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Frank Aswani
CEO of Africa Venture Philanthropy AllianceDr. Frank Aswani, is the CEO of Africa Venture Philanthropy Alliance (AVPA), a network of social investors who are collaborating to increase the flow of capital into social investors across Africa and ensure that the capital is deployed for maximum social Impact.
He’s Kenyan, living in Johannesburg and holds a Veterinary Medicine degree from the University of Nairobi and an MBA from GIBS (Gordon Institute of Business Studies), University of Pretoria, South Africa.
Peter Bakker
President & CEO of World Business Council for Sustainable Development WBCSDFor a decade (since 2012), Peter has led
WBCSD based in Geneva, Switzerland. WBCSD is the premier global, CEO-led community of over 200 of the world’s leading sustainable businesses working collectively to accelerate the system
transformations needed for a net zero, nature positive, and more equitable future.
Peter is a distinguished business leader who, until June 2011, served as CFO and then CEO of TNT NV, the global transport and logistics company. He has been recipient of the Clinton Global Citizen Award (2009) and the Sustainability Leadership Award (2010).
Peter serves as a member of several corporate sustainability advisory boards. He received the royal order Officer of the Order of Orange-Nassau in 2018 in recognition of his long-lasting commitment
to engaging business in tackling global sustainability issues.
Peter is an active Twitter user and can be found tweeting at @MPB_WBCSD.
Andrey Bogdanov
Principal & CEO of Risk Insights Co-Chair at WEF New Champions South Africa Country ChapterAndrey Bogdanov is a Principal and CEO of Risk Insights and Co-Chair of the World Economic Forum New Champions South Africa Country Chapter. His professional career spans around the Globe, from working in the banking sector in Russia during Perestroika to a Fortune 500 multinational company as a senior executive responsible for finance and treasury in various regions and continents. A few years ago Andrey joined Risk Insights – a family owned business. Risk Insights is Data Science boutique with key a focus on ESG.
Risk Insights launched the first AI-powered ESG rating model – ESG GPS for Africa. ESG GPS uses Risk Insights proprietary Artificial Intelligence driven XXI century tool to rate companies. Risk Insights is the first and only company, which rated all listed companies at Nairobi Securities Exchange, Johannesburg Stock Exchange, Nigerian Exchange Limited using ESG GSP methodology. Highly scalable ESG GPS tool is being stratified across various markets on the continent and beyond. AI-powered rating tool has been highly regarded on the continent and globally. Risk Insights was awarded two times in 2020 and 2021 by the World Economic Forum, in 2021 was awarded by the Institute of the Risk Management of Southern Africa and in 2022 was awarded The Best ESG Data Provide in Africa 2022.
Mr Bogdanov is Co-Chair of the World Economic Forum New Champions South Africa Country Chapter.
Andrey is BA in political economy and law. He is Trium (joint LSE, NYU and HEC program) EMBA graduate, International Directors Program by INSEAD, Certified Management Accountant by Institute of Management Accountants USA, Member of the Association of Financial Professionals USA, Certified Treasury Professional by Association for Financial Professionals USA, Fellow Member of the Institute of Directors SA, Certified in Treasury and Finance by Association for Financial Professionals USA and Ross School of Business Michigan University, Business Sustainability Management by University of Oxford.
Matthew Burrnell
Partner at White & CaseMatthew Burnell’s is a local partner in the Firm’s practice focuses on law associated with Environment, Social and Governance issues. He has advised and assisted clients in various sectors including banking, mining, oil and gas, energy, power and electricity, agriculture and infrastructure.
Matthew’s practice covers all components of environmental and climate change law. He has acted for and advised clients: 2
In administrative appeals and judicial review applications;
In complex M&A transactions regarding the transferring of permits, the management and transfer of pollution and contamination liabilities and associated due diligences;
In project finance transactions regarding the compliance requirements under the Equator Principles in the relevant financing agreements and project agreements;
On Environment, Social and Governance matters, including the development of risk management tools related to ESG risks, the disclosure of information and sustainability reporting;
On director, shareholder, lender and operator liability arising from environmental and climate change impacts;
On investigations by enforcement officers and administrative compliance notices;
On developing public participation frameworks; and
Agreements governing carbon trading and essential service provision such as water and electricity supply. Matthew holds an LLB, LLMU and PhD from the University of Cape Town and has completed
Corporate Sustainability at New York University Leonard N. Stern School of Business
Carolynn Chalmers
CEO of Good Governance AcademyCarolynn 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.
