Karen Basiye is a keen Sustainability Practitioner and a Corporate Environment Manager with 15 years’ experience. Over the years she has worked at the National Environment Management Authority and Safaricom where she developed competencies in Leadership, Governance, Strategic Thinking, Sustainability Reporting (both Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) and United Nations Global Compact (UNGC), Social Policy, Corporate Environmental Management, Environmental Management Systems including ISO certification and Environmental policies, Environment Risk Management, Environmental Compliance Assessment, Energy and Climate change policies, Strategies for Sustainable Development, Integrated Product Policies, Sustainable Consumption and Production and integration of Sustainable Development Goals into company strategies.

Karen holds a Joint Master of Environmental Science, Policy and Management degree from Lund University (Sweden), University of Manchester (UK), Central European University (Hungary) and University of the Aegean (Greece) www.mespom.eu and a Bachelor of Environment Science degree from Kenyatta University. Currently at Safaricom, Karen is the Director Sustainable Business Social Impact and The Foundations. She is passionate about the interplay between People, Purpose and Profits. She has served at various University Councils, seats on the Governing Council of KEPSA as the Vice chair of the Environment Sector Board and is a Strategic Advisor on various Boards. She has been recognised as an SDG Pioneer by the Global Compact Kenya

Jenny Botha has extensive experience in the development of nature-based strategies that foster human well-being and environmental health and resilience. Her current areas of interest include livelihoods, One Health, safeguarding water and ecosystem services, governance and institution building, conflict transformation, and the implementation of integrated strategies to address illegal wildlife activities.

James is Partner at EY Parthenon, the strategic advisory division of EY, following the acquisition of EBS Advisory by EY in May 2023. James heads the same great team from EBS across Cape Town, Johannesburg, Nairobi and Lagos, offering innovative solutions to close the gap between ESG and financial returns. Our services include ESG Risk, Strategy, Sustainable Finance, Impact and Communications. With over 25 years’ experience in ESG (environment, social and governance) and impact in Africa, James is a leading adviser to the Corporate, Private Equity and Financial Services Industry in Emerging Markets. James has constantly innovated the ESG and Impact fields having started the first Environmental Insurance offering, an ESG Unit Trust and the first Impact Placement service in Africa. James has worked in over 32 countries in Africa, Europe, South America, the Middle East and Southeast Asia which gives him unique insight into impact across emerging markets.

With an MScAgric Animal Science, I am extremely passionate about wildlife and the environment. Currently I am working at AltGen which is a recruitment agency that specializes in sustainability and renewable resources. By working here I am able to work towards growing the sustainability industry and help people find careers and not just a job to pass the time. From an early age I have been extremely passionate about animals and the environment, always finding ways to help out where I can. I have been involved in animal rescue, even leading an organization that assists rural areas in caring for their animals through education, financial assistance, medical assistance, and physically building fences for them so they can enclose their animals within their yards.

Carolynn has spent the last 20 years assisting leaders and leadership teams to understand and apply governance principles and generate value for their organizations. She has extensive management and governance experience and has held various Board, Board Committee and Executive roles for international, listed, private and public organizations. Carolynn is co-editor of the ISO standard for the governance of organizations (ISO 37000) and co-convenor of the Governance Maturity Working Group (ISO 37004). Carolynn is well known for her successes in designing and leading large, complex strategy implementations which she attributes this success to the application of effective governance principles

Barbara Copelovici is the Entrepreneurship Director for SAB. She joined SAB in 2017, initially to shape and amplify the supplier development programme. Prior to joining SAB, Barbara was a management consultant, and then senior manager in the consulting arm of SizweNtsalubaGobodo. In this role, she led the delivery of strategic projects around supply chain transformation, defining strategy and supporting the strategic planning process of large organisations across diverse sectors including energy, education, mining and the public sector. Prior to management consulting, Barbara was involved in social enterprises, first by founding and running one which empowered homeless individuals to start a business, then in supporting another social enterprise to deliver. Barbara was awarded Brightest Young Mind in 2014 and was part of the World Economic Forum Global Shaper

Kiera Crowe Pettersson is a project manager and strategic advisor for the African Circular Economy Network (ACEN). As a representative of ACEN she sits on various technical and steering committees, including for the African Circular Economy Alliance; AfDB; and Chatham House. Above this, she works as a senior project officer for ICLEI, and is co-founder and director of projects for Big Circle Studios. Through each of these engagements she is firmly rooted in and dedicated to the implementation and expansion of circular economy in Africa and the globe.

Hellen Dalali is the Head of Sustainability at Equity Bank Tanzania a subsidiary of Equity Group a regional champion in the socio-economic transformation of Africa. In her current role, she leads the execution of the Bank's Sustainability strategy overseeing the effective management of Climate, Nature, Environmental and Social Risks as well as spearheading Sustainable Financing and related opportunities. Hellen is a trained Sustainability Professional by the GRI Academy, University of Oxford Said Business School and IESE Business School. She holds an MBA from ESAMI and Bachelor of Science in Electronics University of Delhi India. Hellen is passionate about driving transformative change, advocating for corporate responsibility in addressing climate change and delivering impact to the community.

David Danilowitz is currently the Head of Investor Relations at Discovery Ltd. Prior to this, he worked as a Research Analyst at JPMorgan Equities South Africa (Pty) Ltd. and Merrill Lynch South Africa Pty Ltd. He also worked as an Analyst at Nedgroup Securities (Pty) Ltd.

Bridgit Evans heads up the SAB Foundation which invests in and provides business support to entrepreneurs and social innovators. Prior to this, Bridgit was the CEO of the GreaterGood Group, a firm specializing in socio-economic development consulting across eight African countries to international aid agencies, impact investment professionals, social enterprises, the private sector, and South African government departments. Bridgit began her career at Tshikululu Social Investments, philanthropic grant managers for Anglo American, De Beers, and the First Rand Group. She also spent time at the Gordon Institute of Business Science running the Social Entrepreneurship Programme as well as the Imagination Leadership Programme. Bridgit has two degrees in Psychology and an MBA from the University of Cape Town and the Indian School of Business in Hyderabad. She currently serves on three boards including Global Entrepreneurship Network (GEN) South Africa. She is an Archbishop Tutu Leadership Fellow with a passion for unlocking opportunities for people to transform their lives and realize their potential.

