- Happy Ngidi started at Proudly SA shortly after leaving her position as head of communications for Metro FM due to what she describes as the “patriarchy lifting its head”.
- Her more than seven years at the country’s national buy local campaign saw her revitalise and establish fresh marketing campaigns.
- One piece of advice she holds dear to her is to take every day as an opportunity to learn.
Local is lekker and no one else embodies this more than Proudly South African’s (SA) chief marketing officer Happy MaKhumalo Ngidi.
Happy’s portfolio includes implementing groundbreaking ideas that put Mzansi’s entrepreneurs and designers on the map, like Proudly SA’s Local Fashion Police and upholding and revitalising the Buy Local Summit.
With titles like businesswoman, social entrepreneur, motivational speaker, budding author, educator and public relations executive under her belt, Happy has been all about creating and promoting the country’s national buy local campaign through innovation and ambition.
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Her story is one that inspires determination and perseverance. Happy tells TRUELOVE how she came to be the strong and impactful executive we know today.
The big transition
Happy’s tenure in communications saw her take on the role of Metro FM’s official spokesperson and head of communications from 2011 to 2015.
Before stepping into her acclaimed position at Proudly SA, she explains to us what prompted her leave the SABC radio station.
“I joined Proudly South Africa seven years ago shortly after I’d left Metro FM as the head of communications and the official spokesperson of the brand at that time. The most devastating move I ever had to make at that time because it was so unexpected but the long and short of it, it was about patriarchy lifting its head.
“Showing up when least expected and I took a decision right there. And then where it felt very uncomfortable for my career and my future at the SABC to be shortened, and for it to be orchestrated by three male colleagues at the time. They were adamant that they were going to be in control of my career going forward and their reason at the time [was] that I was growing bigger than the brand and it was not to be allowed, in their words.”
What she describes as a “devastating move” opened the door for her to take the leap and find new prospects that elevate and showcase her ambition and skill. And it wasn’t before long when she got her chance at Proudly SA.
Stepping into a new era
Now in her eighth year heading the marketing for the country’s national buy local campaign, Happy has been at the forefront of leading and implementing innovative ideas for their partnerships with renowned platforms like the Feather Awards and the South African Music Awards.
Gushing about her role, she says, “Seven years later, I see the fruits of my labour and the contribution I’ve made to the overall turnaround strategy for the campaign, which at some point when I joined, it had taken a lull.
“It was not relevant anymore, it was seen to be not impactful and useless and not relatable and I’m fortunate to have been part of an executive team that has contributed immensely. Lead by an incredible CEO who has the same vision as his team & the executive team. We’ve managed to turn it around and I’m grateful to have been part of the turnaround strategy because the campaign is largely a marketing campaign. Without marketing and without a strong marketing vision, we wouldn’t be where we are as a campaign today.”
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A student of life
Whether it’s successfully launching an airplane fashion show featuring six local designers 3000 feet in the air or challenging parliamentarians and public figures at the 2024 State of the Nation Adress (SONA) to grace the red carpet in strictly local garments and designs, Happy’s vision of keeping South Africa’s thriving industries alive comes from the teachings of the generation before her, most notably from advice a dear colleague’s father shared and her own late dad.
She tells us the principle she strives to uphold is to continue learning no matter what.
“Every day that you wake up and get up and do what you are meant to do, you are in a class. The class is always on, the class is always in motion, the class is always ongoing. It’s entirely up to you whether you as an individual are present in the class or not and so in hindsight what they meant was every day is an opportunity to learn and I live buy that principle.”
