Linda Mali: “to recognise and listen to millennials ideas is to ensure your business is future-proofed”

FIPP’s Rising Stars in Media is a new initiative that was launched in 2015 that seeks to recognise exceptional young talent within the international magazine media industry, across any discipline.

Tell us a little about your journey into the magazine media industry

After graduating with a BA in media and industrial sociology at the University of Cape Town, I dabbled in various forms of media before setting my heart on the magazine industry. I started as an editorial assistant in custom publishing, moving into consumer titles such as the South African versions of Men’s Health and Shape magazine. I became feature writer for Cosmopolitan SA in 2007 and was headhunted to be editor for Jet Club magazine, a store magazine for the Edcon Group with over 4 million readers. In April 2014, I became editor of BONA, SA’s biggest monthly consumer title and the only one published in more than one South African language.

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What do you think of FIPP’s Rising Stars in Media Award? 

The award offers an unmatched opportunity for millennials to make their mark in a global media platform and is a great honour.

How important is it to recognise and listen to the millennials voice?

Millennials are the consumers of right now and the foreseeable future. To recognise and listen to their ideas is to ensure your business is future-proofed and can stay profitable knowing it produces products that appeal to this large and increasingly affluent segment.

Has the fact that you are one of our 30 Rising Stars in 2015, made any impact on you or your role?

It has certainly given me the confidence to continue my work with conviction, allowing me to trust my instincts a lot more. It has also pushed me to ensure I continue to live up to that title!

Have you had recognition from your company for this accolade?

My company has acknowledged this accolade and I believe considers me a valuable asset to the business.

What are your views, as a millennial, on the future of the industry?

Millennials want short, sharp and entertaining information, presented in a manner that is fresh and exciting. If the industry can really nail that – they have opened up a door to a whole new world of consumers and revenue!

What advice would you give to any millennial peers who are considering entering the Rising Stars next year?

Make sure you’re able to back up your statements, be clear in your communication about your work and showcase the positive changes and growth that has come about as a result of your ideas and involvement. If you are one of the top three, be sure to be well versed in the needs of today’s consumer and share them with the delegation at the next conference. We’re interested in your ideas for the future. Also, enjoy the process!

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Rising Stars 2016

FIPP wants to continue to discover and recognise those individuals under the age of 30 in media companies across the globe that are demonstrating outstanding talent and developing remarkable initiatives.

From this, FIPP will create a ‘Rising Stars List’ and share their initiatives, success stories and, of course, their profiles with the global magazine media community. 

FIPP’s Rising Stars in Media list will recognise people who work in the industry – whether this is a full-time/part-time employee or a freelancer – and who in the past 12 months has proved to deliver above and beyond what was expected.

Entries will open again in January 2016.

Read what some global media leaders have to say about the Awards. 

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