Breaking Barriers in African Advertising | Monalisa Sibongile Zwambila

Описание: In this powerful episode, we sit down with Monalisa Sibongile Zwambila, CEO and Founder of Riverbed, South Africa’s largest female-owned advertising agency. Widely recognised as one of the continent’s most influential independent leaders, Monalisa has built a legacy of excellence, resilience, and transformative leadership in the advertising industry.
Monalisa has been awarded AgencyLeader Woman of the Year for three consecutive years, was one of only three African finalists for the prestigious RMB Africa Fearless Leader Award, and was named the Santam Woman of the Future Award winner in 2022.
Under her visionary leadership, Riverbed became the first agency owned by a woman of colour to rank at the Loeries, breaking barriers traditionally dominated by multinational agencies across Africa and the Middle East.
Her journey began in 2007 as a single mother, unemployed and facing overwhelming odds — yet she went on to build an organisation that has become a leader in its category, with revenues exceeding R100 million by 2020.
In This Episode, We Unpack:
✅ How Monalisa started Riverbed from nothing and built a world-class agency
✅ The resilience required to lead through adversity and uncertainty
✅ Breaking barriers as a woman of colour in the African advertising industry
✅ What winning multiple leadership accolades taught her about excellence
✅ Why authenticity is a critical leadership advantage, especially for women
✅ The role of influence, care, and purpose in building successful businesses
✅ Her philosophy of the Power of Care and creating positive impact
✅ Mentorship, legacy, and empowering the next generation of women leaders
✅ Lessons from serving on global platforms and jury panels including UN Women
✅How leaders can build organisations that thrive while staying values-driven

Monalisa is also a sought-after global speaker, has served as Vice Chair of ACASA, sits on the board of VSO International in the UK, and holds an MBA from Henley Business School.
🎧 Tune in for an inspiring conversation about courage, leadership, and redefining what’s possible.