Adam Craker
CEO of IQbusinessAdam is the Chief Executive Officer at IQbusiness, the largest South African management and technology consulting firm. Adam joined IQbusiness in September 2009 and was appointed CEO in November 2010.
As an ‘activist CEO’ Adam is an ardent lobbyist for government and business collaboration, though he places the emphasis on education as the key ingredient to drive an inclusive future for all South Africans.
Tracey Davies
Executive Director of Just ShareTracey Davies is executive director of non-profit shareholder activism organisation Just Share, which advocates for corporate South Africa to use its financial and social power to drive urgent action to combat climate change and reduce inequality.
Andre Fourie
Vice President of Sustainability at AB InbevAndre Fourie is Global VP: Sustainability at AB InBev, the world’s leading brewer– focused on water, climate solutions, sustainability packaging, smart agriculture and entrepreneurship.
Andre was previously Head of Water Security and Environmental Value at SABMiller, responsible for managing the group value chain carbon footprint and served as Head of Sustainable Development at the South African Breweries (SAB), with a focus on water stewardship and sustainable agriculture.
Previously the was the CEO of the National Business Initiative (NBI), a collaboration of South African and global corporations working towards a sustainable future. He is currently a member of the Taskforce on Nature-based Financial Disclosure (TNFD).
Dominic Gaobepe
Managing Director of Cohesive CollectiveOrganisations are a product of the decisions that we make. The decisions made in the past
have shaped our current reality; and the decisions we are making today are shaping the
future of the organisation. Many organisations struggle in getting I&D right as we often do
not realise & think consciously about the factors that influence the decisions that we make.
Be ready to be challenged as we journey to unscramble the I&D Code.
Dominic Gaobepe is a consultant, trainer & entrepreneur. As a co-founder of Cohesion
Collective he works with regional and multinational companies to contribute towards
social cohesion and nation building by enabling them to build the skill set & mindset of
equality, diversity & inclusive leadership. He holds a Bachelors degree in Economics
from Rhodes University in South Africa. After graduating he worked within the Human
Resources field for Unilever SA & South African Breweries, adding value and building
expertise in the areas of leadership development, high performing teams &
organisational transformation.
To serve his community he has co-founded The Yearning Soul Life-Coaching Ministry
which is an organization aimed at social development and imparting business & life
skills to men, women and the youth.
Aimee Girdwood
Co-Founder of Stor-EAimée Girdwood is a globally experienced sustainability expert, lawyer and educator passionate about working with leaders and teams to drive responsible, purpose-led and thriving organisations.
Leanne Govindsamy
Head, Corporate Accountability and Transparency Programme at Centre for Environmental RightsLeanne holds an LLB from the Wits University and an LLM in International Human Rights Law summa cum laude from the University of Notre Dame.
She served as a law clerk in the Constitutional Court to Justice Tholakele Madala and worked briefly at legal NGOs in India, which reinforced her commitment to the attainment of social justice and the protection of human rights through judicial and non-judicial mechanisms of accountability.
She completed her articles at the law firm Cheadle Thompson and Haysom, where she continued to work as an associate before joining Corruption Watch as Head of Legal and Investigations in 2014. She has obtained an MA in Anthropology from Wits University.
Leanne joined the Centre in October 2018 and manages its Corporate Accountability and Transparency programme.
Marie Parramon Gurney
Chief Transformative Impact Officer at SKULTCHADr, Marie Parramon Gurney, CEO of Skultcha, a purpose-driven company (shifting culture for a better world) based in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Skultcha supports organisations (private, public and NGOs) in becoming more systemic and transformative in their sustainability, shared value and impact legacy journeys.
Dr. Parramon Gurney has more than 20 years of experience in Africa in implementing inclusive, regenerative and equitable development, taking a system and transformative approach (from policy development, projects implementation on the ground, to working on culture and paradigms shift).
Marie is also a co-founder of the Africa ESG Africa conference, supporting a purpose-driven, transformative and systemic approach to ESG in Africa.
Vimbai Gwata
General Manager at AkelloVimbai is the General Manager of Akello, an online learning platform that engages learners through interactive, customised learning content.
With a background in professional services, IT consulting and youth development, Vimbai is passionate about leveraging digital solutions to tackle social, economic and environmental challenges.
Shamini Harrington
Vice President Climate Change at SasolShamini is a seasoned climate change expert who holds a Master’s Degree in Environmental Science with a specialisation in climate change management.
She has nearly two decades experience in the field, having begun her career as a researcher at the Centre for Scientific and Industrial Research, before moving into a corporate environment focusing on climate change management.
