ABOUT Pilily
THE PROBLEM
Africa is full of potential, and its greatest asset is its people. However, education all over the continent lacks critical leadership and entrepreneurial skills to help founders thrive. As a result, 54% of businesses in Africa fail, and one of the primary reasons is the lack of leadership support and management expertise.
THE SOLUTION
PILILY provides coaching services for entrepreneurs looking to start or grow an impactful organisation. PILILY specialises in supporting African leaders in navigating organizational challenges and offers personal leadership coaching.
PILILY was founded in 2022 by Mbali Gushu to merge her passion for seeing positive growth in Africa and a decade of experience with supporting social enterprises.
Mbali believes in helping others to reach their full potential and achieve immense success. With an unwavering belief in the power of hard work, perseverance, and continuous growth, she empowers individuals, teams, and organisations to conquer their challenges and redefine the boundaries of achievement. She thrives on creating an inclusive and supportive environment, championing diversity, and enabling individuals from all backgrounds to thrive and excel.
Throughout her professional journey, she has honed her skills in social entrepreneurship, consistently delivering exceptional results and driving impactful change. Mbali has developed a comprehensive understanding of industry trends, emerging technologies, and best practices, equipping her to navigate complex landscapes and seize unprecedented opportunities.
Mbali has an innate ability to connect with people and build lasting relationships, which has allowed her to foster collaboration, encourage innovation, and inspire others to unlock their own potential.
Practical LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT
ABOUT MBALI
Mbali Gushu is an executive leadership and organisational development coach with a decade of experience supporting exceptional leaders across Africa and beyond.
She holds an Executive Coaching qualification from the University of Cape Town (UCT) — one of Africa’s most prestigious institutions — and founded Pilily to bring rigorous, high-quality coaching to the leaders doing the most ambitious work on the continent.
Mbali’s clients include select leaders from the Amujae Initiative, personally chosen by former Liberian President and Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Ellen Johnson Sirleaf; senior executives at Smollan, a global retail solutions company operating in 50+ countries; leaders at ELMA Philanthropies; and founders of venture-backed companies with multimillion-dollar mandates.
Her professional journey spans some of Africa’s most respected institutions. She served as Regional Director of Ashoka Southern Africa, supporting over 120 Ashoka Fellows. She led large-scale teacher recruitment at Nova Pioneer Academies, building networks of schools across South and East Africa. She supported social entrepreneurs globally at Teach For All, helping national movements scale from inception to fully-fledged NGOs. She also served as COO of Cloudline — Africa’s first airship-producing aerospace company — where she helped raise $6M pre-seed and coached engineering teams to achieve science-defying results. Mbali currently leads Operations in a number of her personal businesses and organisational development firm, Niadelta.
Mbali works with a small number of clients at a time to ensure every leader receives the depth of attention their work deserves.
CLICK HERE to book an obligation-free consultation.
Our team
Nondumiso Xulu
Aphelele Mlotshwa