Thebe Ikalafeng is the pre-eminent global African authority in branding in Africa and foremost advocate for a brand-led African renaissance. He is the founder of Brand Leadership, the award-winning Africa-focused branding advisory firm inducted into the New York based REBRAND “Hall of Fame” for excellence in branding in 2015; Brand Africa, a brand-led initiative to re-imagine Africa’s image and competitiveness; Brand Africa 100: Africa’s Best Brands, the widely referenced survey and ranking of brands in Africa, and Africa Brand Leadership Academy (ABLA), to build the capacity and talent for Africa-focused brand leadership.
He has been named one of the ‘100 Most Influential Africans’ by New African Magazine in 2013 and 2015 and one of the 100 Most Influential Creative People of African Descent in support of the United Nations ‘International Year of the Creative Economy for Sustainable Development’ in 2021. He has been honoured with the Financial Mail AdFocus Lifetime Achievement (2021) and the Public Relations Institute of SA Lifetime Achievement (2022) awards for his contributions to marketing, branding and communications