Karin Ireton
Non Executive Director of Exxaro ResourcesKarin is a corporate sustainable development professional and non executive director. Her focus is integrating sustainable development and the management of climate related risks into business practice, sustainable finance and climate risk management.
Recent work has included the National Treasury Paper on Financing a Sustainable Economy; developing guidance for the World Bank on Management and Disclosure of Climate-related risks for State Owned Enterprises, as well as work on Responsible Banking for UNEPFI.
She is a non executive director on the Exxaro Resources Limited Board and its Social and Ethics Committee, a Trustee of the Endangered Wildlife Trust, and chair of the Social and Ethics Committee and serves on the Camco Clean Energy Sustainable Business Committee.
A past chair of the IoD’s Sustainable Development Forum, she now serves on its Social and Ethics Forum, She has worked with the JSE, GRI and the Integrated Reporting Committee of South Africa on developing better disclosure on sustainability issues. She works closely with the IFC, World Bank and UNEPFI on issues of climate change and the financing of the transformation to a greener economy.
Helle Bank Jorgensen
CEO of Competent BoardsGlobally Recognized sustainability, climate change, and ESG advisor with 30 years of experience helping global companies and investors turn sustainability into strong and reliable financial results. She has worked with hundreds of world-leading companies, including IKEA, Nike, Maersk, Shell, Unilever, Novo Nordisk, Orsted and Vestas.
Mervyn King
Chair Emeritus of the King Committee at Good Governance AcademyMervyn chairs the Good Law Foundation and has chaired the United Nations Committee of Eminent persons on Governance and Oversight.
He is a member of the Private Sector Advisory Group to the World Bank on Corporate Governance and of the ICC Court of Arbitration in Paris. Mervyn currently chairs the African Integrated Reporting Council and the Integrated Reporting Committee of South Africa and is Patron of the Good Governance Academy.
Cathie Lewis
Founder of Earth EnergyCathie is the founder of Earth Energy, an ESG, climate change and water governance consultancy. She has over 28 years of experience in governance, legal, secretariat, ethics and sustainability.
Ian Mackintosh
Chair at Corporate Reporting DialogPresently a consultant on corporate reporting.
Previously chair of the Corporate Reporting Dialogue, Vice Chair of the IASB, chair of the PSC (now IPSASB),chair of an OECD committee, chair of the UK Accounting Standards Board, financial management manager at the World Bank and a partner of Coopers and Lybrand.
Marina Madale
General Manager: at Sustainability & Shared Value MTN GroupMarina Madale is the General Manager 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.
Jayne Mammatt
Partner at DeloitteJayne is a Chartered Accountant by profession and became involved in the broad areas of corporate governance, sustainable development, and climate change in 2002. Since then, she has worked across a variety of industries including mining, oil and gas, banking, insurance, telecommunications, technology, construction, real estate, and state-owned entities.
Jayne focuses on developing and delivering services in the areas of; sustainable development strategy, framework, practices, reporting and assurance, sustainable development goals, integrated reporting and management, social and environment impact and outcomes measurement, safety, health and environment risk, performance, and compliance, and climate change risk and resilience.
Jayne has written various “thought leadership” articles for publication in the press, presented at numerous conferences, co-authored The Company Director’s Handbook, and contributed a chapter to SAICA’s Green II. She was a member of the Institute of Directors Sustainable Development Forum, the Integrated Reporting Committee of South Africa (IRCSA) Board and the NBI’s Advisory Committee on Environment and Sustainability. Currently she is a member of the IRCSA Working Group and a member of the King sub-committee on climate change
Esha Mansingh
Business Leader & Member of the Executive Committee at Imperial LogisticsEsha Mansingh is a young business leader, serving as a member of the executive committee of Imperial Logistics, a leading African and European focused logistics business.
Chris Maroleng
SADC Executive Director of Good Governance AfricaChris Maroleng is Global Advisor and is the SADC Executive Director of Good Governance Africa.
Nicolas Marsay
ESG & Circular Economy Specialist at NSDVNicolas is an experienced Sustainability Advisor, and strong background in Economic Development.
He has excellent analytical and strategic abilities, which he has applied to the benefit of businesses across the size spectrum, from start-ups to multi-national corporations.
Possessing special skills in highly complex problem resolution, he is able to think big and deduce effective strategies to execute opportunities. By way of example: at the start of the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Program, Nicolas personally put Economic Development strategies in place that won is client 26% of all megawatts installed to date.
An entrepreneur at heart, Nicolas has founded many businesses in his career – the first of which he began aged 6. With this in mind his enthusiasm for seeing other start-ups thrive comes, perhaps, as little surprise; he regularly mentors young entrepreneurs and is passionate about seeing each of them develop.
