What’s your one top tip for doing a deal?
Focus on alignment, not persuasion. If a deal truly meets a need for both parties — in values, impact and sustainability — it will win through. People don’t buy products or services; they “buy” people.
What was your first job?
My first paying job was as a “grasser” at university. We did market research for brands for an agency. It gave me a fantastic glimpse into branding — what matters to brands and how they think. Sometimes we tested products, sometimes we surveyed event attendees, sometimes we acted as secret shoppers, and sometimes we asked peers about trends. My first “big girl” job was as a temp through an agency. I have no idea how much I was paid, but the experience and learning (and the fact that I was working) mattered even more than the money.
How much was your first pay cheque, and how did you spend it?
I honestly don’t recall. Knowing myself, I saved some, spent some and contributed some to the household.
What is the one thing you wish somebody had told you when you were starting out?
I wish someone had told me to breathe. I have always been eager to learn, to live, to grow, to do — and for years I went without pausing. Slowing down and taking a breath is critical.
If you could fix only one thing in South Africa, what would it be?
Youth employment. Creating meaningful opportunities requires an environment where investment is attractive, infrastructure is built and businesses create jobs. Employment equals dignity and is the pathway to everything else, including harm reduction. In short, I’d focus on creating opportunities through safety, equality and empowerment, focusing on youth and women.
What’s the most interesting thing about you that people don’t know?
I am a fiction writer — mostly short stories and poetry, though I haven’t been published yet.
What’s the worst investment mistake you’ve made?
Confusing potential in an individual with readiness. The lesson for me was that talent alone isn’t enough and that alignment, timing and accountability matter just as much, if not more.
What’s the best investment you’ve ever made? And how much of it was due to luck?
My Vuka scooter was an incredible investment years ago. My family thought I was crazy, but that little scooter got me around town and gave me a story to tell. For two years in my 20s, it was my main mode of transport. Luck played a small role; the bigger part was my curiosity and willingness to try something unconventional.
What’s the best book you’ve read recently, and why did you like it?
It’s not a new book but a well-needed spark: Blue Ocean Shift by W Chan Kim and Renée Mauborgne, the same duo behind Blue Ocean Strategy. I appreciated it because it offers practical frameworks for creating uncontested market space, which resonates with both business and social impact thinking.
What’s the hardest life lesson you’ve learnt?
That you cannot change people, only enable and/or empower them. Accepting that has been tough but essential.
What phrase or bit of jargon irks you most?
“Collaboration” when used as a buzzword without any real intention behind it.
What is something you would go back and tell your younger self that would impress them?
I’d tell my younger self to continue to trust my instincts and take bold steps, even when it feels scary. Every choice, every mistake, will shape a life I’ll be proud of and enjoy — and one day, I’ll be able to make a real difference to, and for, others.
If you were President Cyril Ramaphosa, what would you change, or do, tomorrow?
I would make protecting children and reducing alcohol-related harm national priorities. I would focus on prevention and strengthen community support systems through government mechanisms (top-down), so that young people can grow up safe and supported. I would prioritise effective service delivery at municipal level and hold leaders accountable for results. In doing so, we would build stronger communities, improve daily life for many South Africans and set the country on a more hopeful path.
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