The African Climate Foundation is a strategic grant-making foundation focused on climate and development issues on the African continent. Presently, the ACF is new venture and busy building its back-office systems, recruiting new staff and focusing on developing a pan-African strategy. Currently, the core focus for grant interventions are in South Africa. Core activities are to deliver on the Just Transition Transaction, enabling power sector reforms for distributed energy and building resilient safety nets and new jobs opportunities as South Africa's energy transition begins to unfold. The ACF's grant making is guided by strategic imperatives. It will build a network of collaborators and actors in the climate space, facilitate thought leadership and policy dialogue between climate specialists, economists and development practitioners, build a network of scientists and experts to think and ponder about innovative solutions for the sector, climate futures and ways to support political mobilization and activism at different levels of decision-making and action

Experienced manager and consultant with 30+ years’ experience in conservation, wildlife utilisation and agribusiness fields, sustainability and responsible resource use. Able to integrate into academic, NGO and commercial settings. Exceptional logistical, design, problem solving and practical skills, resulting from many years of experience in developing countries. Good communication and negotiation skills, both verbal and written. Highly self-motivated and able to work alone or as part of a team. Proven leadership skills involving managing, developing and motivating staff and partners to achieve objectives. Specialties: Responsible Resource Use, African resource and wildlife utilisation, Human wildlife conflict, Technical aspects of crocodile production, ecology, conservation & population surveys, Sustainability, Regenerative grazing, Remote site logistics and operations, African business management

Dr. Warrick Fuchsloch is a senior client engagement specialist at S&P Global Sustinable1. Acting as a subject matter expert, Warrick specialises in assisting clients in implementing sustainability initiatives, themes, and data within their workflows and benchmarking to mitigate ESG risks, address regulations, and enhance their sustainability strategies. Previously, Warrick was an ESG analyst with a materials and mining sector focus where he specialised in methodology development, analysis, and evaluation of financially-material sustainability themes within the Corporate Sustainability Assessment.

. Prior to joining S&P, Warrick spent several years with LSE-based AfriTin Mining Ltd, over which time they built a world-class Lithium-Tin-Tantalum mine in Namibia, where Warrick was attributed to exploration, process engineering, social and environmental management and oversaw most of the company’s future project development goals throughout Africa. Warrick holds a PhD in Economic Geology from the University of the Witwatersrand where he researched and published articles on the orogenesis of transition metals and commodities and their value toward a climate-focused future.

Ronell has worked in many roles including audit, ethics, governance and now driving sustainability strategies within the E,S and G pillars across the group. She is passionate about promoting sustainability best practices, with a deep sense of responsibility towards co-creating operational processes to execute sustainable action. Her analytical knowledge on reporting practices enables non-financial disclosures aligned with essential areas of the value creation within the organization. She is passionate about empowering girls and young woman to enable them to reach their highest potential

Ross Harvey is a distinguished scholar with a PhD in Economics and currently serves as the Director of Research at Good Governance Africa. He is deeply committed to reversing the resource curse and promoting sustainable development through effective natural resource governance and environmental policy. Harvey's research, which has been published in various academic journals, has made a significant contribution to the fields of wildlife conservation and development economics, particularly in shedding light on critical issues facing the world today. He remains focused on making a meaningful impact in his field.

Karin is an experienced corporate sustainable development professional. She has worked at international level for the past 20 years and brings deep knowledge of environmental, trade and developmental issues. Her focus is on embedding and integrating sustainable development into daily business practice, promoting positive change: she has deep experience in the financial services, energy, mining sectors. She works closely with the IFC, the World Bank and blue chip corporate sector clients. Recent work includes drafting of a technical paper on Financing a Sustainable Economy for the National Treasury and chairing its working group on implementing the TCFD, which will be issuing guidance and principles for reporting for financial services companies.

Other work she is leading is on developing guidance for the regulators of State Owned Enterprises. She co-authored the Principles for Responsible Banking for the members of UNEPFI. She has served on several boards, including Aureus Mining, the National Business Initiative and is a trustee and currently chairs the Social Ethics and Remuneration Committee of the Endangered Wildlife Trust in South Africa. She is a member of the Institute of Directors and chaired its Sustainable Development Forum for from 2009-2020. She chaired the Global Reporting Initiative's Stakeholder Council for four years. She serves on the Integrated Reporting Committee in South Africa and on the associated working group. She has lived and worked and presented in a number of different countries and has a deep passion for and understanding of the African environment and developing countries. She has worked closely with UNEPFI on issues of climate change and the financing of the transformation to a greener economy. She serves as a non executive Sustainable Business Committee member for Camco Clean Energy and is a Global Advisory member of IMpacto, Malaysia.

Working as part of the Global Alliance Africa team, he has multiple innovation challenges underway in various stages of completion. These include several agrifoods and circular economy challenges within partner countries, upon which he worked closely with his in-country colleagues. His career to date has included a wide range of roles across marketing, sustainability and innovation. His marketing roles include Senior Brand Manager for Unilever and Global Brand Manager for William Grant & Sons, while his sustainability work includes oversight of green construction and sustainable energy projects internationally, as well as working on pollution reduction and the greening of local communities. He also has experience in innovation, including the development of new forms of urban mobility with Nissan and supporting UK beverages and European fintech startups.

He enjoys finding companies with problems they can’t solve within their usual supply chains and pairing them with innovators with promising solutions. He loves supporting their successful collaboration towards scalable pilots. Having travelled to and/or worked in 70+ countries and being a science-fiction fan, He believes in taking a broad and creative approach to Open Innovation.

Lindiwe is a Project Manager in the Presidential Climate Commission (PCC) Secretariate, working in the Employment Strategy portfolio. In this role she coordinates and oversees the employment strategy workplan of the PCC, including research, stakeholder engagement and project oversight. She holds a degree in Sustainable Development from Stellenbosch University. She has played a technical lead role in skills pathways for energy sector, capacitation of civil society and decision makers on climate change and social inclusion (youth and women empowerment). Her insights into cross sectoral barriers and industry opportunities have empowered emerging platforms to address skills development needs and potential growth in green economy industry for the future. She led the EU Active Climate Change Citizenship project, which aimed to capacitate South Africans on climate change and active citizenry. The objective was to enable and empower disadvantaged communities with platforms to express their views on a variety of climate and energy public policy processes through advocacy and social inclusion. She is experienced in stakeholder engagement and management, and in the implementation of high impact skills development projects that address green economy opportunities and just transition skills pathways.

Brenda Kali is the CEO of Conscious Companies and the Founder of the Conscious Leadership Academy. An advocate of conscious ethical leadership, she has over the years set into motion a stream of consciousness that is organically changing the landscape of how business is done and the ethos of leadership. Her twenty five year tenure as an executive saw the reputational turnaround of major companies including Sasol where she was Global Head of Communication and Public Affairs responsible for the Sasol Listing at the New York Stock Exchange in 2003. As Group Executive of Telkom, she spearheaded its reputational transformation from 2008. She was CEO of the Children’s Media Council in the Office of the President where she worked closely with UNICEF.

