Masterclasses

Angela Mhlanga is the CEO of Hollard Group Risk business that provides Risk benefits to the Employee base in South Africa. She is an executive director on the Hollard Specialist Life and Hollard Life Boards.

She is a chartered accountant by profession and has over 20 years’ experience as a C-suite executive running businesses in the financial services industry. She has vast experience running businesses in Insurance and related industries. Her first CEO position was for Compass Insurance – a specialist short-term Insurance company at the of age 32.

Angela is a co-founder of Mahogany Capital a private equity business funded by Nedbank. She proudly attributes her love for business from running her family’s butchery in Pimville, Soweto as part of her chores from age 12.

She is the member of Young Presidents Organisation and sits on their Board for Women Business Network. Her passions include coaching leaders and individuals within the businesses she runs, as well as active involvement in community affairs. She contributes to the Autism community, serves on the board of Bethany Home, a facility for abused women and children, and participates actively in her local church.

Partner at Herbert Smith Freehills, Ziyanda Ntshona has two decades of experience in mergers and acquisitions, and corporate and commercial transactions. She has expertise in all aspects, including reorganisations, private equity and general corporate transactions in South Africa and the rest of Sub-Saharan Africa. Ziyanda has represented several international and local clients and has worked across various sectors, including mining, health, financial services, telecommunications, real estate and private equity.

She serves on the board of Ubuntu Pathways, a not-for-profit organisation providing integrated support to orphaned and vulnerable children. She is also a Non-Executive Director for the Kolisi Foundation, founded by Springbok captain Siya Kolisi with the aim of addressing inequality in South Africa.

Bheki Nxumalo is the current Group Executive for Generation, a division of Eskom Holdings Limited, the national electricity utility in South Africa. A seasoned executive with nearly three decades of experience in Generation, Bheki has been instrumental in spearheading Eskom’s recovery since April 2023, when the country was at its highest levels of loadshedding. He has been instrumental in forming the Eskom Repurposing and Repowering Project for power stations that have reached their end of life to give meaning to the Just Energy Transition that Eskom is currently embarking on. Bheki has extensive heavy industry and Eskom business experience and an outstanding track record in his previous roles both within and outside of Eskom. He has over 26 years of experience in various managerial, senior managerial, and executive positions in Eskom, most of which were spent in the Generation business.

The various positions he has held in Generation include Power Station Manager at Grootvlei, Matimba and Kusile Power Stations, as well as managing the Generation Build Programme. In 2016, he joined ACWA POWER AFRICA HOLDINGS as the Chief Executive Officer for Bokpoort CSP, where he gained invaluable insight into renewables. Before returning to Eskom Generation in April 2023, he served as the Chief Executive Officer of Eskom Enterprises and Eskom Rotek Industries.

Lee Naik is Chief Executive Officer of TransUnion Africa and is recognised as one of South Africa's leading digital and technology transformation experts.  Lee is responsible for a portfolio of businesses across 8 countries that help businesses make more informed decisions and help consumers manage their personal information better to lead a higher quality of life.  Lee is the former Managing Director of Accenture Digital, having spent over 2 decades helping governments and businesses transform to drive their relevance.

Lee is recognised as a global technology commentator and speaker and has been recognised as an official influencer in the LinkedIn Top Voice awards.  Lee is also passionate about diversity, equity and inclusion and has been voted by the Gender Mainstreaming Awards as one of the top inclusive leaders on the continent.

Serame was appointed Group CEO Designate in August 2021. He took over the role of Telkom’s Group Chief Executive Officer from 1 January 2022.  Serame was appointed at Telkom in June 2018 as CEO of the Consumer Business Unit, taking responsibility for both its mobile and fixed consumer businesses. He has extensive experience in this field, having previously held senior leadership positions with General Electric Africa (GE) and MTN, where his last role was as CEO of MTN Ghana. While at GE, Serame was the company’s Growth Leader for Sub-Saharan Africa and Head of Transformation in South Africa. 

