Thando Makhunga

Thando Makhunga is a passionate and experienced South African music business executive and the Managing Director of Sheer Publishing, the largest independent music publisher in Africa. She serves on the board of the Composers, Authors and Publishers Association one of the largest CMO’s on the continent.

She is the first black woman to serve as the Vice-Chairperson of the Music Publishers Association of South Africa. As part of Downtown Music Holding, a global music services company with a strong commitment to championing African music, Thando has worked across the continent to drive collaboration, knowledge sharing, and improved access to information on publishing and the rights of creators.

With an extensive background in broadcasting having started her career at Deloitte followed by programming roles at Kagiso Media. She subsequently held executive roles at Primedia Broadcasting where she was Group Music Manager for Kfm, 702, CapeTalk and 947 the largest commercial broadcaster in South Africa where she was Station Manager for three years. She has been instrumental in creating opportunities for women and the youth in the media industry and oversaw strategic initiatives within the organisation to identify and develop talent.

She also works as an executive and management coach with clients in the creative and corporate industry.