She had re-oriented the national broadcaster in the early 90’s to focus on diversity, social responsibility and community outreach as part of its transformation team until 2000, winning the SABC numerous awards with locally produced, internationally acclaimed programmes under her watch in the global broadcast space as Head of Programmes on SABC1. A former member of the Board of the South African Chamber of Commerce and Industries (SACCI), she had served on the Boards of Primeserv and Project Literacy, a 45 year old NGO. Ethics, social impact, strategic transformation and conscious awareness has always been the quality of her leadership that advocates a values driven socio-economic system.

Eric is responsible driving HEINEKEN beverages sustainability strategy with key focus on HEINEKEN’s ESG commitments known as ‘Brew a Better World’. Eric is seasoned professional with over 30 years’ corporate experience with leading companies including Air Liquide, Bridgestone, 3M, SABMiller, Distell and now HEINEKEN beverages. He held various leadership roles in supply chain, procurement, business management, corporate affairs and sustainability.

His areas of expertise include supply chains across Africa and Asia, business transformation, sustainability, ESG, shared value and public-private partnerships. Education: Industrial Engineer (WITS University) and a post grad in Advanced Marketing (IMM) He serves as a director on the board of The Glass Recycling Company, also on the management committee of the Strategic Water Partners Network SA, and chairs the product market portfolio at the Cape Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Overall, Eric excels in an organization that delivers triple win: The Company and its shareholders, the community in which it operates, and the government. His many interests include eco-tourism, poverty alleviation, travel, food and sport.

Adrian overseas the strategic initiatives at S&P Global Sustainable1 including the commercial strategies and go-to-market for all segments, as well as the sustainability solutions S&P Global delivers across all five divisions. This includes building long-term partnerships with clients as well as delivering unified solutions from across S&P Divisions to meet their immediate needs. He also heads up the global coverage program with S&Ps strategically important clients within the realm of sustainability. He works with Sustainable1’s Strategic Account Directors and the representatives of each S&P Global Division to understand where S&P can most impactfully support our clients on their sustainability initiatives.

Prior to working in S&P Global Sustainable1, Adrian was EMEA Commercial Head of Financial Institutions for S&P Global Ratings. He also spent 13 years as an International Manager at HSBC Bank, with postings across corporate banking divisions in UK, France, USA and Poland. Adrian has a BA in Law & Business Studies from Warwick University. He speaks English and French, intermediate Polish and basic Cantones

Marina Madale is the Executive for Sustainability and Shared Value at MTN Group, she is responsible for setting the strategic direction for the management of Sustainability and Shared Value across the Group, comprising of 18 markets in Africa and the Middle East. She is actively working to create and protect shared value for MTN’s stakeholders through responsible environmental, social and governance practices. She is a firm believer that digital and financial innovation can act not only as a catalyst to unlock economic growth opportunities for society but also enhance rights for all.

Marina played an instrumental role in pioneering the first-ever Pan-African Transparency report, science-based targets towards net zero emissions, Digital Human Rights Impact Assessment - key milestones in positioning MTN as an Emerging Markets leader in sustainability. Marina has worked across multiple sectors globally including the oil & gas, energy, banking and property development across multiple countries such as Qatar, Mozambique, Botswana, Gabon, South Africa and Australia to name a few. Marina holds a master’s degree in Communications from Bond University, Australia and a Bachelor of Social Science Degree in Politics, Philosophy and Economics, from the University of Cape Town, South Africa.

As a senior leader in the mining environment, I use my more than two(2) decades of engineering, operations, project management and leadership experience to shape the team strategy for success in the VUCA world. My role is about making the team understand the purpose for which the team exists and set clear expectations for each member to contribute towards team objectives. I always look for opportunities to create cross functional collaborations and integration within and outside our business. The work that I have done in Diamonds, Manganese, Iron Ore and now Platinum shapes my understanding of the mining environment within the context of the country and our region and critically the culture that we need to succeed in today's dynamic environment.

Nicole Martens is the head of impact investing research at Kkrutham. In this role, Nicoel works with Finance-first an social-first clients ranging from banks to Philanthropies, to develop and implement mechanisms to improve social outcomes while meeting financial targets. Nicoles’s expertise includes advancing Africa’s transition to a low-carbon economy and leveraging innovative finance mechanisms to achieve financial returns with positive environmental, social and governance (ESG) outcomes. Nicole joins from Old Mutual Investment Group where she was head of Stewardship. Her 15 year career has covered impact investing and consulting, including head of Africa and Middle Eastt for the United Nation’ Principles for Responsible investment.

ndile is a chartered stockbroker and chair of Bidvest Bank Limited. He has over 20 years' board experience as an executive and non-executive director in financial services. He previously, inter alia, served as chief executive officer of Rebosis Property Fund, The National Stokvel Association of South Africa and Barnard Jacobs Mellet. His non-executive positions have included chair of the JSE Limited's investment committee, and its regulatory oversight committee. Andile is the former deputy chair of St Mary's Waverley and a former chair of Kearsney College.

Mixing strategy, sustainability and financial analysis backgrounds, my focus is on helping corporates develop integrated corporate sustainability, climate change and stakeholder engagement strategies and define the associated business case for action. Recently I have been working with clients to enhance capital planning processes to meet best practice standards and maximise environmental, social and economic outcomes. I have experience of the energy, mining and utilities value chains and planning for regulatory, stakeholder and technical driven changes to business models. Having worked across a range of clients and geographies and operating levels, I understand the complexities of the international climate frameworks and other trends driving sustainable investments in the energy/ mining sectors. I have strong skills in opportunity assessment, economic/ financial modelling, scenario analysis and strategic planning as well as operating model design, and am adept at developing C-suite and Board level communications to motivate organisational change to deliver sustainability. Specialties: • Corporate strategy development, including strategic planning and financial valuation/ modelling • Sustainability strategy development across social, economic and environmental dimensions and aligned to global best practice (eg. Global Reporting Initiative GRI) • Impact measurement • Sustainability reporting • Scenario planning • SHE management systems and operating model design • Broad based black economic empowerment/ transformation strategy • Communications – C-suite/ Board Level presentations to enable change

Bonang Mohale is the Chancellor of the University of the Free State, Former President of Business Unity South Africa (BUSA), Professor of Practice in the Johannesburg Business School (JBS) in the College of Business and Economics and Chairman of two listed entities, The Bidvest Group Limited and ArcelorMittal as well as SBV Services and Swiss Re Corporate Solutions! He is a member of the Community of Chairpersons (CoC) of the World Economic Forum and author of the two best selling books, “Lift As You Rise“ and “Behold The Turtle”! He

