Khanyi Dhlomo is the Managing Director of Ndalo Media, which she founded in 2007. She is also the founder of DestinyConnect and the founding editor of Destiny Magazine. Before starting her own media company, Khanyi was editor of True Love magazine for eight years. In 2013, Khanyi ventured in retail and launched Luminance, a high-end fashion and lifestyle department store. Khanyi was named most influential woman in South African Media by The Media Magazine in 2003 and made the 2011 Forbes list of 20 Young Power Women in Africa.
Following a highly successful entrepreneurial journey in the world of South African media and magazine publishing, Khanyi Dhlomo is now going back to her roots with her latest business venture in the luxury brand retailing space.
Entrepreneurship runs in Khanyi Dhlomo’s veins, and in particular the retail business, with her parents and grandparents having been entrepreneurs. It all started with her grandfather, a teacher and businessman, buying land in KwaZulu-Natal back in the 1930s, which her father then subsequently bought to start developing shopping centres and opening retail businesses. Her mother ran some of those retail businesses, with the young Khanyi getting first hand exposure to the excitement of the retail experience in those stores.
“I have had opportunities to work in the corporate world, but I’ve chosen not to at this point. I believe I can have far more impact creating jobs, helping women advance, and making a difference to society as an entrepreneur.”
Khanyi started out in her career as a young 20 year old media reporter, getting a big career break when she was approached to become the anchor for SABC’s prime-time evening news programme. However, a love of print media saw her changing her career path to make a move into magazine production. She joined the team of a young woman’s fashion and beauty magazine in South Africa called True Love,rising up the ranks with the publication, to become its editor at the age of 22. At the same time, she expanded the publication’s readership in record time and won a plethora of industry awards for her efforts.
Khanyi’s love of the publishing industry continued, and in 2007 after completing her MBA at Harvard Business School, she founded a new media company, Ndalo Media, in partnership with Media 24. In her role as Managing Director of the company, she oversaw the launch and publication of two leading, high-end lifestyle and business magazines, Destiny and Destiny Man, both top selling magazine titles today in South Africa. The following year, she expanded the content offering of these magazines to the online platform, DestinyConnect, a social network connecting Destiny readers and other business minded individuals, and attracting over 10 000 registered users. DestinyMan.com soon followed on the back of this social network success.
“We are extremely entrepreneurial and adaptable in South Africa, qualities essential to success in a developing market. We have a lot to share with the world.”
More recently, Khanyi’s entrepreneurial journey has taken back into the world of retail, with the development and launch of South Africa’s first boutique department store in the country – Luminance, in Hyde Park, Johannesburg. This glamorous new retail experience is unlike anything else in the country, providing a real sense of luxury for the shopper and offering the best selection of international designer labels in one store. This is one more milestone in Khanyi’s highly successful entrepreneurial journey to date.