Masterclasses

Andiswa Bata is the CEO: FNB Business. She joined FNB in 2018 as an executive in the Corporate Advisory team. She subsequently took up a role as a Regional Director and later as Head of SME segment. 

Prior to joining FNB, Andiswa gained 13 years of pan-African investment banking experience between Absa and Standard Bank. During her time within Absa’s corporate and investment bank, she occupied various roles spanning across strategy & planning, loan structuring & execution, loan syndication & distribution; and was also the Head of Construction & Cement sector client coverage. Andiswa further co-chaired the institution’s Banking on Women initiative. 

During her time at Standard Bank, Andiswa was the Head of Structured (Derivative) Sales for institutional clients and prior to that, she headed up the Africa (ex-South Africa) loan syndications business. Prior to investment banking, Andiswa was in management/strategy consulting. 

Andiswa is an Archbishop Desmond Tutu Leadership Fellow, and she holds a Bachelor of Business Science degree (with honours) from the University of Cape Town.

Professor Bernd Vogel is a Professor in Leadership at Henley Business School. He is also Research Division Lead in Leadership, Organisations and Behaviour, Founding Director of Henley Centre for Leadership and Henley Centre for Leadership Africa and an executive coach.

Having worked for over 20 years with global companies, business schools and universities, he bridges academia and practice to guide people and organisations in leadership learning journeys.

He is an expert in strategic leadership for healthy organisational energy and performance, the future of work and leadership, positive leadership, organisational leadership capability, senior management teams, followership, change and culture, multidirectional leadership for transformation and leadership development. He publishes in top-tier journals, is a regular media contributor and has authored and edited several books, such as Fully Charged: How Great Leaders Boost Their Organization's Energy and Ignite High Performance, published by Harvard Business Review Press.

He previously worked at the University of St. Gallen, Switzerland, is a Visiting Professor at the University of Johannesburg, South Africa, and has an Honorary Chair Professorship at Woxsen University, India. His past visiting positions were at Claremont Graduate University, USA, Instituto de Estudios Superiores de la Empresa Business School, Spain, and the University of Southern California, USA. He earned a Masters in Business Administration and Economics and a PhD in Management from Leibniz University Hannover, Germany.

Bulelwa Mabasa is a Director and Head of the Land Reform Restitution & Tenure Practice. Her expertise is spread across a number of key practice areas which includes the following: Dispute Resolution; which includes land reform, restitution and tenure law, administrative and constitutional law; tenders and procurement; due diligence investigations; expropriation litigation; mining regulatory and mining litigation and banking litigation.

Bulelwa is a leader in her field given her appointment by President Cyril Ramaphosa to serve as the only attorney on the Presidential Advisory Panel on Land Reform in 2018 and her authorship of the leading text on land reform, a publication titled Land in South Africa: Contested Meanings and Nation-Formation.

Bulelwa has also contributed to major journals and publications on Land Reform and Women. Bulelwa was awarded Best in Land Rights and Best in Thought Leadership, Innovation and Academia, at the Women in Law (WOZA) awards ceremony, that was hosted in July 2022. She also published a memoir titled My Land Obsession which won the Sunday Times / Exclusive Books Award for Non-Fiction in 2023.

Years of Experience: 20 years

Awards & Highlights

• Best in Land Rights (First Runner Up) and Best in Thought Leadership, Innovation andAcademia (Second Runner Up), Women in Law (WOZA) Awards, 2022.
• Best Woman Lawyer in Land Rights, Women in Law (WOZA), 2019
• Bulelwa was appointed in 2018 as one of the panel members on the Expert Advisory Panel to the President on Land Reform. She is the only attorney on the panel.
• Author of Land in South Africa: Contested Meanings and Nation-Formation.
  