He has been included in the Reputation Poll International’s (RPI) 2023 list of the ‘100 Most Reputable Africans’. The selection criteria are Integrity, Reputation, Transparency, Visibility and Impact. He is the recipient of the 2023 ME-Vision Academy Award’s ‘Exclusive Recognition in Successful Leadership’ for consistently leading self successfully, consistently leading people successfully, successfully leading as a senior executive & CEO, successfully leading society in various impactful roles and your contribution to mentoring & inspiring future successful leaders

Mpho Mookapele is a Chartered Accountant with over 14 years of experience in the Private and Public Sector in the Finance, Strategy Development and Regulatory Environment and Skills Development. She is passionate about life and her purpose is to live life to the fullest by serving her purpose. Her passion for the development of the country, and its young people, has served as the driving force for her dedication to the public sector. This dedication extends beyond the boardroom and she is involved in a number of initiatives aimed at capacitating women at different stages in life. Through her career, she has served in different spheres of the South African Government, the Private Sector and in the United Kingdom. Mpho worked for Ernst & Young South Africa and Ernst & Young United Kingdom as an trainee accountant and worked through to senior manager in the finance and accounting advisory service division. She joined the public sector as a Chief Financial Officer at Energy & Water SETA in 2017 and served for 2years before being appointed as acting Chief Executive Officer for 2years and was officially appointed as a Chief Executive in 2020.

Her role at EWSETA included amongst other building and maintaining a healthy finance control environment . As a CFO she headed financial management , supply chain management and risk management divisions. Her area of responsibility was broadened to developing strategy for the organisation. She has assisted the organization in clarifying its value chain and developing an effective operating model that will drive the SETA to operational excellence and high performance to impact the sector. Ms. Mookapele was awarded the 2019 overall winner of the SAICA Top-35-under-35 CA (SA) Competition Ms. Mookapele also serves on a number of governance committee where she intend to impact the sector through policy setting as a member of various committee. Novo Energy ARC Committee and SARETEC Advisory Board UKZN Council ( ministerial appointee) and SAICA Ethics Committee Member African Women Chartered Accountants board subcommittee, “Whether partly cloudy or clear skies, the sun comes out daily and serves its purpose, and so will I” Mpho Mookapele

Thamsanqa Moyo has over 20 years of experience in Accounting, Audit, and Strategy, beginning his career with articles at EY. His qualifications include Postgraduate diplomas in Strategy and Digital Business, an MBA, and a Master’s in Research. He also holds various ESG certifications and is currently pursuing a PhD in Business Administration. He held Accounting positions at Nissan SA and Standard Bank before transitioning to a Management Consultant role, where he made a significant impact on the SME sector, a field he is deeply passionate about. With a proven track record in leadership, he is recognised for building and inspiring high-performance teams that consistently exceed expectations. Thamsanqa places emphasis on the concept of value innovation and the digitisation of, both, business and operating models, enabling SMEs to scale efficiently while unlocking high profitability.

His strategic use of technology has catalysed substantial revenue growth and ensured long-term sustainability for these businesses. Since joining Nerdma in 2014, Thamsanqa has been a key driver of the company’s growth and digital transformation. As Chief Strategy Officer, he leads the entity’s innovation and sustainability initiatives, firmly advocating for ESG as a tool for alignment and implementation of organisational strategy. He played a pivotal role in driving the development of NerdScore, a groundbreaking ESG management tool that was successfully launched into the market by Nerdma. He also serves as a Non-Executive Director at Drupes, a Civil and Mechanical Engineering company, where he contributes to its strategic growth and sustainability initiatives.

Her corporate career has seen her grace the hallways of the South African Bureau of Standards and heading up corporate strategy at the Development Bank of South Africa, until two years ago. She has worked in the renewable energy space for the better part of two decades but the entrepreneur has found her niche in her co-owned company IG3N, which makes solar batteries marketed as a solution to load shedding.

Responsible Business Specialist Integration Planning Management Turnaround Strategy Business Transformation & Separation Integrated Risk Management Project Management ESG Sustainability Reporting Sustainable Finance Policy, Strategy, Intelligence& Project Development: --Energy Transitions --Sustainability Planning --Complexity -- Energy & Climate Change --Sustainable Development --Low carbon economy -- Integrated Risk & Resilience Management --Disaster Management --Green Economy --Climate Change (Green)Finance --Innovation &Technology Development, --Circular Economy --Multilateral negotiations & International Policy Development --Local economic development, --Feasibility Assessments, Project Conception, Development & Feasibility Assessments.

I am a lecturer within the Department of Strategic Communication in the School of Communication at the University of Johannesburg. I lecture both on undergraduate and postgraduate level in Strategic Communication and my research primarily focuses on the purpose of brands and how this is communicated by organisations in the current business context. I have also been extensively involved in corporate training and workshop facilitation for brands. Many of these them entailed programme development and also accreditation of these programmes by the Marketing Association of South Africa (MASA), which resulted in a number of individuals, from these brands, acquiring the status of chartered marketer or marketing practitioner. Feel free to get in touch with me if you want to share knowledge, discuss ideas or have a brand business or research challenge that you think I could help solve

Mrs. Jabu R Myeni is a Sustainability Professional who works at the Royal Eswatini Sugar Corporation (RES) with over 20 years of experience in environmental management. She holds an MSc in Environmental Engineering from the Newcastle University (UK) and an MBA from Rhodes University (SA). She’s passionate about regenerative agriculture.

Loshni Naidoo is a Senior Director in the Business Transformation segment of FTI in South Africa. She recently joined FTI and specialises in Sustainability and ESG. She has experience in providing clients with solutions that respond to shifting environmental, social and governance (ESG) or sustainability challenges to ensure long- term value creation. Before joining FTI, Loshni was at the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants (SAICA), focusing on sustainability, ESG and integrated thinking. In SAICA’s technical team, she supported members through her advocacy efforts, awareness- raising, thought leadership and technical guidance on a range of aspects related to sustainability, integrated thinking and ESG.

Loshni began her career as a chemical engineer, working for several years in the production and project environments, mainly in mining and chemicals manufacturing. Later, she moved into the ESG, sustainability and climate change consulting space, providing both advisory and assurance solutions to a diverse array of organisations in the mining, telecommunications, retail, financial services and real estate sectors. Loshni has a chemical engineering degree, a B Com degree specialising in informatics, a post- graduate diploma in future studies and an MBA.

