Styli Charalambous

Styli Charalambous is the co-founder and CEO of Daily Maverick, one of South Africa’s most influential and resilient newsrooms. With a B.Com Honours and qualification as a Chartered Accountant (SA) (2003), Styli has led a career defined by strategic innovation, media sustainability, and leadership through disruption. He is a 2021 Nat Nakasa Award winner and a graduate of the CUNY Media Leadership and Innovation Executive Programme. He is currently part of the African Leadership Institute fellowship.

Styli speaks from lived, frontline experience in navigating one of the most challenging decades for global journalism. His key focus areas include:

• Leadership in times of disruption
• Innovation in media business models
• Newsroom strategy and digital transformation
• Policy and regulation in the African media environment
• Behind-the-scenes insights from the Daily Maverick, including coverage of major investigations like #GuptaLeaks

Under Styli’s leadership, Daily Maverick has grown from a small digital publication into a 120+ person newsroom — during a time when most media houses were shrinking. The organisation has pioneered membership models, hybrid journalism-business thinking, and has remained a cornerstone of accountability journalism in South Africa. His work and voice continue to shape debates around media freedom, business innovation, and the role of public interest journalism in democratic societies.

Styli is a story-driven speaker who values substance over soundbites. He brings a grounded, real-world lens to his talks, often blending personal insight, data, and strategic foresight to spark meaningful dialogue. He avoids formulaic presentations and hates bullet points — preferring narratives that deliver clarity, humour, and actionable takeaways. Whether unpacking complex media challenges or the internal evolution of a newsroom, Styli’s talks resonate with leaders navigating change.