Inspired by her family, Elizabeth Masiyiwa is commanding the fields of philanthropy and entrepreneurship

“I’m definitely not one of those people who has a good work-life balance,” Elizabeth (or Tanya, as she prefers to be called) Masiyiwa says, smiling. “But I absolutely enjoy it—nothing is more fulfilling than transforming lives.”

She is the eldest of six children born to her mother, a philanthropist, and her father, the founder and executive chairman of Econet Global, an international technology group with operations and investments around the world.

Equally devoting her time between business and philanthropy, Masiyiwa has adopted a similar work ethic to the one her parents modeled for her and her siblings.

Today, at 29 years old, Masiyiwa is a social entrepreneur in her own right.

“I had to figure out who I was,” she says frankly. “I didn’t want my father’s success to be my crutch.”