Raveshni Naidoo has 19 years’ experience and is the Group ESG Manager at Sun International. She is responsible for developing the ESG strategy and sub strategies to drive sustainable solutions for the group. She maintains responsibility for the compilation of the annual ESG Report and representing the portfolio on the group Social and Ethics and Risk Board Committees. Prior to stepping into this role, she was responsible for developing the strategic environmental framework (ENVIRO-AMBITION 2025), environmental policies and standard operating procedures for the group. The role included the development and monitoring of the group’s targets for water, waste and carbon management. She continues to be responsible for the group annual CDP Climate and Water submissions. Having worked in the consulting sector for 10 years she has managed all aspects of ESIA's, compliance audits, environmental site assessments in accordance with the ASTM standard for environmental due diligences and developed, implemented and audited ISO 14001.

Prior to joining Sun International she fulfilled an advisory role for Mota-Engil Africa by assessing the compliance of large-scale infrastructure development projects in various African countries to the International Finance Corporation (IFC) Performance Standards and World Bank requirements to secure funding from international financing institutions. During her career Raveshni has had the opportunity to work on a variety of projects within different business sectors. This has allowed her to gain a broad understanding of the sustainability and financial issues which has a bearing on the success or failure of projects. She has strong project management, organizational and time management skills which have allowed her to successfully manage complex project teams. Raveshni is a highly motivated, goal orientated and collaborative person who has had the opportunity to work in diverse working environments, with different levels of management which has allowed her to develop excellent interpersonal skills.

Newly appointed Youth Employment Service (YES) Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Ravi Naidoo, has joined the organisation with over 25 years of experience in implementing and managing a range of social change and impact programmes. During this time, he has worked with trade unions, the public sector, and private sector fund management, finding ways to implement programmes in complex institutional environments. His role as CEO will assist YES in collaborating with other industries and organisations to help create a better future for all South Africans. Along with this, Naidoo joined the National Planning Commission in 2022, where he will work on the long-term plans to advance growth and development in South Africa.

Some of his impact intervention successes prior to joining YES, include the establishment of the SA National Green Fund, being the manager of the multi stakeholder ‘Health Roadmap’ that culminated in government’s AIDS turnaround strategy (which saw average life expectancy rise from 49 to 62 years), and the restructuring of the Unemployment Insurance Fund to include coverage for the first time for over 600,000 domestic workers. Ravi holds a master’s degree from Harvard University.

Duane is a Partner at EY Cova. Previously, he was the joint Managing Director at Cova where he played a pivotal role in setting up Cova Advisory and Associates in 2012. He is a respected business consultant with expertise in the fields of government grants, tax incentives and customs and excise. Prior to founding Cova Advisory, he was a tax partner at one of the Big 4 firms for 12 years where he set up and led the sustainability and climate change division and served on the global Exco of the sustainability practice from its inception in 2009. He is the current board member at South African Institute of Taxation. Duane has held numerous leadership positions, including Chairman of the Incentives Association, Chairman of the Trade Committee at the South African Chamber of Commerce, Chairman of the Business Environment Committee of the American Chamber of Commerce, and Executive Committee Member of Eurochamber. Most recently, he served as the Board member responsible for Sustainability at the American Chamber of Commerce. He is regularly quoted in the press and writes for several publications on his areas of expertise. Duane is a qualified as a Chartered Accountant with the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants (SAICA) and is a registered Tax Practitioner. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting from the University of Witwatersrand in South Africa. How is Duane building a better working world? Passionate about building a better future for Africans by advising on investment growth, trade, and the green economy.

Sithembile mastered her working life as a radio and TV producer before joining South Africa’s Metrorail communications team, where she was project manager for the Soweto Business Express. She then moved to Siemens where she rose to become Head of Government Relations for Africa. Sithembile obtain her media studies degree at Rand Afrikaans University and studied MBA at the Milpark Business School.

Sithembile has been running her own company since 2013 advising companies like Tiger Brands on corporate affairs and communications, with her latest project being in South Africa’s Northwest Province running an ambitious programme to address the exclusion of township and village entrepreneurs from the economy. As well as her skills in corporate affairs, she brings a wealth of purpose-driven experience including being the Chairperson of African Youth for Climate Change at the UN Climate.

Steve Nicholls is the recently appointed Head of Mitigation at South Africa’s Presidential Climate Commission. In this role Steve works with a range of stakeholders to reach consensus on net-zero pathways for each sector of the economy built on a strong fact base, while supporting capacity building and cooperation within the modelling community in South Africa. Understanding future competitive economies and what kind of investments are required to enhance South Africa’s economic competitiveness while creating employment and reducing inequality and poverty will be his key focus. Steve maintains an ongoing advisory role to the National Business Initiative supporting their Just Transition Pathways work.

Steve’s past experience is in connecting climate issues with economic impact and therefore building the strategic case for integrating climate considerations into economic planning, strategy, risk management, investment planning, policy development and implementation. Prior to joining the PCC Steve led the Environment and Society programmes at the National Business Initiative. In this role Steve ran the programmes that harnessed the collective effort of South African business across the areas of Energy, Climate Change, and Water. Steve has worked in the consulting industry in the United Kingdom and South Africa and has worked on projects in Europe and Southern and East Africa. He has worked across several sectors including Mining, Telecoms, Government, Electrical Energy, Oil and Gas, Financial Services and Retail.

With over 20 years of experience in consultancy, mining, and finance industries, Nomsa is a Project Director at SAICA, the leading professional accountancy body in South Africa. She is a qualified member of the Institute of Directors (M.Inst.D) and a sustainability expert with extensive knowledge and skills in sustainability and integrated reporting, stakeholder engagement, governance, and compliance. In her current role, she keeps SAICA members abreast of the latest developments and best practices in sustainability and integrated reporting, while understanding their needs and expectations. She also collaborates with global players, including regulators, to influence standards setting, advocacy, and capacity building across these key disciplines. She has a proven track record of leading impact projects, securing the license to operate, and enhancing brand reputation for various organizations, such as MTN, Rand Mutual Assurance, Absa and the Wadhawani Foundation. She is passionate about promoting shared value, ethical and governance standards, and sustainable business growth for the accountancy profession and beyond

Ndidi Nnoli-Edozien was appointed as a full-time member of the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB) in June 2022, effective 15 July 2022. Her career has been focused on building connections between business and sustainable development, working across multinational and indigenous companies, public institutions and civil society organisations—in Africa and Europe—to initiate sustainable development initiatives. She served as the inaugural Group Chief Sustainability and Governance Officer of Dangote Industries Limited—one of Africa’s largest manufacturing businesses—from 2017 to 2020. In this role, she was responsible for developing the company’s sustainability culture, strategy and reporting across 14 countries.

Dr Nnoli-Edozien has also served on several boards, committees and initiatives focused on corporate culture, impact investing, sustainability reporting and governance. She has a PhD in social ethics, cultural adaptation, sustainability and governance from the Johann Wolfgang Goethe University in Germany and a Bachelor’s degree from the London School of Economics and Political Science, UK.

