Nomfundo Msomi
Executive Strategy Director at CHEP Network
Raised in South Africa but at home all over the world, Nomfundo is a Melbourne based brand strategist and mom of two. Her international career spans client and agency-side roles as Global Head of Brand at Etihad Airways in Abi Dhabi and strategy stints at Landor & FITCH and Isobar in Hong Kong.
Nomfundo is an alum of the WPP Fellowship, a prestigious programme that develops talent through multidisciplinary experience at WPP operating companies across the world. Her Fellowship experience took her from London to Bangalore, New York City, and Hong Kong. Nomfundo has spent the past decade in agencies driving brand strategy for clients including LVMH, Marriott International, AirAsia, Unilever, BMW, Nissan, and Mazda.
Career & Background
What inspired you to do what you are doing now?
I’d never been to Australia prior to moving here with my family in tow. I wanted to experience for myself what I’d understood through the news cycle to be an industry that needed more diverse perspectives in a place experiencing considerable, positive change.
What was your journey and where are you headed in your career right now?
After starting off my career in non-profit communications I returned to school to a pursue a Masters in International Development, thinking I’d end up in the NGO sector. A few odd turns led to me brand strategy. I stayed because I love writing more than anything and it was a sweet spot that provided commercial work the license to be chronically online and in touch with global culture, and the space to write about it.
Your favourite food for thought
Books
- Uncanny Valley: A Memoir – Anna Weiner
- Blood, Bones and Butter – Gabrielle Hamilton
- Emotional Female – Yumiko Kadota
Podcasts / Thought Leaders
- Podcast: You’re Wrong About (I love Sarah Marshall so much, I have no words)
- Strategist: Tom Morton (on LinkedIn, of all places; he uses the algorithm well and brings great stuff into my feed)
- Writer: Gia Tolentino (whose essay on Athleisure is my Roman Empire)
What drives and inspires you
What are your core values?
- Belonging
- Compassion
- Courage
- Diversity
- Justice
- Leadership
- Making a difference
- Travel
Who is your biggest inspiration and why?
I lost my grandmother six months after my son (and first child) was born. It was understood among the cousins that I was most like her so I was particularly devastated, as we had a special bond. She lived through multiple eras in South African history and was a living archive of wild happenstances and revelations. My north star! She taught me that you don’t have to be a person who has travelled widely to be interested in the things that people vastly different to you are motivated by and afraid of. She loved to cook and grew more curious over time about food from other parts of the world, although she never got to experience them for herself. I lean into life wherever I am for me, and for my grandmother.
You as a Mentor
Why have you decided to become a mentor?
I’ve suffered from a severe lack of mentoring in my career. A few years ago I decided to break the cycle in my own world. It’s been a privilege to be welcomed into mentoring circles among others with similar goals.
What are the top 5 skills or qualities you bring to mentoring?
- Asking powerful questions
- Connected
- Direct
- Non-judgemental
- Resilient
Ready to apply?
The best time is right now. Take a chance – you never know where an Assisterhood mentor can take you.