Angela Yeung climbs so that others may rise with her
By Anisha Pemjee and Kirtan Bhana
20 February 2026
Angela Yeung’s story does not begin on a mountain.
It begins with absence.
At just three years old, her mother left her under difficult circumstances, a wound that would shape her early life and quietly inform her lifelong search for belonging, identity and healing. For many, such a beginning becomes a shadow. For Angela, it became fuel.
Years later, she would embark on another kind of expedition, not across glaciers and crevasses, but across memory and history, searching for the mother she had lost. That deeply personal journey helped her confront pain not with bitterness, but with resolve.
Today, Angela Yeung stands at the intersection of enterprise, diplomacy and advocacy, an accomplished mountaineer, entrepreneur and philanthropist whose life bridges continents and communities.
Climbing With Purpose
Angela made history in 2023 as the first South African woman to reach the true summit of Mount Manaslu (8,163m) the world’s eighth highest. In 2025, she summited Mount Everest from the treacherous North Side, one of the most technically dangerous routes in the world, after a gruelling 50-day expedition.
At 8,848.86 metres, she joined an elite group of South African women to stand on the roof of the world. But for Angela, Everest was never about personal conquest. It was about dignity.
Through the Impilo Collection Foundation, inspired by the isiZulu word Impilo meaning life, she launched the symbolic campaign 8,849 Bras for Dignity, one bra for every metre she climbed.
“Climbing Everest is a monumental challenge,” she said. “But it pales in comparison to the daily battles faced by survivors of gender-based violence.”
During the 16 Days of Activism in December 2025, 8,849 bras were exhibited at Constitution Hill, a powerful visual statement linking elevation with elevation of spirit. Each bra symbolised resilience. Each represented a woman seen.
Now professionally cleaned, packaged and labelled, those bras are being distributed nationwide, approximately 1,000 per province, to shelters across all nine provinces as part of the EmpowerHer national distribution campaign. Each dignity package includes health, safety and empowerment resources, transforming symbolism into sustained impact.
Her advocacy is inseparable from her climbing.
On Manaslu, she survived a near-fatal fall during a blizzard, slipping ten metres on an icy rope at extreme altitude. She was the only climber requiring evacuation. Many would have stopped there.
Instead, she climbed again.
On Everest’s North Side, where rescue operations are limited and conditions unforgiving, she faced -35°C temperatures, typhoon warnings, oxygen deprivation and the stark reality of mortality above 8,000 metres.
“There is no room for error,” she reflects. “You can summit and still die on the descent.”
Yet she persisted, purposefully.
The Entrepreneur Behind the Ascent
Angela’s journey to South Africa was itself an act of reinvention. Arriving as an immigrant, she trained through the Gemological Institute of America and founded Impilo Collection in 2005.
Impilo Collection specialises in bespoke jewellery commissions, jewellery trading and contemporary art jewellery collections. Every diamond is certified to international standards through the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) and the European Gemmological Laboratory (EGL), ensuring clients receive comprehensive reports detailing origin, cut, weight and dimensions.
Beyond luxury craftsmanship, Impilo champions sustainability through upcycling, transforming forgotten or broken precious metals into timeless works of art. The company also conducts valuations, remodelling and repairs, preserving heritage while creating new legacy.
The ethos of Impilo - life, renewal and value - mirrors Angela’s own journey.
Diplomacy, Trade and Bilateral Vision
Angela has recently been nominated as President of the Hong Kong–South Africa Chamber of Commerce (HKSACC), a role that signals the evolution of her leadership from enterprise to economic diplomacy.
Hong Kong stands as one of Asia’s largest trading ports, while South Africa remains a leading economy on the African continent. The Chamber’s mission is to expand strategic relationships and bilateral trade between South Africa and Hong Kong, leveraging opportunities within China and the Guangdong–Hong Kong–Macao Greater Bay Area.
Under Angela’s prospective leadership, the emphasis on networking for success reflects her belief that business is ultimately about people - how they connect, collaborate and create shared value.
Her nomination is strategic. She embodies lived transcontinental experience rooted in Asia, matured in Africa, and connected globally. Her business acumen, cultural fluency and philanthropic integrity uniquely position her to deepen bilateral trade, professional exchange and entrepreneurial partnerships between the two regions.
Luxury Travel with Purpose
Angela is also a contributor to Bespoke Destinations, the high-end luxury travel and hospitality platform founded by Rocco Olivier. This collaboration began almost a decade ago and has blossomed into an interactive and sustained partnership.
Bespoke Destinations focuses on bringing Africa to the Middle East and global luxury markets, curating expertly matched itineraries and trusted premium suppliers for the discerning traveller.
As a global traveller shaped by movements across continents, cultures and extreme landscapes, Angela brings a dynamic perspective to the world of luxury and has been tasked with expanding the Bespoke Destination brand in Asia.
Luxury, in her world, is not excess - it is excellence with responsibility.
Reinvention Through Service
Angela’s philanthropy extends beyond South Africa. Following her Everest climb, she donated over 100 kilograms of clothing, shoes and stationery to a monastery school in Nepal and supported a children’s mountain home, honouring the communities that made her ascent possible.
Corporate partners are now invited to support the logistics of the EmpowerHer national distribution campaign, enabling:
• Nationwide transport from Johannesburg to provincial hubs
• Secure handling and storage
• Coordinated distribution with shelters
• Impact reporting and documentation
You can connect with Angela and her team at www.impilofoundation.org
From a three-year-old child left behind, to a woman who crossed continents, built businesses, searched for her mother, survived blizzards, stood on Everest’s summit and now steps into international economic leadership, Angela Yeung has chosen not to be defined by what she lost, but by what she gives.
Her work in building gender respect and dignity, strengthening bilateral trade, championing sustainable luxury and uplifting survivors of abuse is transformative.