Thebe Ikalafeng is the pre-eminent global African authority in branding and the leading advocate for a brand-led African renaissance. Described by New African Magazine as the “the foremost branding and reputation authority in Africa” in recognizing him as one of the ‘100 Most Influential Africans’; one of the ‘100 Most Influential Creative People of African Descent’ by MIPAD on the occasion of the United Nations ‘International Year of the Creative Economy for Sustainable Development,’ and one of the ‘100 Most Reputable Africans’ “who continually improve lives in Africa and around the world” by Reputation Poll International, he has had a profound, sustained and distinguished contribution to branding in Africa and in shaping a positive narrative for the continent in a career that spans over 25 years building brands across Africa.
Ikalafeng’s meteoric and distinguished career which commenced in corporate in brand management at Colgate Palmolive in New York and culminated as chief marketing officer for Nike for Africa in 2002; through to the establishment of the award-winning Brand Leadership (est. 2002); Brand Africa (est. 2010), the non-profit initiative to drive a brand-led African renaissance, Africa Brand Leadership Academy (est. 2020), the post-graduate academy for developing Africa-focused brand leadership capability, and the establishment of Africa Intellectual Property Partners (est. 2023), the specialist brand-led intellectual property law practice, and his contribution to thought leadership and the industry have established him as an purpose-led authority on building sustainable brands in Africa.
A fellow of the Institute of Directors, he has served on listed and non-listed African and non-African boards in diverse industries for over 25 years. He has been to every continent in the world, over 115 countries from the North Pole in Greenland and to the South Pole in Antarctica, every country in Africa from Cape to Cairo, and summitting Mt. Kilimanjaro and Mt. Elbrus, the highest mountain in Africa and Europe. He has been quoted and referenced widely in practice, academia and in media, including by CNN, BBC, Sky, FT, CNBC Africa, African Business and New African. A Chartered Marketer (SA), he holds BSc. MBA and LLM (Intellectual Property Law) degrees
