as the leader.

Also, I think women need to work well together because when they do, and when they support each other, incredible things happen and so much can be achieved. We must find our voice and build a circle of trust with one another (sisterhood/ power of pack). I have learned that our challenges are not unique (even though sometimes they feel alienating), so we need to constantly reach out because our hurdles are similar and we can learn so much from others.

RESILIENCE AND BEING YOURSELF

If I could share a trait that I think encapsulates women leadership, it would be resilience.

Resilience has become somewhat of a buzzword these days, but it’s a noun that is no stranger to the female being.

Resilience is my second name, and for me, it simply means the ability

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have learned that, generally, women still face many challenges in most leadership positions.

Unfortunately, in South Africa today, race and gender equality are still not equitable. As a result, I need to constantly be deliberate about believing in who I am and what I am about, and do so unapologetically.

I believe I bring value to many business conversations; this is evident from the non-executive director positions I hold at some blue-chip companies in South Africa.

As women, we need to take up the space and do so unashamedly once we get into leadership positions because if we don’t, nobody will. I strongly believe that I am

PARTNER CONTENT

to bounce back from any difficult life incident. The truth is, I didn’t get to this point in my professional career without stumbling blocks.

I got here because I fell, many times, but dusted myself off, stood up and emerged even stronger. That is what resilience means to me, and it’s a common thread I see in the women I meet today. Covid-19 has shown us flames; I have lost friends, relatives, and colleagues. When the pandemic started, it was about numbers, but as time progressed, Covid-19 became about the people we know and the business losses we have suffered.

As a working mother, I have had to juggle being a parent, a home-based school teacher and an executive of a leading media brand in KwaZulu-Natal, and I’ve had to do so successfully. I strengthen my resilience through these five things: self-care, mindfulness, being present in the moment, positive relationships – especially with my family, and living my purpose.

Building a resilient team is one of the best defences any leader can have against adversity.

Resilient organisations are those that successfully bounce back from all the adversity we have experienced as South Africans or global citizens at large.

So, my advice to young women is to be yourself. Then, you need to understand the corporate game. For me, that means understanding that there is no secret to success; it is the result of preparation, hard work and picking yourself up every time you fall. It is not about the moments when you feel that you’ve failed, but rather about the moments that shape you, the moments when you lift your head and smile in the face of adversity because you know who you are and that there is no one like you – and that is your distinctiveness.

Remember, if you try to be somebody else, the universe will not be able to locate you.

As women leaders, we need to know our limitations and elevate those around us, but most importantly, remain humble and true to who we are.

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Boni Mchunu, managing director

AS A LEADER, YOU NEED TO HAVE A VISION AND BE ABLE TO COMMUNICATE IT EFFICIENTLY

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W O M E N I N T H E M E D I A I 31

Getting more women around the OOH table The industry needs to leave behind the caricatures and old narratives to move forward, writes LIZELLE MC CONNELL.

L

et me say from the start that I do not think that there was ever any real intent by the out of home (OOH) industry to exclude women; I believe the current sta-tus quo to be more a by-product of how the industry has developed over time.

The OOH cowboy is a legend – or, perhaps more accurately, a caricature in the industry. The outdoor sales guys have always had a reputation for being ballsy if somewhat rough around the edges, sealing deals with nothing more than a handshake while sporting the kind of commanding presence that only a 3×12m billboard can earn you.

While this caricature is thankfully becoming a thing of the past, we still hear: “Oh such-and-such company is very much a boys’ club.” This paradigm shouldn’t still exist in 2021.

The problem with women being the last to join the table is they have to ‘squeeze in’ to the table they are joining, adapting to the environment they find them-selves in by becoming one of the boys. I have worked with

incredible men in my life, however, and I believe we can all make room at the table to change the narrative.

CHANGE IS HERE

As the old song goes, “The times they are a-changin’”. The industry is not the same as it was two or three decades ago, when the socalled cowboys ran the show. I think there has been a concerted effort to be more inclusive, both because transformation has been mandated but also because it is wanted and needed.

