Irna van Zyl founded New Media Publishing (NMP) 12 years ago following an award winning newspaper career. NMP publishes titles such as Visi, Eat In, Eat Out and various custom publications. Van Zyl cites being appointed as the first female chief sub for Die Burger as a career milestone.

Van Zyl is considered a mentor in publishing. Award winning editors and marketing experts join NMP for the opportunity to work with Van Zyl, while many leading editors still seek her career advice. She has created The NMP Night School for editors and the Craft Awards (held internally) and was instrumental in setting up Mikateko Media, a 51% black owned publishing company. NMP employs over 160 people (75% female) and profits have grown by 110% over the last four years.