Group Managing Executive: Nedbank Retail and Business Banking

Ciko Thomas holds a BSc from the University of Cape Town, an MBA from University of the Witwatersrand and an AMP from Harvard in the USA. As Group Managing Executive of Nedbank Retail and Business Banking (RBB), he combines his comprehensive marketing and management experience with his strong strategic insights and passion for people to lead the bank’s largest business cluster, in delivering compelling banking solutions that meet clients’ needs while contributing significantly to the group’s success.

Ciko joined Nedbank in January 2010 as Group Executive of Group Marketing, Communications and Corporate Affairs, bringing with him the diverse experience he had gained at such reputable brands as Unilever, M-Net, SAB, Absa and Barloworld. In the same year, he was made Managing Executive of Consumer Banking in RBB, before taking up his current executive leadership role in 2016. Under his strong leadership and guidance, RBB has gone from strength to strength, steadily growing its customer base and market share, while garnering
numerous accolades, not least the 2020 International Banker Award for Best Innovation in Retail Banking, Most Innovative Retail Banking App in South Africa in 2020 and Best Retail Bank in South Africa for two consecutive years.

His belief in the potential of people is matched only by his recognition of the power of technology and innovation. In his role, he works tirelessly to bring the three together seamlessly to help drive the bank’s ‘Digital First’ aspiration, exceed the expectations of retail and business clients and provide access to financial services for all South Africans.

Cumesh Moodliar, Investec Bank Limited Chief Executive Officer

Cumesh has been with Investec Private Banking since 2012, as regional head of the Eastern Cape and then national head of Banking in 2016. He was head of Private Bank (SA) from 2018 until 31 March 2024 and head of Private Client since 1 October 2022.
He was appointed as CEO of Investec Bank Limited from 1 April 2024.

Cumesh holds a BA, LLB, LLM (Tax) and completed a Programme for Leadership Development (PLD) at Harvard Business School in 2015, and the Archbishop Tutu Fellowship in 2016.

Before joining Investec, Cumesh was a managing partner at Goldberg & De Villiers, an established Eastern Cape-based law firm.

Ethel Nyembe Director – Strategic Customer Alliances Cyber 1 Solutions

Director – Strategic Customer Alliances of CYBER1 Solutions Ethel Nyembe has had a varied career ranging from public relations and media to 19 years in banking. She spent the last 13 years at the Standard Bank Group, where she held several senior positions in Retail Banking, and leaving as the Head: Group Card and Payments. In addition, Nyembe participates on several boards, including sporting, commercial and advisory Boards. 

Attributing her success to her core strengths in leadership, agility, and adaptability, Nyembe has acquired her higher education in South Africa culminating with a Master’s degree from GIBS with a globally published decitation. She describes herself as passionate and enthused with the entrepreneurial spirit South Africa holds and her most important role is being a mother to her two sons and is married to Sibusiso.  She is an avid reader and golfer yet also an absolute yogi.

Fumani Mthembi is a co-founder of the Pele Energy Group (“Pele”) and the managing director of its subsidiary, Knowledge Pele. Pele is the largest, 100% Black-owned independent energy and development company in South Africa. The Group’s mission is to contribute to structural transformation by executing on an infrastructure and impact investment model to transform rural, township and peri-urban communities into thriving economies. 

Fumani holds an undergraduate degree in Politics, Philosophy & Economics as well as a Masters in Science, Society and Development degree from Sussex University. Fumani’s focus is on the Group’s impact investment strategy which entails the management of research, advisory, development, ESG and community industrialisation functions.

Lungisa Fuzile is currently the Chief Executive of the Standard Bank of South Africa (SBSA) and he is responsible for the bank’s operations in South Africa since January 2018.

Previously, he worked in the Public Service in what was to become a 20-year career, culminating in his role as Director-General at the National Treasury.

He sits on the Standard Bank of South Africa Board, the Stanbic Botswana Board and the Standard Bank Group Leadership Council.

He chairs the South Africa Executive Committee and its appropriate sub-committees in addition to being a director of the Standard Bank Tutuwa Community Foundation.