Really, there couldn’t be better timing. Not only have the medium and technology evolved, but the landscape is changing along with it too. The realm of media buying has progressed and today is far more layered. We are no longer simply selling billboards; recent advancements have led to an increasing emphasis and focus on data-driven intelligence and insight, which help us to deliver impactful and, most importantly, measurable campaigns. There is very much an

AS WOMEN, WE ARE STILL TOO UNCOMFORTABLE WITH ONE ANOTHER’S SUCCESS … THIS IS A LINGERING SIDE EFFECT OF OUR PATRIARCHAL SOCIETY 32 I W O M E N I N T H E M E D I A

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art and a science to this, and it requires knowledge of your audience and medium, skill and experience, and the ability to interpret and leverage data. The result is that we’re seeing more thinkers enter the field.

CHANGING THE NARRATIVE

As women, we are still too uncomfortable with one another’s success. I believe that this is a lingering side effect of our patriarchal society. It causes some of us to resent success when we see it in others, downplay it, or worse, try to undermine or destroy it. This is doing no one any favours, and we need to shift our mindset from that of the individual to that of the pack. When one of us does well, it opens doors for others to follow in their footsteps.

There also exists a popular narrative that women are ‘too emotional’ for certain industries or roles – and this is really frustrating.

As women we have a great deal we can bring to the table. It has been drilled into us for so long that you cannot have emotion in business, that the only way you can have a successful career is if you ‘act like a man’. This, might I add, is equally damaging to men: promoting a culture of toxic masculinity where having feelings is seen as weak.

REAL INCLUSIVITY

The problem with this narrative is that it strips us of what gives us capability and power, and robs us of our ability to lead with strength and empathy. Women’s innate emotional intelligence and our ability to read a room, our desire to nurture and elevate those around us, our attention to detail, our compassion, and our ability to build deep and sustainable relationships – these are all attributes that make us very powerful leaders.

REAL INCLUSIVITY

I believe we as an industry have a responsibility to be more inclusive.

This doesn’t just mean saying, “Hey, we’re open to hiring women for senior roles.” It also means acknowledging the different roles of women, and giving them the support they need to flourish in these.

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ULTIMATELY, WE NEED TO BRING MORE VOICES TO THE TABLE … WITH GREATER DIVERSITY COMES A RICHNESS OF PERSPECTIVES

guidance and mentorship to those entering the industry. I have been fortunate to have an incredible network of women that has been critical to my growth, and I would advise all women to spend more time cultivating such a network. It is invaluable.

While I have spoken to women in OOH specifically in this piece, it is important to remember that diversity needs to be championed across all facets, including race, age and sexual orientation. Ultimately, we need to be aiming to bring more voices to the table. Because with greater diversity comes a richness of perspectives that will only make for a stronger, more resilient and more beautiful industry.

We need to provide more flexibility for women, so that they don’t have to choose between a career or a home life. We need to reassess the maternity benefits we offer, so women have the same opportunities as men, and do not suffer a career setback when choosing to start a family.

We as an industry need employers to come on board and find creative solutions to help women move forward in their careers while still thriving in their roles as mothers – should they choose. We need to trust and empower them to deliver.

I believe men – and yes, other women, especially those in senior positions – need to provide more

Lizelle Mc Connell

Lizelle Mc Connell is sales director at Tractor Outdoor. She prides herself on initi-ating new concepts that produce results and, in turn, she finds great joy and excitement in what she does. Being a strategic, forward-thinking individual means that she has zest for life with a strong desire for new challenges.

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W O M E N I N T H E M E D I A I 33

COMMUNITY MEDIA

Building strength

M

y name is Pearl Muthivha. I am 35 years old and hail from the beautiful township of Soweto in Gauteng.

My media career spans eight years.