Paula-Ann is an environmental regulatory and ESG / BHR lawyer at Africa's leading full-service law firm, Webber Wentzel. Beyond the full scope of environmental regulatory and compliance advice, her experience extends to advising clients on ESG- and BHR-related impacts, risks and opportunities, such as opining on dedicated environmental and climate change related laws, advising in support of project development and strategic M&A activity, conducting human rights due diligence, establishing governance systems and controls, and regulatory mapping

Godfrey Nti is an Entrepreneur, Business Leader, Strategy Consultant and an International Speaker. He has held various leadership positions throughout his 22 year working career. Currently he is the Executive Director of GNN Strategy Consultants as well as Managing Director of The Leads People Marketing Strategy Pty Ltd – both entities specialising in providing holistic strategy advice to companies. He holds a couple of directorships throughout Africa: he is an independent non-executive director on the board of three companies and one not-for-profit organisation. Prior to Godfrey’s current roles as stated above, Godfrey was Chief Executive Officer of the Financial Planning Institute of Southern Africa (FPI) from 2009-2018. During this time, he also held the position of Chairman of the CEO Committee of the Global Financial Planning Standards Board (FPSB), a global standard setting body for the financial planning profession. Furthermore, he was the Group Accountant of National Investment and Savings Bank from 1999 – 2000 and then Financial Director of De Montfort University South Africa from 2001-2005. Godfrey holds a Masters Level Professional Qualification in Management Accounting and is also a member of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants, UK. He also holds a Higher Diploma in African Political Economics from the Thabo Mbeki African Leadership Institute, University of Pretoria.

Vincent is a Natural Resource Governance Researcher. His research focuses on Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) risks, the natural resource governance of critical minerals, oil and gas, energy and the energy transition, and advancing Africa's sustainable development.

Dr Achieng Ojwang is the Executive Director of Global Compact network South Africa, a position she has held since April 2018. During this time, Dr Ojwang has re-established the Network as a formidable independent organisation and continues to raise the visibility of the UN Global Compact brand in South Africa. A Sustainability Professional, she has over 20 years of experience both in academic research and actual support to companies on corporate sustainability. Dr Ojwang is passionate about gender equality, human rights and social justice and most importantly, working with young people to engage both in the business space and in the public discourse, on matters sustainability. In 2020, Dr Ojwang has been recognised for her work over the years on human rights and sustainability in Assent Compliance Top 100 Corporate Social Responsibility Leaders List. Dr Ojwang holds a Doctorate degree in Development Studies from Radboud University in the Netherlands and a Master of Arts from the University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa.

Himesh, CEO and founder at AEIR, is a visionary leader who passionately drives the company's mission forward. With a powerful entrepreneurial mindset and sharp business insight, Himesh has elevated AEIR to remarkable levels of success. His strategic foresight and unwavering commitment to excellence inspire the team to push the boundaries of innovation, while his focus on customer satisfaction builds lasting relationships. Under Himesh's leadership, AEIR continues to flourish as a trailblazer in the digital arena.

Throughout her career, she has been relied upon as a sustainability strategist, program builder, and regulatory compliance expert. Her passion for improving company structure, policy, and controls have repeatedly placed her in meetings with C-level executives, Boards, government officials, suppliers, and other partners to develop realistic goals that better people and the planet. Beyond her improvements in the South African government and private sector on a macro scale, her greatest accomplishments have been related to the time that she has spent in cultivating future sustainability business leaders and in transforming the perspectives of professionals that did not have a proper understanding of key issues.

I am an accredited public relations and communication specialist, with 16 years’ experience in the corporate affairs environment in the mining industry. In my 20 year career, I have worked in diverse sectors within the communication and stakeholder relations field focusing on among others; executive public relations, reputation management, stakeholder relations, crisis communication, media relations, internal communications, brand management, strategy development, fundraising and information management. I have also spend at least 8 years as a part-time lecturer/course facilitator in corporate communications, corporate social responsibility and stakeholder engagement. I served in various industry roles and have authored 3 life skills booklets and am the convener of the Inspired Connect Women`s Network. I have worked in various roles in a corporate affairs environment at Anglo American, United Nations, UNISA and CGE. I have also done a lot of community project development work in the resources sector and in youth ministries. I am passionate about personal development with specific focus on performance coaching and career mentorship.

I have spent almost 20 years helping companies, governments and financiers develop solutions for complex business problems in challenging environments. I have worked in management and sustainability consulting, as well as in development and sustainable finance. Having lived on three continents and worked on multi-country and multi-stakeholder projects; I help organizations to better understand the systems they operate in, manage risks, connect the dots, leverage opportunities, and transition toward an increasingly low carbon world. I am also the director and co-founder of a registered Non-Profit Organisation. We are a community of practice working towards the mainstreaming of sustainability across Africa- in all companies, at all levels of government and with all consumers.

Her work is currently focused on research related to skills development broadly and more specifically skills for sustainable, just world - skills for green jobs and skills linked to the greening of traditional jobs. She has worked on several skills for just transitions related programmes and her research focused on learning pathways into green jobs. Her research programme will be focused on methodologies for articulating demand for green jobs at employer /firm level and understanding the skill methodologies needed to support a just transition

I am a chartered accountant with over 15 years experience. My experience at a big 4 audit firm, in banking as well as in investment management roles, have contributed to a durable skillset. These include, financial accounting, reporting, valuation, business partnering across investment banking divisions, asset manager research and analysis, stewardship, ESG strategy, risk and reporting as well as regulatory compliance.

As the head of ESG research, I provide the strategic direction for responsible investing efforts on assets north of R400bn or > $21bn, deployed in all asset classes, listed and unlisted, locally and abroad. I am responsible for training investment professionals, asset consultants, client teams and pension fund trustees on ESG integration. Through various mediums of media, asset management industry events and regulatory feedback, I publish and speak on the development of ESG integration and sustainability. As the lead specialist in ESG research, I am a voting member on the Investment committee and research ratings committee that presides over the assets under management. I am also a lead contributor to our parent entities sustainability committee and group efforts.

Key Competencies in:

• ESG strategic direction
• Asset Manager Research - all asset classes
• Stewardship and engagement
• ESG risk identification and reporting
• Research and Communication
• Media and Public speaking
• Sustainable Finance thought leadership
• Client Servicing
• Trustee training
• Relationships across financial services

Actively engaged with the asset manager network, stock exchange, sell-side analysts, research houses and the Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI) amongst others on responsible investment best practice.

