Hi, I’m Mamello.

I guess this is where I’m supposed to tell you all about my qualifications and achievements and so on… but you didn’t come here to read my CV, right? So instead, I’ll tell you who I am and why I’m writing all this stuff.

I am a ground-breaker. You’re a ground-breaker too – that’s why you’re here.

As a leader, a colleague, a professional – one of my overarching ambitions is to help other ground-breakers to maximise their success, attain their highest aspirations and reach the very pinnacle of their chosen professions.

My professional aspirations – to lead distinctive, world-class African companies and to produce distinctive, world-class African corporate leaders. I firmly believe that as a leader, I must actively cultivate followership and produce leaders who will run further than I can and further than they thought possible.

I grew up in a family that was money-poor and love-rich. To be fair, my parents made a lot of progress in one generation and managed to eventually give us something of a middle-class life. But being Black and middle class in apartheid South Africa was very different from being middle class in any other normal society. We had limited access to…well anything. My parents did a fantastic job in very trying circumstances. I had the best education they could afford but even so, we certainly didn’t have access to input and advice on how to really navigate the world of work.

The good news (for me) is that I have been blessed with incredible mentors, sponsors, experiences, opportunities and wisdom along the way. The good news (for you) is that I would love to share what I and other ground-breakers have learned in the trenches, to hopefully equip, educate and empower you for your journey.

Today, I am one of the few Black female senior executives in one of the largest companies in Africa (one of the youngest to get here). I’ve had the privilege of working in Africa and Europe, across multiple industries and functional areas. I’ve been honoured to attend one of the top MBA programmes in the world. I have worked with industry giants and tackled some of the most complex problems in business.

I am still on my journey. I don’t know everything and I haven’t got all the answers. I haven’t yet reached my pinnacle – but I’m getting there!

I hope the insights on this site will help us accelerate our journeys and reach the height of our ambitions.