Lungisa is also the Chairperson of the Banking Association of South Africa (BASA) Board, a member of the Business Leadership South Africa (BLSA) Board as well as a Council member for the Walter Sisulu University.

Bridging the Gap between Research and Innovation

As the Director of Helium.AI, Dr Mélani Prinsloo has been working at the forefront of research, design, and development efforts. Supported by a team of experts, Helium.AI has researched, designed, and built HeliumStream, a cutting-edge revenue/business assurance and advanced analytics tool that is transforming the landscape of data-driven decision-making.

Mélani's dynamic journey has integrated her roles at the Centre for Democratising Information (CDI) with Wakamoso and Infusion Knowledge with her work at Helium.AI. Her research endeavours have greatly benefited from the innovative application of machine learning techniques to analyse the wealth of data generated through CDI's community-based research initiatives focusing in the creation of a data commons on marginalised communities via Wakamoso.

With a strong foundation in research, Mélani has pioneered the use of technology to unlock deeper insights into the intricate realities of unevenly developed markets and extreme inequality. Her career, which includes a PhD from Lulea University of Technology, Sweden, has been dedicated to reshaping our understanding of context and decision-making in underdeveloped communities.

As the driving force behind CDI, a non-profit organisation, Mélani has empowered individuals from marginalised communities to collect essential data, bridging the information gap and fostering digital inclusion. This approach secured the impact on a wide range of clients, including prominent entities such as Shoprite, FSB, Standard Bank, FNB, Sanlam, EU framework projects (DSI), and The Presidency via AFD and GiZ.

In addition to her research and design work, Mélani also works in the academic arena. At present she mostly lectures at Henley Business School Africa focusing on external operating environments, value creation, Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) principles, and the concept of Shared Value.

Mélani Prinsloo's overarching mission centres on promoting data democratisation and fostering data-driven decision-making grounded in comprehensive contextual understanding. Her work exemplifies the synergy between research and innovation, driving positive change and underscoring the potential of technology to transform lives.

Dr. Nonkululeko Gobodo is the CEO of AWAKENED Global, a social initiative. She is the former Chairman, and founder of SizweNtsalubaGobodo, now SNG Grant Thornton, the largest, black auditing and accounting firm in South Africa. Nonkululeko is the first African woman to qualify as a chartered accountant in South Africa, in 1987.

She is an author of a book, “Awakened to my true self”, which was launched in October 2022.

In 2011, Nonkululeko played a key role, as one of the leaders in the successful merger of Gobodo Inc. and SizweNtsaluba to form SizweNtsalubaGobodo. This was a monumental advancement that changed the landscape of the accounting profession in South Africa, ushering in a new era of economic transformation.

Nonkululeko started her career as a junior lecturer at Walter Sisulu University, formally known as University of Transkei, in 1984. She proceeded to begin her training as an accountant with KPMG in the Mthatha office. Subsequently, she joined the Transkei Development Corporation (TDC) as a Chief Financial Officer. In 1992 she established her own accounting practice in Mthatha, in the Eastern Cape. She expanded the practice in 1996 to form Gobodo Inc which had offices in other cities in South Africa. 

She serves on the boards of PPC LTD and Shoprite Holdings which are listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange and Lesaka Technologies Inc (which is listed on the Nasdaq Stock Exchange) and was appointed as the Chancellor of Walter Sisulu University in April 2023

Nonkululeko’s career has been the subject of case studies by the Business School of the University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa, Nelson Mandela University and Lincoln University in New Zealand.

• Honorary Doctorate in Philosophy, University of Johannesburg’s College of Business and Economics in 2024
• Forbes Woman Africa Businesswoman Award by Forbes Africa in 2023;
• Platinum Award at the BBQ Awards in 2016;
• Pioneering Entrepreneur Award by the Black Business Council 2016;
• Lifetime Achievement Award: Excellency in Accountancy at the SA Professional Services
• Awards 2014;
• Outstanding Woman in Business & Award at the BBQ Awards 2014;
• Businesswoman of the year at the Standard Bank Top Women Awards 2014;
• Lifetime Achievement Award by ABASA 2011;
• Woman of Substance Award by The African Women Chartered Accountants 2010.
  