I started as an intern producer at Soweto TV. I hold a degree in communication science and am currently doing my honours with UNISA. Before being employed at Cape Town TV, where I am head of production, I was employed mainly as a freelance producer for SABC2 productions such as La Familia and Afro Café, and was line producer for Hectic Nine 9 on SABC2. My experience in television as a producer and line producer has prepared me for a role heading a department.

WORKING IN COMMUNITY MEDIA, SPECIFICALLY AS A BLACK LEADER AND A FEMALE, HAS HAD ITS CHALLENGES I am passionate about what I do, and this passion is embedded in the person I am today. My role at Cape Town TV is that of offering mentorship and training to upcoming producers, by sharing

the necessary skills I have acquired while producing various shows.

Working in community media, specifically as a black leader and a female, has had its challenges, which I have over the years learned to turn into my strengths. You are constantly faced with issues of sexism and racism in the workplace.

I was employed as a producer for Soweto TV when I was still very young.

My age was a constant issue when having to pitch shows or prove that I understood the television industry.

Race was another great obstacle as previously the industry was heavily white dominated compared with now.

This made it even more difficult for me to enter the market or convince anyone else to believe in my ideas.

Pearl Muthivha

Pearl Muthivha is head of production at Cape Town TV.

34 I W O M E N I N T H E M E D I A

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Working at Cape Town TV as head of production has also presented many obstacles, leading sometimes to selfdoubt. Again, I have constantly been challenged by the issues of race and gender, with race in particular being the greatest obstacle.

I noticed a similar trend when I first started at Soweto TV, that my skin colour would be an obstacle to my reaching where I was heading, but the mentorship I received kept me sane and grounded. I am grateful that I was mentored by the finest in the industry, who prepared me well for being the woman that I am today: strong and influential.

EMBRACING YOUR COLOUR

Over the years I have learned to embrace my skin colour, particularly in a management position, having realised that I should not limit my abilities and talents based on this.

The other great challenge I’ve encountered working for community media, particularly in leadership, is managing people and them seeing your vision as female and being black.

I found myself constantly having to prove my abilities to others and win their trust, more so than my white counterparts. But as I already mentioned, I have constantly been faced with this issue, which has prepared me for such a time as now. Ultimately, what doesn’t break you only makes you stronger.

I am planning to further my studies and do my master’s, with the aim of transferring skills to other women who were not as privileged to attend varsity as I was.

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Community media is a challenging space, writes PEARL MUTHIVHA. But there’s no room for self-doubt, only determination to overcome obstacles and forge ahead.

PERSPECTIVES

A greater purpose A

s a newly appointed operations director, I am in awe almost daily at how synergistic and beautifully collaborative my team is. We are all dramatically different women in culture, temperament, experience and our style of work, but the harmony in our teamwork is extraordinary. I attribute this to the fact that we are women, and we are intrinsically motivated by solidarity and a desire to be the best that we can individually be in our work. This

Lessons learned

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am fortunate to have had the opportunity to work with amazing people who have shaped me in numerous ways. One industry project I am particularly proud of was being part of the team that established outdoor media audience measurement research – today known as OMC ROAD. Working alongside some of the most respected female leaders in the media industry taught me the importance of resilience, openness, support and encouragement. These are some personal learnings I’d like to share with young businesswomen.

in turn means we are valuable members of a greater purpose.

It has been remarkable to me to realise that my roles as a mother, a wife, a colleague, a director, and a friend among other things have all converged into one big mishmash role since the nation was turned on its head when the lockdown initially started.

As a business, we were at the tail end of a difficult transition, and it felt like the pandemic couldn’t have come at a worse time. However, with hindsight I have been able to recognise just how powerful the women in this industry are when in a situation where they get to put into action what comes naturally to them.

This includes kindness, comfort, co-operation, and a genuine and

SHAPE YOUR OWN PATH

Career paths are seldom linear.

My work experience, exposure to new ideas, learning opportunities and the people I have met all led me to the place I always dreamed of. Believe in yourself, create opportunities and overcome obstacles to craft your own path.

MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD

Never be afraid to speak up. If you have a great idea, own it. Don’t agree with something that makes you uneasy; thoughtfully challenge it and share your opinions.

WORK ON BUILDING A DIVERSE NETWORK

Colleagues and friends have played different roles throughout my career. Irrespective of race, gender, or age, they have mentored, coached, connected me to others, and offered useful feedback and themediaonline.co.za

authentic hunger for not only personal success, but also the larger group’s survival and triumph. Balance Tshepiso and energy exist that Mpanza are both empowering and rewarding.

We teach and encourage each other, and this makes us very good at what we do. We are a crucial cog in the larger machine, and I feel blessed to be at the helm, where I get a bird’s-eye view of just how magnificent the women are, not only in The Abundant Media Group but also the community radio sector.

Tshepiso Mpanza is director of operations at Abundant Media.

emotional support, while at the same time encouraging me to pay it forward.

BE EMPATHETIC

Working in research has enabled me to appreciate the harmful impact of gender inequality and racial bias.

Importantly, it has highlighted the need for empathy, a skill required on a societal level and among exceptional leaders of people.

CREATE ENABLING ENVIRONMENTS

The quote “When a flower doesn’t bloom, you fix the environment in which it grows, not the flower” resonates with me.

Ruchelle Mouton

Ruchelle Mouton is group head of marketing services at the Provantage Media Group.

W O M E N I N T H E M E D I A I 35

Diversity makes business sense Inclusion is better for society and better for business, writes TARA TURKINGTON.

I “

DON’T WAIT FOR OPPORTUNITY TO KNOCK; CHASE IT DOWN AND CATCH IT

BY THE ANKLES!

Tara Turkington

36 I W O M E N I N T H E M E D I A

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love to see a young girl go out and grab the world by the lapels. Life’s a bitch. You’ve got to go out and kick ass.” – Maya Angelou Gender inequality in the workplace, including the media, advertising and communications sector, remains rife in South Africa, as it does around the world. That doesn’t mean we should accept it as something inexorable we can’t change. Gender equality is at the core of human rights and is something we should all fight for, in whatever big or small ways we can.

Women are still paid less than men for doing the same work, and the glass ceiling is still thick. While South Africa does have a few women editors and agency leaders, they are still all too rare, and way out of sync with the much larger number of women entering the media and allied professions.

If I had to give some advice to my younger self or others starting out in their careers now, it would be this: Work hard and challenge yourself every day. Don’t wait for opportunity to knock; chase it down and catch it by the ankles! Your power will grow with your experience. If you’re a woman, you will need to work harder to earn your opportunities, so get going right away. Also, the career ladder is an outdated idea. I like to think of a career more as a jungle gym – play a bit here, then a bit there, mastering the different equipment.

It’s amazing how some experience

GENDER EQUALITY

on the swings might help you on the monkey bars of life. Very few people are lucky enough to be called to a vocation; the rest of us must experiment and play until we find our passions. If you work hard and try your best at whatever you do, your passions will eventually become apparent.

And more than anything, believe in yourself and don’t let others put you down.

A SOCIAL, PERSONAL ISSUE

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Gender inequality is a societal issue, but of course a deeply personal one. Each of us, women and men, experiences it differently. What’s worth remembering is that culture is in a continuous state of creation and co-creation, and it is up to all of us to challenge and change discriminatory culture, wherever we are and however we can.

Not only is this the right thing to do, but it also makes good business sense. There’s a large body of research showing that teams that are diverse and inclusive in terms of gender (and in fact in all ways) are more productive, more innovative and more profitable.

Here are seven ways in which we can build better gender inclusivity in our industry.

1. Employ more women in management positions The number of women in management positions is shockingly low all over the world, across all industries. According to PWC’s 2021 Executive Directors Report, only 13% of executive directors in JSE-listed companies currently are women (81 in total). Whichever industry you look at, including the agency world, numbers are similar.

