Vika Shipalana is a seasoned luxury marketing consultant, with over 21 years of sales, trade marketing, and brand marketing experience. She has previously held top executive roles at SABMiller Plc. (now ABInBev), MTN and Pernod Ricard SA, and is currently the CEO of VS Luxury Group, a luxury marketing consultancy which she founded in 2018. VS Luxury Group specializes in curating “money can’t buy” experiences for luxury brands and high-net-worth individuals. Their offering includes: Brand Communication Strategies, Through The Line Campaign Planning & Execution, Curated Private Experiences for Luxury Brands and HNWIs, Customized Gifting, as well as Bespoke Travel Experiences in South Africa and across the globe. Vika sits as a Non-Executive Director on the board of Meridian Holdings (of which Meridian Wine Merchants is a subsidiary). She is also the Chairman of the Meridian Foundation, a Non-Executive Director at SA Harvest (a non-profit organization whose mission is to end hunger in South Africa), as well as a Non-Executive Director of Patience Mlengana Ministries. She holds the esteemed position of committee member for Soho House, a prominent global community catering to creatives and individuals of artistic inclinations. She is also the co-founder and proprietor of ‘The Slow Life’, an experiential property that champions a lifestyle philosophy centered around living life slowly, beautifully and authentically. Furthermore, Vika has founded “Jody Rosé”, an elegant rosé wine inspired by the Provence region in France. This “onion skin” coloured wine is made in Franschhoek by renowned winemaker, Edmund Terblanche, and is available to purchase from Norman Goodfellows stores nationwide and online. Vika has also recently launched an e-commerce platform called VS Villa which seeks to share information with a discerning clientele about how to live a more “considered” and “intentional” lifestyle. Vika’s vision is characterized by her unwavering commitment to quality, craftsmanship & excellence and is underpinned by the firm belief that “Nothing is impossible if you believe!”. She hopes to one day own a conglomerate that will house some of the greatest luxury brands from across the African Continent & beyond.