Buyi Mafoko, the boss lady behind a leading South African marketing agency, recently made history by winning not one, but two major awards: the National Woman in Business Champion Award and the prestigious Global Women in Marketing Award in London!
Johannesburg, South Africa (18 December 2024) – Buyi Mafoko, the Managing Director of South African agency Matte BLK, has achieved a remarkable milestone by being named both the National Woman in Business Champion and receiving the coveted Global Women in Marketing Awards (WiM) for Special Award for Outstanding Contribution to Marketing in London.
Internationally, Mafoko recently won the agency the coveted Global Women in Marketing Awards (WiM) for Special Award for Outstanding Contribution to Marketing in London.
The judges commented on how Byu’s agency has unlocked a key target audience for South Africa’s leading corporate and FMCG brands.
“Insight-driven, her agency’s work is consistently relevant and resonant, resulting in demonstrable growth for her clients. The achievements of Matte BLK are particularly impressive, considering the challenges of establishing a presence in this market,” the panel said.
Launched in 2010, the United Kingdom-based WiM Awards were established to recognise the economic and social influence and impact of Women in Millions. To have one of our own trailblazers recognised on such a prestigious global platform no doubt makes us beam with pride.
An unconventional journey to success
The dynamic businesswoman unconventionally found herself in the marketing and advertising space, leading a team of award-winning strategists and creatives. This is over a decade and a half after she co-founded the Johannesburg-based agency.
Instead of relying on a single mentor, Mafoko drew inspiration from various professionals whose journeys resonated with her. This unconventional approach to mentorship reflects her entrepreneurial spirit and highlights the importance of learning from diverse experiences.
“I’ve personally never had a dedicated mentor and instead have benefited from different people whose own professional journeys have impacted mine positively and against whom I could model the traits I wanted to learn. As a result, I have taken a similar approach to avail myself proactively to anybody that requires mentorship at the time and for a specific purpose,” Buyi shared.
Reflecting on the big win
Mafoko says that the big win from such a globally renowned recognition platform makes her purpose even more tangible.
“There is vulnerability to dreaming boldly and this award is a culmination of that effort. I connected with this year’s theme ‘The Year of the Exemplar’ which to me affirms the exceptionality I’ve approached every personal or business interaction with.
“Authentically leaning into who we are is the magic and our clients naturally connect with the creativity that flows from being more of ourselves. Therefore, being celebrated as an African businesswoman for positively contributing to the marketing discipline in my region amongst other exemplary leading women the world over has invigorated my energy to pursue more and contribute more,” Buyi said.
Sources: Supplied
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