Continuing the legacy: Chicken Licken CEO Chantal Sombonos-Van Tonder.
In a world where success too often comes at the cost of personal sacrifice, Chantal Sombonos-Van Tonder stands as a formidable outlier — a woman who’s not just balancing but redefining what it means to be a mother, entrepreneur and business leader in today’s South Africa.
Chantal has been at the helm of Chicken Licken for nearly two decades, a business that her father George Sombonos started in 1981. “Chicken Licken is my life, and I am as passionate about it as my father. He once told me that if you believe in something you should be willing to die for it.”
She is at the same time unapologetically ambitious and emotionally grounded. A mother of two boys, an entrepreneur in a male-dominated industry, and a role model for women who refuse to choose between family and career.
Growing up in a household where money was a scarcity rather than a certainty, Chantal learned the value of resilience. “Money didn’t define my family or my upbringing,” she recalls. “It was something that was not readily available when I was young, but I learnt to appreciate it when we had it, and to work harder when we didn’t.”
This foundation didn’t make her chase wealth, it taught her to respect it. Today, she speaks of a “healthy relationship with money” using it with purpose, never frivolity. Holidays, yes, because rest matters. But every cent spent is weighed against long-term dreams.
Her view of money is not one of fear, but of ownership.
“Just because you have a lot of money doesn’t make you a good person,” she says. “Your morals and ethics are what stay with you.” That financial philosophy is what underpins her approach as both a business woman and a parent.
She intends to raise sons who understand the value of hard work and integrity. “Nothing in life comes for free,” she says. “I try to instil that in both of them, that you work for your money. I have a respect for money and what it could help accomplish in life, but I don’t allow it to dictate my life.”
Her industry — still dominated by men — has offered few female role models. And yet, Chantal didn’t wait for the world to make room for her. She recounts how, when she was pregnant with her second child, she was approached by some people asking, “Is your business for sale?” The unspoken message was clear — motherhood, in their eyes, meant vulnerability.
But instead of retreating, Chantal doubled down. And her business, grown with grit, hasn’t just survived – it’s thrived. Now, she stands as a symbol of what’s possible.
To her, South African moms are the unsung CEOs of everyday life: multitaskers and motivators.
“I think South Africans absolutely love moms,” she says. “They are seen as hardworking and driven for their family’s needs.”
Still, the road is not without frustration. “There’s not a strong female presence in my industry,” she admits. And though she sees women trying to support one another, she acknowledges that real change takes time.
“Networking with other women in my field is difficult,” she says, “but I do think women are changing. The tide is slowly turning. We’re learning to champion each other.”
Her message to fellow working mothers is powerful: “Stay true to yourself and your family and do what makes you happy and whole.”
Chantal doesn’t chase perfection. “As long as my children love me and see me as their biggest supporter and their safe space, then I think my work as a mom is done.”
She rejects the belief that women must choose between ambition and motherhood.
“All women can have it all — including moms,” she says firmly. She believes women can achieve the same success and, with determination and support, can balance both career and family. And if the system doesn’t make space for that, Chantal is one of those rare leaders willing to build a new one.