He has also worked for leading FCMG companies such as Unilever, SAB and at M-Net, and has completed various executive management courses at IMD (Switzerland), GIBS, INSEAD (Singapore) and the Wharton School of Business. His principal skills amongst others are marketing, customer operations, mergers and acquisitions, business leadership experience, commercial strategist and consumer expertise, telecommunications and technologies, and international operations.

Khensani Nobanda is the Group Executive for Marketing and Corporate Affairs at Nedbank Group. As both the executive in charge of marketing, and a member of the Nedbank Group executive leadership, she ensures the cohesive and consistent alignment between marketing messaging, brand positioning and business objectives across the group, while also providing strategic input into various Nedbank structures, committees, and partnerships. Her portfolio also includes leading the social impact agenda for Nedbank through overseeing the bank’s CSI and Transformation programmes. 

Khensani has a BCom from the University of the Witwatersrand, an MBA from GIBS and Advanced Management Program from Harvard Business School, where she was voted as class speaker for that cohort. She is a member of the board of Effie Awards South Africa, sits on the board of Loeries, is part of the UN Global Compact CMO Forum on sustainability and has recently been appointed as a board member of the IAA’s Global Board of Directors.

Kensi has amassed several accolades in recognition of her contribution to the industry, including top honours as winner of the Loeries 2021 “Marketing Leadership & Innovation” award the “Marketing Industry Leader of the Year” by AdFocus for 2021 and 2024, the 2022 and 2024 “Most admired Marketer in South Africa” award by Marklives.com. and the 2023 Scopen Most admired Marketer.

Xolisa Dyeshana is Chief Creative Officer and partner at Joe Public United. He has been an invaluable part of the independent agency’s growth story, having led it to being rated as the top agency in creative rankings for Africa and the Middle East for the past 6 years. He contributes a wealth of experience gained over 22 years, working on iconic brands from across the globe.

Xolisa has actively contributed to the South African advertising industry as Chairperson of the Creative Circle, the highest decision-making body for advertising creativity in South Africa, and served as Chairman of the Loeries, the region’s premier advertising awards show. He also strives to give a voice to African creativity on the global stage and has won awards at almost every major awards show internationally and served on their juries. He was a member of the international board of the One Club for 6 years and currently sits on the Global Creative Council for Meta and Anheuser-Busch.

Xolisa has been recognised as the joint no. 1 creative leader for Africa and the Middle East for 5 out of the last 7 years by the Loerie Awards and was recently named in Adweek's Creative 100 - an annual global honour that has become one of the most respected accomplishments in the creative industry. Ultimately though, Xolisa is passionate about building a diverse and inclusive industry and has been a part of many industry initiatives aimed at helping young people from underprivileged backgrounds gain access to advertising and actively engaging a new generation of creative minds to find new solutions for a better world.

Mzi Mgudlwa is the Chief Executive at ENS since 01 March 2016. Mzi’s experience includes matters relating to labour, commercial law, mergers and acquisitions. A significant amount of his time is spent on driving the growth of the firm, from a client and recruitment point of view.
Mzi is recognised as a leading lawyer by Legal Experts in Europe, Middle East & Africa for Corporate and M&A.

Basani is the Divisional Executive for Retail Operations at Capitec Bank. She is responsible for managing distribution and sales. Prior to joining Capitec, she was the Group Chief Executive Officer of African Bank. Having qualified as an attorney at Edward Nathan Sonnenbergs in 2004, she joined RMB Corporate Finance in 2005. She subsequently joined FNB as the Head of Private Clients in 2011. Basani holds BCom and LLB degrees from the University of Cape Town as well as an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. She is a member of the African Leadership Initiative and the Aspen Global Leadership Network. 

Ipeleng is co-founder and CEO of a 100% black owned and 70% woman owned and led diversified investment holdings group. A pioneering business leader she has led Motseng Investment Holdings (MIH) a muliti-award winning organization with underlying investments in commercial and industrial property, property and facilities  management, telecommunications, infrastructure concessions and engineering businesses. With geographic representation in five SADC countries, Lesotho, Mozambique, Botswana, Mauritius and South Africa, the Motseng group employs over 400 professional and technical staff.

