South Africa, April 13 -- The Business to Brand Summit was born from a conviction I have carried for years: Africa has no shortage of businesses, but we need far more brands that are trusted, culturally relevant, commercially resilient, and globally recognisable. Through Pat on Brands, I have spent years telling stories about great marketing, great leadership, and great businesses, but I kept seeing the same pattern. Many founders and business leaders were focused on sales, operations, and survival, but not enough on the long-term work of building a brand.

The summit was my response to that gap. I wanted to create a platform that moves the conversation from simply running a business to intentionally building a brand. It was also inspired...