Matshoshi Kholofelo Matsafu

There are a number of factors. One of which is the environment in which I grew up. I grew up post-apartheid era, which was one of the most horrific moments in history. And so, at the same time, there's great violence, but also, in the safety of my home, because of whom I was raised by, there's great creativity to combat all of the negativity on the outside. Growing up in that space, and also emerging into a space where we're forced to take on very westernized, and a sort of a degradation of our culture, in a way, has made me very protective of where I come from, and my culture, and my heritage. And I'm curious to learn more and to respect other people, too, who are from different cultures. This too shall pass, I guess.

The best career advice I ever received was exactly what I hope I embody, which is always be curious. You may know a lot, but don't ever think that you know everything, and always leave room to learn.

I would tell any young woman to combat the self-doubt and the inferiority complex and the imposter syndrome as soon as they can, because this industry can be cutthroat. It is a very difficult industry to thrive in. You can't - you don't need to give up your femininity to be strong. But you do need to stand up for yourself, and you need to trust that you have your best interests at heart, and never be afraid to ask for what you want.

The biggest challenges right now are the fact that this administration doesn't really value anything that is not white middle class, even given that the global majority is not that way, and we need to be inclusive as a core value. And so it means that a lot of Black women and women of color are out of jobs right now. And what used to be our superpower to be able to navigate diverse cultures and have an understanding of different environments so that we can bring ourselves to is not seen as an advantage anymore. The valuing of the white male perspective as a blanket for what everybody's experience is, which is really not conducive to where the world is going and how the world has evolved. Because then how that comes out is in having fair pay, and not having your ideas listened to, or having them stolen by the loudest people in the room, who usually aren't the smartest people in the room. The advantages of working in this field is being able to be exposed to different markets, to different types of products and thought spaces and ideas, and actively take part in building what this world could be. And we need a lot more people who are grounded in wanting to do good, and not just making money for the sake of it. So there's many advantages in being able to enact change, in little ways, but that actually affect people on a day-to-day basis, because everybody interacts with their digital interfaces at least once or twice a day.

Integrity would be number one. And integrity and authenticity. And honesty. And fun, and curiosity. I also want to include inclusivity as a core value.