Ruwadzano Matsika
Analyst on at Quadrature Climate FoundatiDr Ruwadzano Matsika is an Analyst for the Quadrature Climate Foundation advising on developing and accelerating global climate solutions.
Ruwa is a Zimbabwean national, an environmental scientist and a climate and development specialist with over 10 years’ experience working at the interface of science, policy and practice in Africa and other regions in the Global South.
A deep climate generalist, she has worked as Africa Regional Coordinator for the UN Global Compact advancing corporate sustainability across Africa; Research and Policy Advisor at ActionAid International; and as a Carnegie Research Fellow at the Global Change Institute at WITS University in South Africa. Her work has included research and decision-making support on energy transition planning, adaptation and resilience planning for national government, and the humanitarian sector.
She holds a Doctorate in Environmental Sciences and a Post-graduate Diploma in Energy Leadership from WITS University, and a certificate in Climate-related Financial Risk from the University of Oxford.
Quadrature Climate Foundation is a climate mitigation focused philanthropy with a global remit.
Gugu Mclaren
NBIGugu Mclaren-Ushewokunze leads the NBI’s Social Transformation Unit. Her responsibilities include developing and implementing the NBI’s strategy to engage business in driving our most challenging social issues, with the aim of addressing inequality, exclusion and inequity.
She has more than 15 years’ experience in the field of social and sustainable development, having worked across sectors, with the bulk of her career within the corporate sector driving the development and implementation of sustainable development strategies.
She holds an MSocSc in Gender Studies from UCT.
Clémence Mcnulty
Partner - Sustainability & Climate Change at Ernst & YoungClémence is the EY Sustainability and Climate Change Africa Leader supporting clients to navigate the dynamic sustainability, ESG (environmental/ social/ governance) and climate change landscape.
She is experienced across a wide range of sectors, and adept at planning for regulatory, stakeholder and technical driven changes to business models to improve shared value creation and optimise ESG performance.
Clémence leverages a multi-disciplinary approach to problem solving, especially to address interlinked ESG challenges, and to drive change.
From France originally, she has lived in South Africa for over a decade and love the energy of its people. She previously coordinated Sustainability and Climate Change services in Africa for a dedicated sustainability consultancy, and started her career as a Strategy consultant.
Rethabile Melamu
CEO of SAPVIAShe is a sustainability professional who is trained in Chemical and Environmental Engineering. She has 15 years’ experience in the areas of clean energy, green economy, environmental sustainability, enterprise development, life cycle assessments and climate change.
Her experience spans several sectors including renewable energy, waste management, water and sanitation. I am a seasoned professional with a depth of understanding on adoption of innovative climate smart technologies in society. This is backed by experience of running a technology innovation-based incubation programme for almost 6 years.
She has solid experience in developing public sector policies and have led the development of sub-national energy and green economy strategies and facilitated their implementation. She sits on several boards and advisory committees of private, academia and the public sectors organisations.
She is a thought leader in the energy and green economy sectors, having published reports, thought leadership pieces and academic articles on several platforms in her areas of expertise. She has featured extensively as a speaker on various national and international platforms.
She has received recognition for her contribution in the energy sector, notably as a 2017 finalist under the Outstanding Woman in Power and Energy in Africa category at a Africa Utility Week. In 2017, She lead-authored a paper for the prestigious UNDP supported OR Tambo Series of Lectures on Chapter 5 (‘Transition to a low-carbon economy’) of the South African National Development Plan (2030). In 2019, She was recognised by the national Mail & Guardian newspaper as one of Women Who Are Changing South Africa in the Public Sector.
Gabi Mkhatswa
Senior Manager for Climate Change & Sustainable Development at EskomGabi is a strategic leader with expertise in research, policy, and strategy development.
She is the newly appointed Senior Manager for Climate Change & Sustainable Development in Eskom.
She leads this critical area in providing strategic direction and safeguarding evolving climate change compliance and sustainable development best practice for Eskom to maintain it’s social license to operate.
Gaylor Montmasson-Clair
Senior Economist at Trade & Industrial Policy StrategiesGaylor Montmasson-Clair is a Senior Economist at Trade & Industrial Policy Strategies (TIPS). He leads TIPS’s work on Sustainable Growth. Gaylor is also a Research Associate at the University of Johannesburg’s Centre for Competition,
Regulation and Economic Development (CCRED). He holds two Master’s degree, respectively in International Affairs from the Institut d’Etudes Politiques (Sciences Po) of Grenoble, France, and in Energy and Environment Economics from the Grenoble Faculty of Economics, France.
