#WomensMonth | Confidence is built, not born

Antoinette Abrahams will tell you that confidence is not something you arrive with. It is something you build… through difficult conversations, deals won and lost, through the unglamorous work of showing up again after a door closes in your face.

Issued by Provantage

28 Aug 2026

Antoinette Abrahams, accounts manager at Mall Ads

As key accounts manager for Mall Ads, Abrahams works in one of advertising's most human environments. Malls are where people browse, decide, and buy and her job is to help brands meet consumers at exactly that moment. It is a role that rewards emotional intelligence as much as commercial acumen and she brings both.

Confidence isn't about having all the answers. It's about believing in the value you bring and being willing to keep showing up.

She speaks candidly about rejection (an inevitable feature of any sales career) and has reframed it entirely. A 'no' is usually a 'not yet'. Some of her best clients today said no multiple times before they said yes. That perspective has made her genuinely curious about the people she works with.

Outside the office, Abrahams is disciplined about restoration: strength training, good food, time with people she loves. She is clear that looking after yourself is not a luxury but what makes sustainable performance possible. Her advice to young women is equally grounded: stay curious, don't wait until you feel ready and never underestimate the value your own perspective brings to the table.

Provantage is one of the largest and most innovative end-to-end integrated marketing solutions and media businesses in Africa, extended over multiple key consumer touchpoints and covering a range of environments and audience segments. Operating across the MEA region, Provantage offers a comprehensive range of products, services, and integrated solutions, including brand activation, in-store and trade media services, field sales and compliance auditing, transit media, mall media, billboards, street furniture, golf course media and airport advertising. The company is a Black-owned, B-BBEE level 1 contributor, and proud member of the ACI, DPAA, OAAA, WOOHO, OMC and POPAI.