Izelle Venter has spent the past 25 years navigating — and shaping — South Africa’s changing media landscape. Her career began in print journalism, where she served as editor-in-chief of some of the country’s best-known titles, including Insig, Move!, Huisgenoot, YOU and DRUM. As audiences changed how they consumed content, Izelle led Media24’s expansion into video, launching production company POP24 and television channels VIA and Honey. Today, she is CEO of Media24’s television division.

An MBA graduate who has little patience for “MBA speak”, Izelle also lectures in Media Entrepreneurship at Stellenbosch University, encouraging future journalists to protect strong editorial standards while embracing democratisation, innovation and commercial reality.

At Digital Divas, Izelle brings honest, hard-won lessons from a career defined by constant reinvention: how to evolve without losing what makes you valuable, lead through uncertainty and remain relevant in an industry that never stops changing.