Gaylor has been working on green economy issues for more than a decade and has carried extensive research on the transition to an inclusive green economy from a developing country perspective, with a focus on policy frameworks, industrial development, just transition and resource security.
Prior to TIPS, Gaylor worked at the French Ministry of Economy and Finance as well as the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).
Mpho Mookapele
Chief Executive at EWSETAMpho 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.
Zingisa Motloba
Advisory Committee Member at IUCNZingisa, an admitted attorney whose 2008 MBA research paper considered Socially Responsible Investing and Private Equity, supports companies with their Impact Investment frameworks, ESG policies and sustainability reporting
Kuda Mukova
Partner at IQbusinessKuda is a Partner at IQbusiness. He heads up the Solutions and Insights business unit, where he works with Executive teams in order to solve their most pressing issues.
He is passionate about sustainable impact in Africa. He has spent the last 8 years in the ESG advisory for private companies and donor organizations.
Ernst Muller
Senior Associate ESG & Natural Resource Law Specialist at Herbert Smith FreehillsErnst is a “Natural Scientist turned Regulatory Lawyer”.
Owing to his background in Environmental Sciences, his practice tends to focus on the laws that govern the exploitation of natural resources.
In light of this, he also frequently advises clients on matters related to sustainable development and environmental, social, and governance (ESG) issues. Ernst is the lead associate in most of the Johannesburg-based corporate team’s ESG and mining related matters.
Many of the matters include strategically important instructions such as the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia mineral law reform project and the Green Hydrogen Organisation’s Green Hydrogen Contracting and Green Hydrogen Standard initiatives.
Loshni Naidoo
Senior Director of FTI ConsultingLoshni 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.
Lwazi Ngubevana
Director of African Energy Leadership CentreLwazi is a chemical engineer, energy executive and academic with extensive global experience in renewable energy, investments, advisory, environment, and water desalination industries.
He is registered as a Professional Engineer (Pr.Eng.), with the Engineering Council of South Africa (ECSA) and as a Chartered Engineer (CEng) with the Institution of Chemical Engineers (IChemE), UK. He holds a PhD in Chemical Engineering and an MBA from the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, where he is now the Director of the African Energy Centre at Wits Business School.
Lwazi has extensive Process Design, Business Development, Process Re-engineering, Project Development and Project Management experience. He is skilled in Project Finance, Business case development and research valorisation. He also has solid experience in policy and legislation, having worked with various government entities on Renewable Energy, Water and Environmental Policy development and implementation.
Steve Nicholls
Head of Mitigation at South Africa's Presidential Climate CommissionSteve 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.
Tonderai Leonel Njowera
Managing Director of ImpactVest MetricsTonderai is a multiplier in the field of Sustainability and Project Investment. His background is anchored on civil and water engineering and sustainable finance. He has been involved in heavy civil engineering project management in the mining, renewable energy, real estate and water supply and sanitation sectors in the Sub Saharan African Region.
He was also selected as a 2020 Fellow of the Tropical Landscapes Finance Facility based in Jakarta and bringing together ICRAF, ADM Capital, UNEPFI and BNP Paribas.
In his previous roles, Tonderai led the development of a sustainable finance analysis model using standards including SASB, TCFD and GRI among others. He understands sectoral and thematic impact in areas including water, transportation and health among some of the 21 impact areas included in the Impact Radar and the EU/UK Sustainable Finance and Green Taxonomies
He has a wide network of professionals, some who are mentors, domiciled in various jurisdictions, industries and sectors spanning engineering, investment banking/finance, private equity, real estate, project finance, institutional investment, academia, tourism, sport and development finance. These networks have been developed through his professional engagements, international studies, speaker presentations/moderation at global conferences, professional networking and engagement discussions during travelling sessions. He aims at growing this network towards a shared value long term goal of societal equity.
Themba George Nkosi
Chief Sustainability Officer at Sibanye-StillwaterBA Hons (Employment Relations), University of Johannesburg; BTech (Human Resources), Peninsula Technikon; Human Resources Executive Programme, University of Michigan
Themba Nkosi is the Chief Sustainability Officer at Sibanye-Stillwater from May 2022 when his role has broadened from being the Chief Social Performance Officer with a primary focus on South Africa to more of a Group leadership on ESG and sustainability. Previously, he was appointed on 4 July 2016 as Executive Vice President: Human Capital at the Group and has more than 22 years’ experience across various industries in human resources, corporate affairs, communication and stakeholder management.
