Daily Maverick CEO Styli Charalambous shares his lessons on Learning to Lead Through Disruption
- bongiwe53
- Jul 7
- 4 min read
"The only prize you get for navigating change is more change," said Daily Maverick CEO Styli Charalambous to those gathered from media and technology at the fraymedia Foundation's Cape Town Rise & Shine Women in Media Breakfast Series.
Charalambous was reflecting on 17 years of leading one of South Africa's most successful independent news organisations to share the lessons that have enabled Daily Maverick to survive political upheaval, digital disruption and constant reinvention.
Co-hosted with WomHub, the breakfast formed part of the fraymedia Foundation's growing Rise & Shine Women in Media Breakfast Series, which creates opportunities for women leaders to learn directly from founders and innovators who have successfully navigated uncertainty. The event followed the Foundation's inaugural Cape Town breakfast, held in partnership with Tekano, and was opened by WomHub Chief Innovation Officer and co-founder Naadiya Moosajee, who welcomed the partnership and highlighted the importance of bringing together women from media, technology and entrepreneurship to learn from one another.
"I thought I would just share some of the lessons of being in this disrupted industry for the last 17 years," Charalambous told the audience. "Some painful ones along the way that we've learned so that hopefully maybe we can inspire others—or maybe save others from getting some of the scars."
Rather than presenting a polished success story, he walked attendees through Daily Maverick's most difficult moments—from surviving years of financial uncertainty to navigating landmark investigations including Marikana and the Gupta Leaks.
"It was clear that there was this public service that we needed to fulfil," he said. "We didn't know how the hell we were going to sustain it."
For nearly a decade, he explained, the organisation survived because of the strength of its mission before its business model finally caught up.
Those defining moments also clarified the organisation's values.
Reflecting on the Marikana investigation, Charalambous described it as "a watershed moment" that "changed everything" by clarifying the role Daily Maverick needed to play within South Africa's media landscape.
Speaking to founders and entrepreneurs in the room, Charalambous acknowledged the reality familiar to many start-ups.
"For the first 10 years of our existence, we were living from payroll to payroll," he said. "That is exhausting." Yet even during those years, Daily Maverick continued experimenting with new products, new business models and new ways of serving audiences because, he argued, "innovation has to be part of the culture."
He also urged leaders to invest in themselves before expecting their organisations to grow.
"If we were going to change the organisation and improve the organisation, I had to change and improve myself first,"
He said, describing how executive leadership training helped shape the company's long-term strategic transformation.
Looking ahead, Charalambous challenged organisations to think differently about artificial intelligence.
"As we stand on the brink of the next big disruption, which is AI, you can never... it's never done," he said. "The only prize you get for navigating change is more change."
For the fraymedia Foundation, the discussion reflected exactly what the Rise & Shine Breakfast series aims to achieve: creating spaces where women leaders can engage honestly with experienced founders, ask difficult questions and leave with practical ideas they can apply in their own organisations.
As the Foundation expands the breakfast series through partnerships such as Tekano and WomHub, the emphasis remains on building communities of women who learn together, challenge one another and strengthen their leadership journeys.
Charalambous ended with perhaps the simplest lesson of the morning.
"Stay alive long enough to get lucky."
Styli Charalambous' Lessons on Learning to Lead Through Disruption
1. Purpose will carry you further than your business plan.
"It was clear that there was this public service that we needed to fulfil. We didn't know how the hell we were going to sustain it."
A compelling mission creates resilience when the path forward is anything but certain.
2. Your values are revealed during moments of crisis.
"Marikana for us was a watershed moment. It changed everything. It clarified exactly the role that we needed to play."
Organisations discover who they really are when their principles are tested.
3. Don't stay stuck in survival mode.
"For the first 10 years of our existence, we were living from payroll to payroll. That is exhausting."
Even when resources are tight, continue experimenting and innovating.
4. Invest in yourself so your organisation can grow.
"If we were going to change the organisation and improve the organisation, I had to change and improve myself first."
Leadership development is an investment, not a luxury.
5. Change never ends.
"The only prize you get for navigating change is more change."
Adaptability is becoming one of the most valuable organisational capabilities.
6. Think beyond the probable future.
"Let's go crazy on this... What if this happens? What if that happens?"
Innovation begins by imagining futures others dismiss.
7. Learn from everywhere.
"There are clues from everywhere... We need to look at those who are doing well within our industry, and also learning from outside of the industry."
The best ideas often come from unexpected places.
8. Share what you've learned.
"South Africa will be a better place if there are more successful, good quality publishers doing stuff out there."
Strong ecosystems grow when leaders openly share knowledge rather than compete in isolation.
One final thought
"Stay alive long enough to get lucky."
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