Nozipho Mbanjwa-Tshabalala is the CEO of the Conversation Strategists, where she moderates global conversations that are designed to have measurable outcomes.

She is known as the go-to moderator for presidential and high-level panel conversations globally.

She has moderated conversations for global bodies including the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, the International Labour Organisation, the United Nations, the African Union, governments and multinationals around the world.

With an academic and practice background spanning Economics, Politics and Policy, Development, Business and Strategy, and Social Economics, she is in demand for her unique and insightful ability to facilitate complex conversations with simplicity, depth and breadth.

Her prior work experience has included serving in The Presidency in South Africa, Umlambo Foundation, Tata Africa, and as an award-winning journalist at CNBC Africa.

She currently serves the LRMG Group as the Transformation Executive. Nozipho extends her leadership to various boards including LRMG (Chairperson Designate), Africa Leadership Initiative - South Africa (Non-Executive Director), TEDx Gresham Place (Advisory Board) and the BeyGOOD Global Citizen Fellowship (Advisory Council).

She enjoys the fellowship of the following prestigious institutions: Gordan Institute for Business Science’s Centre for African Management and Markets (CAMM), Young African leadership Initiative (YALI) and is a Tutu fellow. In 2019 she was named as one the Top 100 Most Influential Young Africans and one of the Top 100 Most Influential South Africans.

Life Healthcare’s Chief Executive, Pete Wharton-Hood, brings a wealth of experience and passion to any organisation. With a background in leadership development and a strong commitment to empowering the next generation of leaders, Pete is dedicated to fostering growth, innovation and success in our youth community.  

As a visionary leader, Pete has a proven track record of driving positive change and creating impactful initiatives that inspire and motivate others. With a focus on mentorship, collaboration and personal development,  Pete is committed to guiding and supporting future leaders to reach their full potential and make a difference in the world.

Pete is a proven business leader with strong global experience in strategy and operational delivery in complex and evolving environments. He has gained deep experience in running retail businesses, operations and information technology, whilst holding executive positions with both Standard Bank, and Deutsche Bank. During his time with Deutsche Bank in London, he served as Head of Operations for the Global Markets division and subsequently Global Chief Operations Officer for the Corporate & Investment Banking division. During his tenure he managed the complex Brexit transition process for Deutche Bank. 

In September 2020, Pete was appointed to his current role as Chief Executive for Life Healthcare, a leading, diversified and integrated healthcare services provider in southern Africa, with an international radiopharmaceutical business, called Life Molecular Imaging. Life Healthcare has over 40 years’ experience in the South African private healthcare sector, and currently operates 64 healthcare facilities (9,186 beds) in southern Africa. Life Healthcare offers a diversified offering across the care spectrum including acute hospital care, acute physical rehabilitation, mental health, renal dialysis, oncology, diagnostic and molecular imaging, long-term care, and occupational health and wellness services.

Pete trained as a chartered accountant and has completed the Harvard Advanced Management Programme.  a driven and courageous leader, with a successful track record of leading bottom-line profitability of substantial complex corporations, whilst delivering large-scale industry transformation. He has successfully and passionately driven diversity and inclusion programmes, both in South Africa and internationally, as well as dealing with regulators across the globe.

Tembeka Ngcukaitobi is a senior advocate in Johannesburg. His legal practice work focusses on land and property injustice, competition law, constitutional law. He is also an author focusing on topics such as the history of black intellectual thought, constitutionalism and the concept of private property. He has occupied various leadership roles including as Commissioner of the South African Law Reform Commission, Commissioner of the Judicial Services Commission and Chairperson of the Walter Sisulu University Council. He holds the degrees of BProc, LLB (Unitra), LLM(Rhodes) and LLM (London School of Economics).