Prior to joining Sibanye-Stillwater, he was Head: Human Resources, Transformation and Corporate Communications at ArcelorMittal South Africa Limited (ArcelorMittal) from June 2009. He previously occupied several senior management positions at ArcelorMittal and Human Resources Director for sub-Saharan Africa at the PepsiCo Incorporated.
Ziyanda Ntshona
Partner at Webber WentzelZiyanda has expertise in all aspects pertaining to mergers and acquisitions, re-organisations, private equity and general corporate
transactions in South Africa and the rest of Sub-Saharan Africa.
Lili Nupen
Director Mining/Environmental Focus of NSDVLili can be found chatting to the Head of Legal for the DMRE one moment, and sitting in union meetings to secure a workable solution for her clients the next. It’s by sincerely considering everyone at the table (and those away from it) equally important that Lili’s earned her place amongst the most beloved legal advisors in the industry.
With extensive experience in the environmental and mining legal regulatory arena, Lili was previously at Bowmans, and has served as a director at Malan Scholes Attorneys. She has a deep understanding of the South African mining industry, and has worked on numerous transactions involving both international and local mining companies throughout South Africa and Africa.
Igazeuma Okoroba
Head of Sustainability at Institute of Corporate Governance, NigeriaIgazeuma Okoroba is a sustainability leader and social development expert with over 20 years of experience in the public sector, civil society, media, oil & gas and telecommunications.
As Head of Sustainability in one of Africa’s largest manufacturing industries, her contribution to the private sector transcends CSR, sustainability reporting using diverse frameworks and circular economy, to integrate ESG in operations.
As a social change advocate, her work promotes indigenous knowledge systems, diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) for building climate resilience and adaptation in African societies. She is an academic researcher, trainer and speaker who has delivered DEI messages on various platforms including TedExApapa, Lagos; US Consulate General and Bureau of Conflict and Stabilization Operations, Nollywood Academy and the Niger Delta Social Accountability (NDSA) Project in Nigeria.
Dr Okoroba holds an M.Sc in Sustainable Development from the University of Exeter, UK and a PhD in Development Sociology, from the University of Port Harcourt, Nigeria. She is a fellow of the Institute of Corporate Governance of Nigeria (ICGN) and the International Society of Sustainability Professionals (ISSP). She also serves on the board of several non-governmental organisations.
Saphira Patel
Head of Environmental and Social Sustainability Unit, at Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA)Saphira Patel is an innovative sustainability and ESG strategist with 20 years experience as an environmental specialist in the sustainability and development sectors and over 18 years in the development finance space.
Having managed multi-disciplinary teams, Saphira’s roles include advising on sustainable development, the just transition including, climate change mitigation and adaptation, ESG due diligence and impact and sustainability reporting. In addition, she has extensive experience in sustainability and Just Transition strategy and framework development.
Saphira is dedicated to supporting a Just Transition towards an inclusive low carbon, inclusive and sustainable economy. Saphira believes that a holistic developmental approach is required to comprehensively and sustainably transform economies for future generations. Her niche abilities afford her unique opportunities to advise and assist teams in reaching their sustainable investment goals effectively.”
Thiru Pillay
Entrepreneur, Founder & CEO, Board Member of Platform Capital Investment PartnersThiru is the founder and CEO of Emergent – an exciting new consulting and solutions company (www.emergent.africa). His passion is to build businesses and make an impact on people and society.
He is a Member of the Boards of Platform Capital in Mauritius and South Africa. He was until recently the EMEA Consulting Marketplace Leader, responsible for the co-ordination of the global Deloitte Consulting strategy and market impact in the Europe, Middle East and Africa region.
He was also the Managing Director of Deloitte Consulting for Africa for almost 8 years, covering 16 country practices across the African continent. He has previously led the global innovation agenda for Deloitte Consulting and has served on the Global Consulting Executive Committee for the last 7 years.
He was previously Deputy Consulting Leader and also led the Strategy and Innovation practice for Southern Africa for 6 years. He was, until 2011, a member of the Board of the Southern African firm.
Wendy Poulton
Owner of Strategic Mindsets Chairperson of SANEAWendy is currently the director of Strategic Mindsets a company specialising in strategy and risk consulting and coaching. Before that she was General Manager Organisational Strategy at Eskom and her main area of technical expertise is in the energy field where she has worked for more than 30 years. Wendy has held various roles in Eskom in R&D, environment, sustainable development, climate change, safety and strategy and risk.
Chule Qalase
Senior Manager Sustainability& CSI at Isuzu South AfricaChule Qalase is currently enrolled for Ph.D. at the University of the Witwatersrand. He has 11 years of working experience, he has worked in the public sector, mining, manufacturing, research, consulting, and development finance.