Memberships
• Association for Savings and Investment in South Africa (ASISA) RI Standing Committee.
• AF Investment Committee member
• AF Research ratings committee member
• AF Group Sustainability Member

Prior experience
Prior to Alexander Forbes Investments, I led a team of product controllers within a finance department at Standard Bank (Corporate and Investment Bank). Primarily focused on advising the Diversified Leverage and Lending; BEE Finance; Mezzanine Finance as well as Structured Trade and Commodity Finance teams. I worked closely with back, middle, front office, credit and distribution teams. Functions include facilitating the deal origination process, IFRS reporting, and daily management of the investment book.

Garyn is an environmental law expert. His work is cross-sectoral and his clients operate in the energy, mining, oil and gas, industrial, waste management, biotechnology and construction sectors, to name a few. The nature of his work requires Garyn to be involved in every phase of his client's businesses, from the initial permitting stages, all the way through to the rehabilitation and closure of the operations. Throughout this business lifecycle, Garyn also runs complex environmental litigation matters, and is intimately involved in corporate transactional advice, including mergers, acquisitions, listings and disposals.

Nick Rockey is the managing director at Trialogue. He has over 20 years of consulting and research experience across many market and industry sectors and plays a lead consulting role in in the fields of sustainable business and CSI. As such, he has worked with a wide range of corporate clients, providing support for strategy development and implementation, stakeholder engagement and reporting

Toyi is a seasoned banker with over 15 years of experience in Retail, SME, Corporate and Business Banking. He currently serves as the Head of Business Banking at CRDB Bank Plc and he has worked with top-tier institutions, including NMB Bank Plc and NBC Bank, as well as regional banks such as Ecobank and BancABC, part of Atlas Mara. Known for being revenue-driven and goal-oriented, Toyi is a bilingual expert in sales and marketing, particularly in driving innovation, executing new sales programs, and building strong teams to elevate organizational performance. He brings a strong retail, commercial, and business acumen to problem-solving and team optimization, while proactively developing new business strategies and ideas. His professional experience is complemented by a wide range of technical skills and competencies. Toyi holds an MBA in Corporate Management from ESAMI and a certification in the Executive Development Programme from Strathmore University. In addition, Toyi serves as the Vice Chairman of the Board for the Tanzania Police Force’s sole corporation, which manages the business operations of the force in Tanzania

Praveshni has over 20 years environmental consulting experience, as a certified environmental assessment practitioner, and having worked across most sectors. She has undertaken various environmental due diligence audits and reviews for mergers and acquisitions. Prav commenced her employment at Standard Bank in the E&S risk team, ensuring adherence to the Equator Principles for project finance transactions. She coordinated the bank’s initial TCFD work and contributed to the UNEP FI TCFD Pilot phase II work. Prav is currently based in the Sustainable Finance team in Investment Banking at Standard Bank, providing specialist ESG advice to deal teams and clients. She has experience in developing Sustainable Finance Frameworks, green and social financing, and KPI and target setting for sustainability-linked facilities. She is currently involved in the development of sustainable finance in Business and Commercial Banking with a focus on scaling sustainable finance for MSME’s.

Yael is a trade and investment lawyer with a special interest in FDI, Africa-related investment, investment promotion and the AfCFTA. Yael is a triple Israeli, French, and South African national who speaks Hebrew, Dutch, French and English. Yael previously managed Webber Wentzel's alliances and networks in Africa and globally. She has over 25 years of experience in the legal and financial services sectors across Africa, the UK, Europe and Asia, having worked in a variety of roles including private equity and investment banking. Yael has recently supported teams in managing a number of multi-jurisdictional Pan-African projects across a number of sectors.

Gerald Sharara is a seasoned engineer with over 15 years of experience, holding a Bachelor of Engineering and a Master of Science degree. His expertise spans Engineering, Sustainability, and ESG, where he has made significant contributions to energy efficiency, resource management, and emissions reduction. His knowledge and expertise are empowering companies in Africa to align with global sustainability and ESG standards through the development of innovative tools. With a deep understanding of key ESG frameworks, regulations, and policies, Gerald drives compliance while fostering innovation in sustainable practices. His skill in navigating complex regulatory landscapes ensures that engineering projects meet both global and local standards, with a sharp focus on ESG impact. His insights have been instrumental in the development of NerdScore, a revolutionary ESG management tool created by Nerdma, where Gerald serves as Chief Operations Officer. Gerald's distinguished career includes roles as Engineer at Cement Manufacturing Company and Project Manager at Civils and Construction Company. In 2021, he joined Nerdma as Chief Operating Officer, continuing to leverage his extensive knowledge and experience to lead impactful projects that advance the sustainability agenda in Africa.

Ryan Short is a Managing Partner at Genesis Analytics, Africa’s leading economics and management consultancy, where he heads the Shared Value and Impact practice. A pioneer of ESG and corporate impact, Ryan has for twenty years advised companies, governments, investors, and regulators across Africa. His expertise spans impact and ESG strategy, impact measurement, the Just Energy Transition, and public policy. Ryan has been a prominent voice on ESG in the Global South. Ryan holds Bachelor's degrees in Economics and Law, as well as a Master's degree in International Politics. Prior to joining Genesis Analytics, he served as legal counsel at J.P. Morgan in London.

Shameela Soobramoney is a corporate strategy and sustainability expert with extensive experience in the financial services sector. She re-joined the board of WWF South Africa in 2021 and sits on the Board’s Finance Committee and Investment Sub-Committee. Soobramoney is the Chief Executive Officer of the National Business Institute. Previously she was the JSE’s Chief Sustainability Officer, and the winner of the Institute of Risk Management of South Africa’s Sustainability Professional of the Year award for 2020. She is the immediate past chair of the World Federation of Exchange’s Sustainability Working Group and member of the Strategy Group of the Global Investors for Sustainable Development Alliance. As a sustainability specialist she has been a key contributor to the JSE’s research into climate change, the potential for a local market to trade in carbon credits and environment-related products, and the development of the sustainability segment of the JSE and the Green Bonds framework, among many other initiatives and innovations.

She previously served on the WWF South Africa board until 2016, is a non-executive director of the Green Building Council of South Africa and is the board chairperson of the Ubuntu Wilderness Trust. She is also a member of the Institute of Directors of Southern Africa, the Integrated Reporting Committee of SA Working Group, the Code for Responsible Investing in SA committee, Sustainable Stock Exchanges Initiative member group, and the African Securities Exchanges Association sustainability group, among others. Soobramoney holds a Master of Business Administration from the University of Pretoria, Gordon Institute of Business Science and a Master’s in Sustainability Leadership from the University of Cambridge. She is a recipient of the Chevening and Mansion House scholarships.