If you are a business leader, commit to improving gender equity

at a management level. Build a strategy and implement it. It might not happen overnight, but change starts with identifying an issue and committing to addressing it. Do it right and you will reap rich human and financial returns.

2. Create a mentorship programme for women in your organisation Numerous studies have shown that formal and informal mentorship increases the likelihood of a woman going further in her career.

Interestingly, a recent study on women in the public sector in South Africa found that this was true no matter the gender of the mentor.

If you are in a position to mentor someone, offer to do so (or just do it informally). If you don’t have strong mentors yourself, seek them out.

3. Create a strategy to hire young women as interns and junior staff Before women can be in highlevel positions, they need to start somewhere. Make it an imperative to hire a high number of young women at your agency, and ensure that they are adequately trained and supported.

4. Give women platforms to share their ideas in the workplace, irrespective of their status Women often find it harder to speak up in the workplace because they may not have the confidence or cultural capital to do so. Make it easy for them by building opportunities to share ideas and confidence on platforms where they feel safe to speak.

5. Check your unconscious bias Unconscious biases are assumptions or attitudes we may not be aware of that may reinforce stereotypes.

Examples of unconscious bias themediaonline.co.za

around gender include thinking it’s okay to pay women less than men, or believing blonde women are stupid.

Here’s a useful list of 19 types of unconscious bias against which to check your own attitudes.

IT IS UP TO ALL OF US TO CHALLENGE AND CHANGE DISCRIMINATORY CULTURE, WHEREVER WE ARE AND HOWEVER WE CAN 6. Speak up for gender equity Make it clear in your company values statement that you treat all genders the same, so this is clear to everyone and so the company can be held accountable if this doesn’t happen.

Call out sexist language or behaviour when you see it and deal with serious cases of discrimination decisively.

7. Invest in girls’ education and development Focus your B-BBEE budgets and mentoring programmes on funding the education and training of young girls, especially black girls, who are the most disadvantaged of all in South Africa. Expose girl children to career choices and opportunities they may not otherwise be aware of as often as you can. Create jobshadowing opportunities and ad hoc internship opportunities for girls.

Tara Turkington (@TaraTurk1 on Twitter) is the CEO of Flow Communications, one of South Africa’s leading independent agencies. About 70% of Flow’s staff are women, while the company’s management team is 80% female. Flow is a certified member of WEConnect International, a global association of majority womenowned businesses, and a member of thenetworkone, the world’s largest network of independent creative, media, public relations and marketing firms.

W O M E N I N T H E M E D I A I 37

Making magic

P

hylicia Rashad said, “Any time women come together with a collective intention, it’s a powerful thing. Whether it’s sitting down making a quilt, in a kitchen preparing a meal, in a club reading the same book, or around the table playing cards, or planning a birthday party, when women come together

with a collective intention, magic happens.”

Women in Judy Milne the communityradio arena across the nation have been forging the way for decades. They are a massively underestimated powerhouse of influence in their own communities and they are, in my opinion, the heart of the broadcast world.

The community broadcast sector has in its ranks some of the most incredible women in the media industry. These are the women

giving a voice to their communities in a time when they need it most.

These are women who work tirelessly to make a difference, and to help reshape and rebuild in the areas in which they have reach.

Our ‘collective intention’ as the women of The Abundant Media Group is to continue to advocate for community radio, and to support the women who selflessly put 100 % into every day with the intention of being a light to their communities.

Judy Milne is CEO of The Abundant Media Group.

A director at the age of 26

D

uring my matric year I didn’t know what field I really wanted to pursue. But I was awarded a Rotary Scholarship to study abroad for a year, which gave me so much perspective on life. On my return, I was torn between my left and right brain thinking although I knew I wanted to go into advertising, in the late ’80s, this career choice was often not taken seriously.

I knew I would have to be an exceptional creative to cut it in the creative industry, and yet my passion for analytical strategy and organisational thinking was really what drove my love for media.