He has extensive management experience in Sustainability, ESG, Science, Technology, Innovation, Project and Financial management.
Chule is currently in the automotive sector as a senior manager for CSR and Sustainability.
Gary Rapson
Partner at Webber WentzelGaryn 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.
Lesego Rayi
Advocate of the High Court South Africa at Exxaro ResourcesAdvocate Lesego Oganne – Rayi. She holds an LLB and LLM (Mercantile Law) obtained from Wits University and University of Pretoria respectively. She is a member of the Johannesburg Society of Advocates and Member of the General Bar.
She has extensive experience in the energy and mining sectors as she has been employed in legal, risk and compliance advisory positions in both the private and public sectors namely; the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (NERSA), Sasol Pty Ltd, Transnet SOC and Edcon Ltd, spanning over 16 years.
She recently joined Exxaro Resources as Legal and Risk Manager; this after completing pupilage and practicing as an Advocate at the Johannesburg Bar for 4 years.
Joseph Rohm
Sustainable Finance, ESG, Climate Change Partner at ERMJoseph is a Partner at ERM based in the M & A team in London. He started his career as a chemical engineer at Unilever in Durban, Joseph has since acquired over twenty years of experience working in financial services and investing across global markets in different asset classes.
Most recently he was the Portfolio Manager of the Adventis Impact Fund and Head of ESG at Adventis. Prior to that he managed the Africa equity portfolios of Ninety-One (previously Investec Asset Management) in Cape Town and the Africa and Middle East portfolios of T Rowe Price in London.
He began his investment career as a global financial services analyst at ABN AMRO Bank in Amsterdam.
Joseph turned his attention to impact investing where he saw the enormous importance and opportunity to invest in companies based on ESG principles. He has a particular interest in ESG risks and how they impact entities from an operational, credit risk and equity valuation perspective.
Joseph is leading in several ESG audits, E&S Due Diligence (ESDD) and E&S monitoring assignments for Corporates, Private Equity and Development Finance Institutions investing in Africa. He works with large financial service institutions to support them in their Sustainable Finance, ESG and Climate Change projects.
Matlou Setai
Executive at CGCSAMatlou Setati is the Executive for the Food Safety & Sustainability Initiative (FSSI), a division of the CGCSA. The FSSI is responsible for advocacy and liaison of sustainable initiatives, forums, projects and/or programmes within the precincts of food science, safety, quality, nutrition, health & wellness, regulatory and related matters for the consumer goods and retail industries.
Matlou has over 20 years of experience in the South African food and agricultural industry, which includes various food production companies, and ten (years of service in public office at the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, where she served as Chief Agricultural Food and Quarantine Technician (Food Quality Inspector) and Chief Food Safety & Quality Assurance Officer (Food Regulations).
She actively participates in national and international food regulatory bodies such as the Food Legislation Advisory Group and the Food Safety Forum of the National Department of Health and the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries. She has also participated at the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, where she was Vice Chairperson of the Dry and Dried Produce Committee from 2014 – 2016 in Geneva, Switzerland.
Matlou has in-depth knowledge of the food industry from raw material, processing, quality control and assurance, and food legislation. Her public service experience has equipped her with a vast understanding of the national and international food law spheres such as national food control, Codex Alimentarius and World Trade Organisation agreements such as the Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) and sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS).
Matlou holds a National Diploma in Food Technology from Pretoria Technikon, a Bachelor of Technology in Food Technology from the Tshwane University of Technology, a Post Graduate Diploma Applied Science from the Lincoln University, New Zealand and a Master’s in Food & Nutrition Security from Stellenbosch University. Matlou joined the CGCSA in 2017, from the Department of Agriculture, Forestry & Fisheries. She is currently studying towards International Leadership Development Programme -ILDP (PGDip General Management) with GIBS in partnership with W&R Seta.
Sifiso Skenjana
Founder of ESG AnalyticsSifiso Skenjana is the founder and managing director of ESG Analytics – a sustainability research and advisory business. He is also currently the business show host of Power Business on Power987.
Sifiso a development economist, policy advisor, radio broadcaster and strategist having also previously held position as the Chief Economist and Executive Head of Research and Strategic Advisory at IQ business, with broad experience in management consulting, asset and investment management and research and economic advisory experience across various sectors and sub-industries having also worked at Monitor Deloitte, Nedbank and Stanli
Lee Swan
Business Sustainability Advisor at EmergentLee is an experienced business sustainability advisor with hands-on experience in a variety of sectors including investment management, manufacturing, energy, construction, mining, aviation, real estate and infrastructure. She has over 18 years of experience within the sustainable business arena.
