Ninel has gained recognition in Southern Africa for leading the award-winning independent record label and artist management agency, Vth Season. As one of the few female founders of a record label on the continent, VTH Season transformed into one of the region’s most impactful music agencies –investing in songs and audio-visual content and managing a portfolio of award-wining artist careers, with accolades including South African Music Awards, MTV Africa Music Awards, BET Awards, among others.
Recognising the gaps in the creative ecosystem in Africa, Ninel launched the Music Business Lab (MBL) to bridge the knowledge and training recesses. MBL is successfully developing emerging music entrepreneurs and professionals through certified courses, experiential learning and education, offering the only university-certified music business courses on the continent. With impact across corporate and entrepreneurial endeavours, Ninel serves as the Deputy Chairwoman of the Recording Industry of South Africa (RISA) while contributing to global dialogue on the creative sector and African entrepreneurship at forums such as MIDEM (Cannes, France) and Harvard Business School’s Annual Africa Business Conference.
Ninel holds degrees from WITS University and the University of South Africa as well as a Master of Management from WITS Business School, awarded with distinction, Ninel has also been profiled on BBC World and MTV.