Ferial Haffajee is a multi-award-winning South African editor, journalist, and global moderator renowned for her influential contributions to media and journalism. She is currently the Associate Editor at Daily Maverick, one of the world’s leading media innovators, where she continues to shape the landscape of digital journalism. Haffajee has had a distinguished career, with previous roles as Editor-in-Chief at Mail & Guardian and City Press, where she led teams that won numerous investigative and journalistic awards.

As a prominent figure in global journalism, Haffajee is also a sought-after speaker, analyst and commentator, regularly appearing on radio, television, and other platforms to share her insights on South African and global affairs. She plays an important role in leadership networks, serving as a global moderator with the African Leadership Initiative, a partner of the Aspen Global Leadership Network, and as a Fellow of the Africa Leadership Initiative, a group dedicated to inspiring extraordinary leadership across the continent.

Haffajee’s commitment to independent journalism is reflected in her involvement with several organisations dedicated to press freedom. She is a member of the Advisory Board for the Open Society’s Programme for Independent Journalism and has served on the boards of both the World Editors Forum and the Global Editors Network. Her advocacy for media freedom has earned her several prestigious awards, including the 2015 International Press Freedom Hero Award from the Committee for the Protection of Journalists and the 2013 Naspers Phil Weber Award, the highest internal honour from the global tech company.

In addition to her journalistic work, Haffajee has made significant contributions to the South African media landscape. She was the former Chairperson of the South African National Editors Forum and the CNN/Multichoice African Journalist of the Year Awards.

Haffajee is also an accomplished author, having written the best-selling book What If There Were No Whites in South Africa? which explores complex issues of race and identity in the country. In recognition of her exceptional work in journalism, she was awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of the Free State in 2017.