Thobile Chittenden is the Network Co-Lead at the Wellbeing Economy Alliance, bringing together thinkers and doers building economies that serve people, planet, and future generations. Her work is global, but she remains committed to Afrikan initiatives, ensuring that local wisdom and community-led solutions shape the larger, global movement.
Rooted in her studies in Integral Economics at the University of Fribourg, Thobile believes the economy is not just about transactions but about relationships, ethics, and the common good.
She brings this thinking into her work with Makers Valley Partnership, a Johannesburg-based community initiative, City Kidz, an inner-city school expanding access to quality education, as well as serving on the board of Down 2 Earth Incubator, which is all about restoring soil health, reviving indigenous Afrikan crops, and demonstrating how food systems can be both regenerative and rooted in community care.
With over 10 years of experience in advertising, education, youth development, and creative activism, Thobile has helped shape programs impacting more than 3,000 schools. She has been behind initiatives such as Room 13 South Africa and Reimagination’s MADDD Labs, nurturing young “artivists” who use creativity to challenge the status quo.
A BMW Foundation Responsible Leader and TEDx Speaker, she weaves together faith, creativity, and economy, believing that our shared future depends on how we design economies that care for people and the planet.
A dancer, mother, and faith leader, she moves through the world with a deep commitment to building an economy that reflects who we are, where we come from, and the future we want to create.