She is regarded as one of 100 Top Business Leaders 2022 in the commercial property sector by the South African Institute of Black Property Practitioners (SAIBPP). 

Ipeleng holds a Bachelor of Social Science degree, has completed The Executive Development Programme at Wits Business School and is an Archbishop Tutu Fellow. She has served on various boards of unlisted and listed businesses, public sector agencies and non-profit organizations. She serves as an independent non-executive director of a various boards and is a trustee of Women’s Property Network education trust and a director and Past President of South African Property Owners Association (SAPOA) 2018/19. During her 2-year career she has been recognised and awarded by leading business organisations, advocacy groups and international bodies.

Since the late nineties, Ipeleng has been actively involved in business and equally advocating for the inclusion of women in the commercial property sector as entrepreneurs and professionals. She is passionate about the development and ascension of women in business and has been an ambassador of various women’s business and state led non-profit organizations. 

Khumo is an experienced Independent Non-Executive Director (INED). He currently serves as Lead Independent Director on the boards of Vodacom Group Limited and Hollard Holdings Limited, and as an independent non executive director on the boards of Bidvest Group Limited and Ninety One plc. Khumo recently retired as Chairman of Investec Bank Limited, a role he held for five years. He served as an INED of Investec Bank, as well as the Investec Group (comprising Investec Limited and Investec Plc), for nine years since 2014. He also served on the boards of several other companies within the Investec Group, including Investec Life Limited and Investec Property Fund Limited. Khumo retired from all Investec boards at the AGM in August 2023 due to regulatory limits relating to NED independence.

Khumo has served on the key sub-committees of each of the boards he has been part of, including Audit and Risk, Remuneration and Nominations. He currently chairs the Investment and the Social and Ethics Committee at Vodacom. He previously served on the Investec Asset Management Africa Private Equity Fund Investment Committee and the Investec Property Fund Investment Committee.  

Khumo also serves on a number of Not-for-Profit Boards, including The Constitution Hill Trust, which was created in 1996 to protect and promote the South African Constitution, and Flame Studios, a recording studio established on the premises of Constitution Hill with the aim of providing world class facilities at an iconic venue for commercial hire while helping to develop South African music talent through accessible recording facilities and mentorship programmes. 

Katlego is the co-founder and CEO of Yoco, a market-leading digital payment platform that offers small businesses payments, software and working capital in South Africa.

His career started in management consulting with Accenture and then Delta Partners, where he focused on TMT. He then joined Rocket Internet before founding Yoco. He graduated from the University of Cape Town with a degree in Business Science Information Systems (Hons).

Ms. Nomsa Chabeli is a dynamic and transformational leader with a proven track record of driving strategic growth, innovation, and excellence in every role she has undertaken. With extensive experience in both the public and private sectors, she brings a unique blend of commercial acumen and deep understanding of public service media to her role as Group Chief Executive Officer of the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC).

As a member of the Global Task Force on Public Media (GTF), Ms. Chabeli contributes to international conversations on the future of public service media, advocating for sustainability, innovation, and the critical role of media in democracy. Her appointment reflects her leadership in navigating the evolving broadcasting landscape and ensuring the long-term viability of public broadcasters in a rapidly changing digital world.

Before joining the SABC, she held senior leadership positions at MultiChoice, where she successfully led SuperSport’s operations across various global markets, delivering strong commercial performance and audience growth. Her career also spans key strategic roles at MTN, Edcon, Brand South Africa, and the Government Communication and Information System (GCIS), demonstrating her expertise in marketing, digital transformation, and brand strategy.

A passionate advocate for South Africa’s development, Ms. Chabeli remains dedicated to mentorship, skills development, and contributing to the future of media and communication in the her country and beyond its borders.
Currently pursuing a Master of Management in Digital Business at Wits University, she continues to deepen her expertise in digital transformation, an area critical to the SABC’s future.

