Mohamed brings more than 15 years of senior leadership experience across media, entertainment, broadcasting, and marketing. Throughout her career, she has operated at the dynamic intersection of culture, creativity, and commerce. In senior roles at Sony Music Entertainment Africa, SABC TV, 5FM, and Viacom, she has led transformative audience growth strategies, digital transformation initiatives, and commercial partnerships, all while managing large-scale budgets and building culturally relevant, commercially sustainable platforms.
1. Congratulations on your appointment as Managing Director of Time Out South Africa. What does this milestone mean to you personally and professionally?
Thank you. This milestone represents both a moment of reflection and an exciting new chapter. Throughout my career, I’ve been drawn to spaces where culture, creativity, and audiences intersect, and Time Out sits exactly at that crossroads. Personally, it’s rewarding to look back at the experiences and people who have shaped my journey.
Professionally, it’s an opportunity to lead a globally respected brand and contribute to how South African cities are experienced and celebrated. What excites me most is building something meaningful at a moment when our cultural landscape is evolving and gaining global attention.
2. You’ve built a 15-year career across media, entertainment, and broadcasting. What were the defining moments that shaped your leadership style?
Working across media, broadcasting, and entertainment meant constantly navigating change from digital transformation to evolving audience behaviours. Those moments taught me that strong leadership requires both clarity of vision and adaptability. The media is an industry that moves quickly.
As leaders, we need to stay curious, listen carefully to audiences, and empower teams to experiment and innovate. Equally important were the mentors and colleagues who showed me that leadership is not just about direction, but about creating environments where people feel confident to contribute their ideas.
3. Having worked at organisations like Sony Music Entertainment Africa, SABC TV, 5FM, and Viacom, what key lessons have you carried into this new role?
Each of those organisations shaped my understanding of how culture and audiences interact. Broadcasting taught me the scale and influence media can have in shaping cultural conversations. Music and entertainment highlighted the emotional connection audiences have with storytelling and creativity.
Working within global organisations reinforced the importance of combining an international perspective with strong local insight. The biggest lesson is that audiences are always evolving, so media platforms must remain agile, relevant, and deeply connected to the communities they serve.
4. How do you balance commercial performance with cultural relevance?
I’ve always believed that cultural relevance is actually the foundation of commercial success. When a platform genuinely understands its audience and reflects the culture around it, audiences engage with it. Where audiences are engaged, brands naturally want to participate. The key is ensuring that commercial partnerships feel authentic and align with the audience experience. When that balance is right, culture and commerce strengthen each other rather than compete.
5. What excites you most about leading Time Out South Africa into its next growth phase?
South Africa’s cities are incredibly dynamic, vibrant, and creative. There’s an energy across food, art, music, and culture that is shaping how people experience city life. Leading Time Out at this moment presents an opportunity to build a platform that celebrates that creativity while connecting audiences to the experiences that make our cities unique. It’s about creating something that both reflects and contributes to South Africa’s cultural vibrancy.
6. As the brand expands beyond Cape Town and Johannesburg, what is your vision for its impact on South Africa’s cultural landscape?
My vision is for Time Out to become a trusted cultural guide across multiple South African cities. Beyond publishing content, the brand has the potential to spotlight local creativity, support emerging cultural communities, and showcase the experiences that make each city distinctive. By combining global expertise with local voices, Time Out can help amplify the richness of South Africa’s cultural landscape.
7. Audience-first growth has been a hallmark of your career. What does that strategy look like in today’s fast-evolving digital media space?
An audience-first approach today means understanding how people discover, consume, and share content across multiple platforms. It’s about listening carefully to both data and cultural signals, and using those insights to create content and experiences that resonate. In the digital landscape, success comes from building communities rather than simply broadcasting messages.
8. What role will partnerships and marketing innovation play in strengthening Time Out’s presence locally?
Partnerships are a critical part of how modern media platforms grow and evolve. For Time Out, collaborations with brands, creators, and cultural organisations allow us to extend our reach and create meaningful experiences for audiences. Marketing innovation will also play a key role in engaging audiences and bringing the brand to life across digital, experiential, and cultural spaces.
9. As a woman in senior leadership within media, what challenges have you had to overcome, and how did you navigate them?
Like many women in leadership, there are moments when you have to challenge expectations around what leadership looks like. For me, the most important thing has been staying grounded in my values while building credibility through the work itself. Over time, you learn that confidence comes from preparation, experience, and trusting your perspective. I also believe strongly in creating opportunities for other women and supporting the next generation of leaders.
10. How do you build and lead high-performing teams while staying authentic to your own leadership values?
High-performing teams are built on trust, clarity, and shared purpose. I believe in creating environments where people feel empowered to contribute their ideas and take ownership of their work. When teams understand the vision and feel valued within it, they are able to do their best work. Authenticity in leadership comes from consistency, being clear about your values, and leading in a way that reflects them.
11. What advice would you give to young women aspiring to leadership roles in media and creative industries?
Stay curious, stay adaptable, and don’t underestimate the value of your perspective. The media industry evolves constantly, so the willingness to learn and grow is incredibly important. It’s also important to remember that leadership doesn’t have to fit a single mould; your experiences, ideas, and voice are part of what make you valuable.
12. Looking back at your 20-year-old self, what would you tell her about ambition, resilience, and taking up space?
I would tell her not to be afraid of ambition and not to shrink herself to meet expectations. Careers are rarely linear, and some of the most important opportunities come from moments that initially feel uncertain. Resilience comes from trusting that each experience contributes to your growth and taking up space simply means believing that your ideas and contributions deserve to be heard.