Ms. Tsakani Maluleke is the Auditor-General of South Africa, the first woman to be appointed to this role in over 100 years. Prior to this, she served as the Deputy Auditor-General. She has more than 20 years of experience spanning diverse areas including Auditing, Consulting, Corporate Advisory, Development Finance, Investment Management and Skills Development. 

A seasoned business leader with a wealth of corporate governance experience gained through participation on numerous corporate boards and strategic committees in both the private and public sectors. 

Her commitment to service excellence, ethical leadership and contribution to the advancement of transformation have been recognised by the Presidents of the Black Management Forum (BMF), the African Women Chartered Accountants (AWCA), the Black Business Council (BBC) and the Association for the Advancement of Black Accountants of Southern Africa (ABASA), of which she is a Past President . 

Prof. Tshilidzi Marwala is the Rector of the United Nations University and Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations. 
Prior to taking up the role of UNU Rector on 1 March 2023, Prof. Tshilidzi Marwala served as Vice-Chancellor and Principal of the University of Johannesburg (South Africa) from January 2018 through February 2023. He had previously served as that university’s Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Research and Internationalization (2013–2017) and Executive Dean of the Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment (2009–2013).

From 2003–2008, Prof. Marwala progressively held the positions of Associate Professor and Full Professor at the University of the Witwatersrand (South Africa); from 2001–2003 he was Executive Assistant to the Technical Director at South African Breweries; and from 2000–2001) he was a Postdoctoral Research Associate at Imperial College (then University of London).

He holds a PhD degree from the University of Cambridge (UK), a Master of Mechanical Engineering degree from the University of Pretoria (South Africa), and a Bachelor of Science degree (magna cum laude) from Case Western Reserve University (USA). He also completed management and leadership programmes at the Columbia Business School and Harvard Business School.

Prof. Marwala is, inter alia, a member of the UN Secretary-General's Scientific Advisory Board, a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS), the Academy of Science of South Africa, and the African Academy of Sciences.

Prof. Marwala is the author of more than 25 books, including Leadership Lessons from Books I Have Read (2021) and Leading in the 21st Century: The Call for a New Type of African Leader (2021); dozens of book chapters, journal papers, and conference papers; and more than 250 magazine articles and newspaper op-eds.

Among the awards that Prof. Marwala has received are the Order of Mapungubwe (South Africa’s highest honour) and the Academy of South Africa’s Science-for-Society Gold Medal. He was named the 2021 IT Personality of the Year by the Institute of IT Professionals South Africa.

Yolanda Cuba
MTN Group Vice President:
Southern & East Africa Region

An accomplished pan-African business executive with over two decades of experience across diverse
industries. She currently serves as the Vice President for the Southern & East Africa region of the MTN
Group, one of Africa's largest telecommunications companies, where she leads strategic growth and
transformation initiatives across multiple African countries. Her diverse professional background,
which encompasses the telecommunications, financial services, and diversified services and
investment sectors, has equipped her with a unique skill set and a deep understanding of the
challenges and opportunities in these industries. Her transformational leadership style is characterised
by a strong focus on innovation, driving growth, customer-centricity, and operational excellence.
Yolanda was one of the youngest CEOs of a JSE-listed company at the age of 29 years and has been
recognised as CEO/Business Personality of the Year by multiple platforms over her 20-year working
experience and Businesswomen of The Year by SAICA. She was also selected by the World Economic
Forum as one of the Young Global Leaders and named one of the Choiseul 100 Africa by Institut
Choiseul (France).

She has served on numerous JSE-listed companies as a non-executive director including Absa Group,
where she was the longest-serving member for 12 years before resigning in 2019. She currently
serves on MTN Rwanda, MTN Zambia, MTN South Sudan, MTN Uganda, DECI Investments, Mascom
Wireless, Chenosis and sit on the Illovo Sugar Limited Advisory Panel.

