Growing up in apartheid-era South Africa, Gillian Fish’s transformative experiences witnessing social injustice shaped her into a passionate advocate for positive change. As founder and CEO of The 6AM Agency, she brings this same determination to the natural products industry, where she has been a driving force for over two decades.
“I was born and given two mothers—one white mother, my biological mother Zelda was a marvelous woman who ended up becoming an investigative journalist, and then a Black mother, Selina,“ Fish said. ”Selina was my nanny who Zelda employed to look after me and my siblings before I was born. Selina actually was with me as a mentor right into her late 80s. She passed away only three years ago in COVID. If Selina had had a white skin, she absolutely, without doubt, would have been the CEO of a company. Because she had Black skin, she was relegated to working as a nanny with no real corporate future.
“However, she joined our family—a family deeply vested in social justice. My parents always did whatever they could to stand up against injustice. They championed against apartheid, and so did I as I grew up.”
Drawing inspiration from powerful mentors like Selina, who was fiercely independent despite limited means, Fish developed a unique leadership approach centered on unlocking individual potential. Her top five strengths—responsibility, belief, connectedness and a futuristic vision—have guided her success in building a purpose-driven business.
“You have to have a future vision in order to maintain business and to stay in business,” she said. “So really, that’s what has driven me and enabled me to be in business for 22 years during some very, very rough times. And of course, in the end though, I’m only as good as my team, and it’s about really bringing the team on that journey and unlocking the potential in them.”
As a volunteer for multiple non-profits including Women In Nutraceuticals (WIN), Fish added that she strongly believes in the power of collective impact and encourages others to lean into causes that can have a ripple effect on individuals, families and communities.
“Whatever I can do in my small way, be it through my business or personally to unlock potential and to help others, that really is my purpose,” she said. “That is what we’re on this planet for. Yes, the conduit might be business and yes, we might make some money out of it to live on. But ultimately, it’s the impact that we can leave behind.”