In those days, women in the media had to start at the bottom. Often, no matter what your qualification, you got into the industry via the ‘back door’, taking on more passive job descriptions to prove your worth in a very competitive space.

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As a young entrant working for an agency with no salary for three months to prove my worth, putting in long hours was the norm.

So, I cut my teeth in all aspects of the agency world, from production to client service, finally ending up in media, which was my passion.

Grit and determination, coupled with an excellent understanding of all aspects of the process, aided my media knowledge. After a couple of years with one particular agency, the opportunity arose for a staff buyout, and I became a director at 26. It was a radical learning curve with lots of risk attached, but themediaonline.co.za

the entrepreneur in me had been born.

Twenty-one years ago, I went on my own to form Alphabet Soup, which is now one of the leading independent media agencies in South Africa.

Nicolette Lewin is managing director of Alphabet Soup.

PERSPECTIVES

Everything’s fine if we’re aligned

N

o workplace dynamic has been as important over the past couple of years as team alignment. We’re collaborating further apart than ever – or in different ways on different days – so uncertainty is a given, but good team alignment can drive the results you need despite the challenges our media sector faces.

Team alignment is one of the most overlooked functions in collaboration, and superficial team alignment is more often than not the reason many great ideas die a sad death on the paper where they were planned. The

Deirdre King

secret lies in how we drive team alignment, using every meeting opportunity to do so. Adopt this as a priority and practise driving alignment until it’s part of your process.

I’ve often seen teams leave meetings in false alignment. You know, those meetings where everyone agrees in the room, yet outside they all have a different interpretation of what just happened and what needs to happen next.

Speeding through alignment to get on with ‘real’ work is one of the

biggest stumbling blocks that teams experience. This can be further amplified when a team needs to change their entire way of collaborating. True alignment happens when everyone can disagree, commit and lead as if it were their own idea.

Here’s a tip: Use the last 10 minutes of a meeting to give each team member the opportunity to clarify what they are doing, why they are doing it and by when they will be done. This gives your team autonomy, and keeps everyone accountable and aligned. It also helps you rapidly identify where there is misalignment.

Deirdre King is managing director of Jacaranda FM.

Joining the other side

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spent my entire working life on the creative side. Then a certain young man took his time to convince me to join a side that had not been on my radar but that I thought was future-forward.

Media people, thoroughly trained in negotiation and having garnered much experience through their daily work, have a convincing way about them. I was sold on leaving my creative bubble to venture into the world of research, statistics, numbers, graphs, ARs, CPPs, all the things my creative brain shied away from.

I did, however, feel deeply that digitalisation in the industry would be driven by media, and that the

idea of customer experience would find meaning through media.

These two concepts became my new obsessions.

So I joined Chris Botha in starting Meta Media, because this new baby involved all the things I love – exciting challenges, a new shiny thing, an award-winning team, and the use of my business and creative skills to operationalise a data- and digitally driven media agency! At that stage in my career, where all boxes in the marketing value chain had been ticked, this felt like growth.

I found myself swimming in data, in modelling, in output that puts the customer first, in being accountable themediaonline.co.za

for brand spend, in playing in the world of digital and digital performance. Moreover, I didn’t have to lose my creativity. Meta Media has been well served by my creativity, intuition, business experience and deep sense of relationships.

My advice is to be open, ask every question you have, build relationships and learn.

Kagiso Musi Quickly.

Kagiso Musi is managing director of Meta Media.

W O M E N I N T H E M E D I A I 39

THE MEDIA YEARBOOK 2022 THE BUSINESS BEAT NEW BUSINESS MODELS NEW TECHNOLOGY NEW WAYS OF WORKING NEW INVESTMENT THE MEDIA YEARBOOK 2022 IS COVERING THE BUSINESS BEAT. TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT HOW YOU CAN BE INVOLVED IN OUR POPULAR ANNUAL, CONTACT TARIN-LEE WATTS. C: +27(0) 79 504 7729 E: TWATTS@THEMEDIAONLINE.CO.ZA