Celiwe is the Director of Group Strategy, Sustainability, People and Public Affairs. She has over 20 years of experience in financial services. She has developed strong credentials in project finance, structured finance and origination, leadership advisory and team effectiveness. Celiwe’s multi-disciplinary experience allows her align and integrate her portfolios accross Strategy, Human Capital, Sustainability and Public Afdairs for maximum value.  

Some of Celiwe’s remarkable achievements include graduating as the first black female mining engineer in South Africa, recognised as Gauteng’s Businesswoman of the Year by the Businesswomen’s Association (2016) and recognised as the Standard Bank Top Women Business Leader (2022). Celiwe holds a Mining Engineering degree and an MBA (UCT). Celiwe is passionate about the convergence of technology and people and the role women play in all levels of leadership.

Punki Modise is the Chief Strategy and Sustainability Officer (CSSO) and a member of the Group Executive Committee at Absa Group. With over 15 years at Absa, she has held multiple senior leadership roles, including Interim Chief Executive of Retail and Business Banking, where she led one of the Group’s largest business units through a critical transition.

She also served as Interim Group Financial Director, overseeing financial strategy, governance, and investor confidence. Her leadership experience spans roles such as CFO for Retail and Business Banking, Head of Transactional Banking, and CFO for both Distribution Channels and Card and Consumer Finance.

She has two decades of experience in business strategy, financial leadership, and corporate governance, and now leads the integration of strategy and sustainability—a role she has held since 2022—ensuring Absa remains agile, forward-thinking, and aligned with its long-term growth ambitions and ESG commitments. Before joining Absa, Punki held senior roles at Standard Bank, Fedsure, and PwC, gaining extensive experience in corporate finance, risk management, financial reporting, and regulatory compliance. Recognised for her ability to drive transformation and innovation, she is known for leading high-performing teams and navigating complex business environments.

A Chartered Accountant (CA(SA)) , she holds a B.Com from the University of the Witwatersrand and a Master's in Financial Management from the University of Johannesburg. She further sharpened her leadership and strategic expertise through the Stanford Executive Programme (SEP) at Stanford Graduate School of Business. Outside of her professional commitments, Punki is passionate about baking—an activity that mirrors her approach to leadership, requiring creativity, and focus.

Sonja has 28 years transacting and corporate finance advisory experience in Mergers and Acquisitions in South Africa and internationally as well as latterly, in Private Equity since 2016. She is the Founder and Principal Partner of Identity Capital Partners, a women led investment firm based in Johannesburg.

She was previously Executive Director of Women's Development Bank Investment Holdings (2002 – 2007) and prior to that, Vice President at Deutsche Bank, primarily based in South Africa and working in their London and Tokyo offices as well (1997 – 2002).

Over the last 25 years, Sonja has served in various Board roles initially as a shareholder representative and since 2005 also as an Independent NED. In the listed space she is on the Board of RMB Holdings (previous Chair) and Lead Independent Director at Remgro Group. In the unlisted space she is Chairman of TotalEnergies Southern Africa, 10X (Index Asset Manager). Sonja retired from the Boards of Rand Merchant Insurance and Discovery Group in 2021 and was previously on Ethos Private Equity, FirstRand, Anglo American Platinum, Mr Price Group, Nestle South Africa and the National Empowerment Fund (a DFI). 

In 2010, Sonja was named one of the Class of Young Global Leaders by the World Economic Forum and has been awarded and recognized by the Black Management Forum and by the Association of Black Securities and Investment Professionals (ABSIP Woman of the Year 2014). 

Sonja is a member of President Ramaphosa’s Advisory Council on Investment and she was previously a member of the Presidential Working Group on B-BBEE in President Mbeki’s administration. In 2019 Sonja was appointed to JP Morgan’s EMEA Advisory Council.

