Breaking Barriers: From Disney to Nandos to leading a top radio station

Loading player...
Managing a top business is difficult... doing it several times over with different companies is even tougher. What does it take? In the latest episode of ‘Don’t Hold Back’, Managing Director of Jacaranda FM Deirdre King tells her remarkable story of how she shattered the glass ceiling as a woman in the boardrooms of corporate South Africa.

Deirdre managed three of her own companies before she was appointed to head up The Walt Disney Company’s Marketing and Communications for Africa. She was also the head of Brand Experience and Crisis Communications at Nando’s for India, Middle East and Africa. Deirdre is currently leading as the first female Managing Director of Jacaranda FM, one of the largest independent radio stations in South Africa.
Deirdre talks frankly to Nozibele Qamngana-Mayaba about facing not only the daily challenges, but also tackling gender discrimination in the boardroom head-on.
31 Jan 2023 English South Africa Society & Culture · Personal Journals

Other recent episodes

Breaking the Silence: Men & Mental Health

Content Warning: Sensitive Topics South African men are silently suffering. Many are dying inside, and some are taking their own lives. In this deeply personal episode of Don’t Hold Back, author, poet, and social activist Zonwabele Zola “Blackie” Tshayana opens up about his experience with depression, suicide attempts, and growing…
15 Jul 39 min

Overcoming the Odds: Sibulele’s Inspiring Story

From loss to twin motherhood. From rural roots to boardrooms. In this inspiring Season 3 launch episode, powerhouse speaker and mother of twins, Sibulele Sibaca-Nomnganga, joins Nozibele to unpack what it really means to overcome the odds. She opens up about navigating miscarriage, fertility treatment, societal pressure, and the choice…
1 Jul 36 min

Former Miss SA: Anxiety once 'paralyzed' me

Did you know that former Miss South Africa Shudufhadzo ‘Shudu’ Musida only entered the competition to fulfill a promise to a friend? For our season two finale, host Nozibele Qamngana-Mayaba talks to Shudu about how getting a grip on her mental health literally helped her achieve her potential. We also…
9 Jul 2024 41 min

Fighting an invisible enemy

Imagine living with a disease that means you cannot eat most foods, keeps you out of school, blemishes your skin and forces you to move cities - but no one has a cure, and some doctors don't even believe you. This is the story of Princess Mahogo, a young South…
12 Jun 2024 24 min

Why your vote could decide SA's election

Not since 1994 has there been this much hype for a South African election! And young people may swing the outcome, despite many expressing apathy and gloom at South Africa's current state. Renowned political scientist Dr. Sithembile Mbete tells Don't Hold Back host Nozibele Qamngana-Mayaba exactly why every single vote…
15 May 2024 30 min