Experienced Analyst/Strategist/PM with a demonstrated history of working in the Public Sector. Skilled in Innovation Management, Change Management, Social Psychology, Renewable Energy, Technology Commercialization, and Biomass. Strong business development professional with a Master of Business Administration (MBA) focused on Social Innovation from University of Cape Town.

Representing a milestone in its commitment to sustainable practices, Alexforbes has appointed Lee Swan as the Head of Sustainability. With 18 years of combined experience in sustainability and commercial sectors, Lee Swan brings a wealth of expertise to this newly established role. Swan is a seasoned sustainability adviser with a master’s degree in development planning. Her qualifications include a CFA Certificate in ESG Investing, a CFA Certificate in Climate and Investing, and a CFA Investment Management Certificate (IMC) Level I, alongside various sustainability credentials. She holds a distinguished position on the Technical Committee of The ESG Exchange.

Throughout her career, Swan has executed sustainability-focused strategies across diverse industries. Her background spans management consulting, investment management, manufacturing, energy, mining, construction, aviation, real estate investment, and infrastructure development. This multifaceted experience positions her to lead and drive sustainable initiatives within Alexforbes. Swan’s appointment aligns seamlessly with the company’s commitment to generating positive societal impact and establishing itself as a sustainability leader. Swan’s addition to the recently established Alexforbes Impact Centre of Excellence focused on Sustainability reaffirms Alexforbes’ commitment to embracing sustainability as a core value, underscoring the company’s determination to drive it forward as an integral aspect of its business strategy.

Current positions
Ms Bernice Swarts is a Member of the National Assembly of South Africa, representing the African National Congress (ANC). With a career rooted in public service and community activism, Ms Swarts is recognised for her steadfast commitment to social justice and economic empowerment.
Career
Ms Swarts' work in Parliament is marked by a focus on issues such as gender equality, education, and community development. She is a passionate advocate for policies that promote equitable access to opportunities and resources for all South Africans. Throughout her tenure, Ms Swarts has served on various Parliamentary committees, contributing to critical discussions and legislative processes. Her roles have included significant involvement in committees related to social development, education, and health. Her insights and leadership have been instrumental in advancing legislative initiatives aimed at improving the welfare of South African citizens.
Beyond her legislative responsibilities, Ms Swarts is actively engaged with her constituents, ensuring their voices are represented in the national dialogue. She is known for her hands-on approach and her dedication to addressing the practical needs of the communities she serves. Her efforts in grassroots mobilisation and community outreach have earned her widespread respect and support. Ms Bernice Swarts continues to be a prominent figure in South African politics, admired for her integrity, compassion, and unwavering commitment to the nation's progress. Her work reflects a deep dedication to creating a more just and inclusive society.
Education
Ms Swarts has a strong educational background in social sciences and public administration, which underpins her approach to policymaking and governance

I am passionate about renewable energy and integrating renewable technology into the South African and African power systems landscape. I truly believe that renewable energy can be utilised to achieve sustainable development and poverty alleviation within a uniquely African context.

Colleen is a tri-qualified solicitor and founder of Ardea International, a specialist company that provides sustainability, business and human rights and modern slavery expertise to enable companies to meet both their legal obligations and develop best practice standards. She is a fellow of IEMA and a research fellow of the Bakhita Centre for Research on Slavery and Abuse and a lecturer at Birkbeck University, London on human rights and business. Colleen has over 30 years of legal and commercial experience of working with business, organisations and NGOs across sectors and provides training and online resources on human rights, modern slavery and sustainability issues. Her book ‘Strategic Sustainable Procurement: law and best practice' is published by Routledge.

She recently published a chapter ‘Modern Slavery and Transparency in Supply Chains- the Role of Business’ in The Modern Slavery Agenda: Policy, Politics and Practice in the UK’. Her upcoming chapter ‘The role of business in the exploitation and rehabilitation of survivors of modern slavery’ will be published by Policy Press later this year. She has spoken widely on the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, modern slavery and sustainable business. She sits on the advisory board for LexisPSL Environment, is a committee member of the Social Responsibility Alliance. She is nominated as one of the Top 100 Corporate Modern slavery influencers in the UK in 2018. She has been a member of the BSI committee developing BS25700: Guidance on modern slavery for organisations.

Cath works on implementing protected area expansion in Limpopo province, through South Africa’s Biodiversity Stewardship programme. She has spent the last six years working with landowners across the Soutpansberg to incorporate their properties into a Nature Reserve, as well as working on reserve management through implementing a landscape habitat restoration project. Cath also oversees the management of Medike Reserve, the EWT’s property in the Soutpansberg.

Carina is a highly accomplished executive and currently serves as Executive: Governance, Legal, Compliance and Sustainability at Alexforbes. As a respected thought leader, Carina regularly presents at international conferences and her thought leadership has been widely published. Some of her recent accomplishments include General Counsel of the year Africa 2024 in the Women in Business Law EMEA awards, In-house Counsel of the year South Africa 2023, African Legal Awards General Counsel of the Year 2020 and Corporate and National Positive Role Model in the 8th Gender Mainstreaming Awards 2020

A communications expert with extensive experience gained in the private sector, government, politics and communications consultancy. Passionate about enhancing reputation and transforming stakeholder engagement to deliver business success. Focused ensuring excellent communication, coordinated across all channels and defined by a clear purpose can boost reputation and drive success.

Michal is the Head of Standards at BR-AG. For over 14 years he has been advising various authorities and institutions including central banks, business registries and tax offices on the application of various technical formats and standards for the purposes of electronic reporting and data exchange. He has extensive knowledge in the areas of development, implementation and quality assurance of electronic dictionaries and taxonomies following XBRL standard. Michal has the expertise in various other electronic formats, including SDMX for statistical data exchange, as well as ISO 20022 widely used in the transactional reporting in the securities space and in payments. Michal is one of the co-authors of the XBRL South African Standard and Governance Framework and is responsible for the development and maintenance of the CIPC taxonomy since 2016. From 2024, Michal assisted CIPC with the first technical implementation of the ISSB S1/S2 taxonomy to facilitate reporting sustainability disclosures for South African entities

Cuma is a Senior Investigator in CIPC's Corporate Compliance and Disclosure Regulation unit, housed under the Business Regulation and Reputation Division. He heads the Annual Financial Statements (AFS) stream. He is a member of the International Taxonomy Consultative Group (ITCG) under the IFRS Foundation, represents CIPC at IRBA’s Public Interest Entities Task Group and Committee for Audit Standards (CFAS). His portfolio includes providing strategic input and leadership into Sustainability Reporting developments for CIPC to various stakeholders. His role extends into strategic secretarial support for the Commissioner Rory Voller, Chairperson of XBRL South Africa (XBRL SA). Cuma holds a MBA degree and a Bachelor of Commerce degree