Dr. Nolwandle Mgoqi, CEO of Aon South Africa, has over 25 years’ experience at the senior executive level in
South Africa’s insurance industry across long-term and short-term insurance sectors, as well as in Employee
Benefits and Asset Management businesses.

She completed her undergraduate studies at Smith College, Northampton, Massachusetts, USA, and earned a
Master of Science (MSc) from Howard University before obtaining her Ph.D. at Wits University. She also has a
post Doctorate Fellowship from the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA). Nolwandle has also completed
several industry proficiency courses and is a Fellow of the Insurance Institute of South Africa (IISA). She has
and continues to serve in several industry committees and boards.

She is a highly driven, strategic leader with deep experience in and a passion for product and business
development, sales, distribution and marketing strategy and execution, and people development and
management. Her dedication to excellence in all that she does and her passion for people empowerment are evident in her
ethos of  “I am because we are” and “Lift others as we climb”.

Ali is a financial technology entrepreneur and investor, with experience in emerging markets fintech. He is the co-founder and chairman of Teya, a pan-European fintech. He is a non-executive director on the board of Thunes (Singapore based private fintech) and was on the board of several leading payments companies globally including StoneCo (Nasdaq: STNE) in Brazil and Network International Holdings Plc. He was a partner at Actis, a London based emerging market private equity firm, where he led multiple landmark fintech investments globally. Prior to his career at Actis, Ali advised private equity and corporate clients for OC&C Strategy Consultants in London and served as lead strategy consultant for First National Bank based in Johannesburg.

André is a Managing Director with J.P. Morgan where he is the Head of the Global Corporate Bank for Sub-Saharan Africa. In this capacity he spear heads the bank’s client coverage in the region with responsibility across product areas including Debt and Loan capital markets, Markets and Treasury Services.

Prior to joining J.P. Morgan, André was Head of Financial Institutions, Africa, with Barclays Africa Corporate and Investment Bank, where he played a leading role in the work done with the Group’s Financial Institutions and Central Bank clients across the continent. He has been at the forefront of numerous landmark deals in Africa and has been recognised through, amongst others, the 2013 ABSIP Fixed Income Dealer of the Year, and Banker’s Africa Debt Deal of the Year, Awards.

In addition, he was a key member of the Best Bond Sales team in South Africa as per the JSE Spire Awards 2011 and 2012, and drove the Africa (excluding RSA) Fixed Income Sales and Syndicate businesses for Barclays. Previously; he worked in development finance, based out of Israel. Passionate about the development of youth and young entrepreneurs, he is a founding trustee of the Coca Cola Bottling Company South Africa Mintirho Foundation—an enterprise development fund—as well as the founding chairperson of the award winning Jala Peo Foundation—a sport for good non-profit organization working with youth in underserved communities in the Johannesburg area.

He is an Arch Bishop Desmond Tutu African Leadership Fellow. André holds a Bachelor of Accounting and MBA (Cum Laude, UCT) degrees. 

Thato, CEO & Founder of Leaders in Motion Academy (LIMA), brings over 20 years of media and broadcasting experience. His expertise spans strategic marketing, having developed campaigns for top brands like Coca-Cola, SA Tourism and garnered partnerships with countries like Ghana, Botswana, Lesotho. 

Thato served on the board of Gauteng Film Commission, served as Creative Director at Gateway Media for 8 years and is currently serving on the South African Women in ICT Forum. He is a public speaker on Creative Industries both globally and locally. As a Custodian he has represented South Africa on promotion missions at Black History Festival in OHIO USA, Ghana, UK Nottingham and locally speaking in KZN and Eastern Cape through the support of GIZ at the Digital Skills Conference in KZN and EC. In August 2024 he was at Devcom/Gamescom in Germany Cologne, which was a trade mission supported by the Small Business Development agency (SEDA) to lobby investments towards the development of the Gaming Industry. 

Mr. Moraka is a patriot of the South African Creative Industries. He is passionate about youth development, education and is always seeking new avenues where he can contribute positively to our country's challenges and opportunities to harness the power of storytelling in building the African brand.