Main Speaker

Geetha Maharaj is a dedicated leader with a dual role as the Managing Director of TradeBRICS and Country Coordinator for Trade Queen South Africa. With a deep commitment to transforming the trade landscape, Geetha drives initiatives that promote economic empowerment and innovation. She is a staunch advocate for women’s empowerment, leveraging her positions to foster inclusive growth and opportunities within the trade industry.

Panellist

Panellist


Pamela is responsible for Public Affairs, Sustainability & Responsibility and Communications at Pernod Ricard across the company’s Africa Middle East affiliates. Pamela has worked in the alcohol industry for just over 12 years, and she is a subject matter expert on a variety of topics. These include Regulatory matters, Stakeholder Engagement with National, Provincial and Local Governments, Civil Society and NGOs. She also has extensive experience in Internal and External Communications as well as ESG with a focus on Harm Reduction around Binge Drinking, Road Safety, Underage Drinking, Sustainability & Entrepreneurship, Social Norm & Behavioral change and Illicit Trade. Pamela holds a Paralegal Diploma cum laude as well as an LLB Degree.

In addition to her role at Pernod Ricard, Pamela serves on a number of industry bodies:

Director on Aware.org Board
Member of the Corporate Counsel Association of South Africa (CCASA)
Chairperson of the South African Liquor Brand Owners Association (SALBA)Director on the Drinks Federation of South Africa Corporate Affairs Directors Forum
Board Member of The Glass Recycling Company (TGRC)
Private Sector Forum Representative on SANAC under the leadership of the Honorable Deputy President of South Africa
Industry Representative for GBVF Board of Trustees

Panellist

Melissa holds an LLB degree from the University of South Africa and is an admitted attorney of the High Court of the Republic of South Africa.

Melissa enjoys studying and widening her knowledge in different spheres of business and/or law. She has a number of certificates for the intermediary Microsoft Office Training with distinction, she has a marketing certificate, a diploma in Business Administration and Management, She had been working at an auditing firm while studying part time. Here she obtained a wealth of experience with business management, annual financial statements and international commercial contract reviews and drafting of same.

Melissa has had experience as an executive member of the various Attorneys Associations, and many other liaison committees between the profession and the judiciary. She prides herself on staying informed of the new laws, and acts She is well versed in what is “new” with the judiciary, supplying the necessary opinions, and is well informed of the laws and rules that have been proclaimed in the various Government Gazettes.

Melissa prides herself on being a general litigator, where evidence thereof shows that she is able to assist the firm with any speciality of law. However, the main specialities that she has specialised in, is Family Law, Labour Law, Property Law, Delictual Law and General Civil Litigation. She regularly appears in matters in the Higher Courts and the Lower Courts.

Melissa furthermore advises and appears in court(s) on behalf of the South African Board of Sheriffs and has previously worked in close contact with the various Sheriff’s offices. She thus has a vast understanding of the needs of the Sheriffs and the relationships that they have with the profession and/or lay persons.

Panellist

Head of Cash Management Sales - Pan Africa

Ellen is currently Managing Director & Head of Cash Management Sales, Transactional Banking at Absa Group. In her role she oversees the strategic delivery & execution of cash management solutions for global, regional & local clients in both private & public sector, covering Absa’s key international corridors of the UK/Europe, America, China and the Middle East. She also covers all of Absa’s presence markets in Africa.

With over 15 years of experience in banking, across geographies, Ellen has held various roles in the group, and has experience in sales, corporate & business banking, transactional banking, financial markets sales, cash management, treasury and liquidity management, product development, business development and business strategy.

Ellen holds an MSc in Development Finance from University of Reading UK (Chevening/Beit scholar) and a Bachelor’s degree in Economics (Central Bank of Zambia scholar) as well as other leadership development accreditations. Ellen was past chair of the Absa Corporate and Investment Banking women’s initiative Banking on Women for the group.

With a career grounded in technical expertise, particularly in engineering and business improvement, Vanessa Naicker has leveraged her passion to effect meaningful change across the mining value chain. As the Head of Social Impact at Anglo American, Vanessa has applied her extensive experience in large corporates, including petrochemical and mining industries, to provide thought leadership in both technical and people-oriented areas. Her work spans operational performance and drives significant social impact on a global scale.

A highly motivated and passionate professional, Vanessa boasts extensive global and multi-commodity experience. She possesses strong business and social capabilities, complemented by a broad background in leading and managing complex, multi-cultural projects and teams around the world.

Panellist


A seasoned and resourceful individual with diversified portfolio of experience, passionate
about excellence. Has a strong technical background, augmented by exceptional skills and
managerial experience.
Work Experience
• Crystal Partners Capital (Pty) Ltd Chief Executive Officer
• Raizcorp Sandton Prosperator Manager
• Bombela Concession Co. / Gautrain (Construction) Commercial Analyst
• Basil Read Limited (Construction) Project Finance
• KPMG (Chartered Accountants) Manager
• Ernst and Young (Chartered Accountants) Audit Senior
• Zimbabwe Hosiery (Pvt) Ltd (Manufacturing) Financial Manager
• Lufuno Capital Partners (Pty) Ltd (Private Equity) Consultant
• Word of Life International (Ministry) - NPO Administration
Lindiwe commenced her career at Ernst and Young, where she excelled by becoming the
earliest Articled Clerk in the Bulawayo Office, to complete a Bachelor of Accounting Science
(BCompt) Degree via correspondence learning within 3 years; raising the bar for other
Articled Clerks to follow. Then as the Financial Manager of an international subsidiary
company, she reduced billable external auditors’ man-hours chargeable by more than 50%
through successful pre-audit preparation.
Her excellent numeric and analytical abilities, ability to assimilate and contextualise
information due to broad spectrum of industry experience, enabled her to adapt quickly to
the South African environment, where she relocated in 2002 to join the financial
management team of one of the largest construction companies. She was involved in all
Project Finance initiatives of Basil Read Ltd, under the supervision of Bouygues Project
Finance dept in Paris, and reporting directly to General Manager Finance (Basil Read). In
November 2005, what started as a secondment to the Bombela Concession Company
(bidding for the Gautrain High Speed Rail Link) became a permanent placement within 1
month, due to outstanding work contribution. She played a key role in understanding the
complex requirements between government and private sector as regards the Socio-
Economic Development obligations (or Black Economic Empowerment), and sat in the Audit
Committee mandated to select an Independent Socio-Economic Monitor (Auditor) to audit
and verify Bombela’s actual monthly achievements of empowerment obligations.

Panellist

Giuliana Pedregal is a seasoned expert in Senior Financial Management and Financial Director recruitment, bringing extensive experience and insight to her role at Partnership in Personnel.

Vice President at Com.It.Es (Committee for Italians Abroad)

In her role as Vice President, Giuliana oversees the governance of Italian entities receiving funds from the Italian Government. She is particularly dedicated to Casa Serena, the Italian Old Age Home, ensuring it operates with the highest standards of integrity and efficiency.