Vasantha Angamuthu has 30 years experience in media and communications and is the Chief Strategy Officer at Independent Media South Africa. Her role includes organisational development, product development across print, digital and onground and supporting the leadership team in the development of audience, product and revenue strategies. She also launched and heads up Studio Independent, a branded content agency within Independent Media.

She started her professional life as a political journalist and covered South Africa's transition to democracy including the country's first democratic elections; the constitution-writing process and President Nelson Mandela's time in office.   She left journalism to head the communications unit of the City of Durban, elevating the unit from a PR and media buying unit to a strategic communications unit with a Paid, Owned and Earned (PEO) developmental marketing strategy. In 2007 Vasantha joined Hindustan Times Media in New Delhi as Vice President: Content and Product Development, a role that bridged marketing and editorial. In her five years at HT Media, she launched or redesigned a number of print products, drove the implementation of community and niche print products and conceptualised and launched a number of events.