Yolanda is a Chartered Accountant (CA/SA) and holds BCom Statistics (University of Cape Town), BCom
Accounting Honours (University of KZN) and MCom (University of Pretoria) degrees and she is an
alumnus of programs at INSTEAD, Harvard Kennedy School and Harvard Business School.

She is passionate about unlocking the potential of people and organizations and is committed to
fostering a culture of inclusion, collaboration and continuous improvement. Yolanda served on the
Advisory Board of Stellenbosch University Business School, is the founder of the Cuba-Mtyi
Foundation, served on the Nelson Mandela Foundation Investment Committee since 2006 and in 2022
has been appointed as a Trustee of the Nelson Mandela Foundation. She is also the founder of The
Mentorship Boardroom, a platform for mentorship where trailblazers mentor the next leaders in
Africa. The Mentorship Boardroom aims to impact 1,000,000 lives in Africa, of which 70% should be
women and children.

Zwelakhe Mnguni is the co-founder and Chief Investment Officer of Benguela Global Fund Managers. Zwelakhe grew up in a Sebokeng squatter camp south of Johannesburg, and after school, he worked as a security guard for four years to save money to study. His humble beginnings and difficult circumstances did not stop him from pursuing his dreams. Today Mnguni is one of the founders of Benguela Global Fund Managers and its chief investment officer (CIO), overseeing R7.2bn in AUM.

After he finished school in 1993, Mnguni became a security guard from February 1994 until early 1998. During his four years in this field, he worked his way up the ranks and became a manager. When his savings exceeded R60,000, he registered as a student at Rand Afrikaans University (Rau), known today as the University of Johannesburg, for a commerce degree. After he completed his bachelor of commerce honours degree in financial management, in June 2000, he joined Cadiz Asset Management, where he did short stints in various business units, including stockbroking, private equity, risk management and specialised asset management. He joined Allan Gray in late 2002 and spent four years as an equity analyst. He later joined Stanlib as an equity analyst focused on telecommunications and technology. He then managed Stanlib’s global science and technology fund and co-managed the Stanlib Value fund. He then spent three years as head of equities and portfolio manager at Mergence Investment Managers until August 2013. Mnguni co-founded Benguela in late 2013 with Karl Gevers, who he knew from his student days. 

In addition to a process-driven and risk conscious portfolio construction, Zwelakhe remains passionate about investment analysis and industry skills development. 

Having designed what is now the Benguela Investment Philosophy and Process in 2009, Zwelakhe enjoys the challenge of looking for quantitative and qualitative ways to systematically generate alpha through fundamentals.

African Bank’s Ceo: Business Banking

Zweli Nelson Manyathi is a key strategic thinker and innovator, with a glittering and long standing track record in Personal and Business Banking. He possesses extensive banking experience in the both the South African and International economies. Zweli is currently African Bank’s CEO: Business Banking, tasked with spearheading the establishment of our Business Banking division.

This includes building suitable customer solutions beyond personal banking in areas such as Digital SMEs, Asset Financing, and Mortgage Origination. He has a passion for finding creative solutions to support entrepreneurs and, in so doing, help them to contribute sustainably to the economic growth of South Africa Before joining African Bank, Zweli was CEO Business and Commercial Clients at Standard Bank and, prior to that, CEO of Personal and Business Banking Group at the same organisation. He has also served as CEO of Branch Network and Corporate Banking at FNB. Zweli has also been a visiting associate at Goldman Sachs in New York.

He serves as an Executive Director on the Boards of African Bank Holdings Limited and African Bank Limited and is an Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of Grindrod Financial Holdings Limited and Grindrod Bank Limited.

Certification: BCom (Hons) (Financial Management) (UNISA), Senior Executive Programme (University of Witwatersrand and Harvard Business School), Senior Management Development Programme (City University of New York – Baruch College)