"I feel honoured and grateful to be recognised amongst other esteemed South Africans. This victory is not just personal, but it is a reflection of the people who have supported my work including my team members at TBT, my family and our clients who have entrusted us with their brand stories," says Mahopo.

The M&G 200 theme for 2021 is 'Resilience and Innovation for Excellence', which serves to inspire and applaud young people for their contribution towards growth in their respective fields of work.

Mahopo is an award-winning journalist and public relations professional. Driven by her affinity for social justice issues, she has covered stories on a range of topics including the plight of rural mining communities, access to education and land restitution during her six years working at the Sowetan newspaper.

She was selected as one of the Edward R. Murrow fellows for 2014 in the United States. She holds a bachelor of arts degree from Wits University and a BPhil in journalism from Stellenbosch University.

She worked at Primestars doing projects and media relations before establishing The Brand Thread in 2020, together with her business partner Tshepiso Seopa. The Brand Thread has serviced brands like:
  • Fooda
  • Yellow Owl
  • WiPiSA
  • Wesolve4X
  • Rocky Park Farming Group, and 
  • Dear Bella Sanitary Pads.
The agency says that it has generated about R15-million worth of PR value for clients during its first year of existence.

The agency was founded during the Covid-19 pandemic, while South Africa was under lockdown level five. The founders had their first meeting at a parking lot of a local shopping mall, which led to the establishment of an agile company that understands what it means to build brands amid a global crisis.

"The vision is to encourage those that come after us to dream bigger. Both Tshepiso and I are black women who matriculated at the same Girls' High school in Soweto. We want younger women, to see a reflection of themselves in us and to be bold in their pursuit of greatness no matter the circumstances," Mahopo concludes.

For more information, visit www.threadgroup.com.