To date, her career has been spent primarily at the intersection between commerce and sustainability.
Lee has a Master’s Degree in Development Planning with a focus on the renewable energy and economics. She also holds a Certificate in ESG Investing from the CFA Institute.
Justine Sweet
SHE Legal ConsultantAdmitted as an attorney in 2005, Justine has more than fifteen years’ experience as an attorney, particularly in relation to environmental law. After a decade as an external attorney, she joined Sasol, a South African petrochemical and mining company, as a Safety, Health and Environmental Principal Legal Specialist. There, her involvement ranged from day-to-day compliance support and advice and ranging from greenfield to brownfield projects to supporting on strategic environmental initiatives. She now consults to, amongst others, Herbert Smith Freehills which has a strong, global ESG practice as well as a large multinational organization which places high priority on ESG related matters.
Andy Tambwe
Head of Technical Services at IDCMetallurgical Engineer, qualified at the University of Johannesburg.
Project Management qualification obtained at the University of Pretoria. Project Management Professional (PMP).
Post Graduate Diploma in Management and Business administration from Wits Business School
MBA – Finance from Charles Sturt University (Australia)
Work experience spans over 24 years, covering metallurgical industry, mining industry, capital project development and management, project management office and technical advisory services. Currently, Head or Technical Services at IDC.
Marcus Ter Haar
Executive Director of Five6 ConsutingMarcus is a senior Executive with over 10 years of working globally at Management and Board level in Private, Parastatal and the Sustainability sectors.
Most recently his specialisation has been honed with his experience in Governance, Risk, Business Planning, and General Management
Over the course of my career.
He has also attained comprehensive skills in business development and sales. He has proven track record of crafting and delivering new business initiatives and an expert in liaising with key stakeholders. .
Colleen Theron
Solicitor and founder of Ardea InternationalColleen 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.
Mutemwa Ushewokunze
Commercial Director and Head of CIB at First Capital Bank ZimbabweMutemwa Ushewokunze is a Zimbabwean banker who currently serves as the Director of Corporate and Investment Banking for First Capital Bank Zimbabwe.
His experience in financial services spans four continents with his career journey starting in Australia with time shared between Westpac and Credit Suisse. He then moved to Johannesburg with Macquarie Bank focused on African equities.
Success in this role led to his redeployment to New York where he spent 5 years leading Macquarie’s distribution efforts of African equities as well as fundraising for African corporates. In 2020, he returned home to Zimbabwe where he leads a team of 52 at First Capital, delivering services across Corporate, SME, NGO, Agric and Investment Banking.
Mutemwa holds a Bachelor’s in Economics and an Honours in Politics from Adelaide University, Australia. He also holds a Master’s in Development Finance from the University of Cape Town. Lastly, Mutemwa holds an MBA (Finance) from Imperial College of Science and Medicine, London.
He is also member of the Chartered Institute of Development Finance and sits on the board of governors of his alma mater, St.George’s College, Zimbabwe.
Cicelia Van Rooi
Sales Director, Dow Industrial Solutions Middle East, Africa & India Managing Director Dow Southern Africa (Pty) Ltd of Dow IndustrialAs Managing Director, Van Rooi is responsible for leading cross functional teams and driving the development and implementation of Dow’s growth strategy within Southern Africa. This includes imbedding the Broad Based Black Economic Empowerment (BBBEE) Strategy, a local legislative requirement aimed at transformation and growth of the South African economy.
Since 2020, she added the responsibility of Sales Director Middle East, Africa, and India for Dow Industrial Solutions. In this role, she is responsible for driving Dow Industrial Solutions’ growth strategy which includes delivering the regional sales, volume and EBITDA for the business in the Middle East, Africa and India. Van Rooi leads the development of the growth pipeline for mega projects in the region focusing on Energy Transition, gas treating and Concentrated Solar Power (CSP), among other areas. She is also responsible for innovation, people development as well as providing sustainability support for the business.
Fatima Vawda
Founder of 27Four GroupFatima is the founder of the 27four Group and has more than two decades experience in financial markets.
She is skilled at turning complex ideas into reality and in identifying future investment trends and opportunities.
She works with many large institutions supporting them in the formulation of and implementation of their investment strategies.
Fatima serves as a Director of the Association of Savings and Investments South Africa (ASISA) and is a member of the Financial Sector Transformation Council. Fatima holds a Masters in Applied Mathematics
George Wilson
Head Institutional Trade Finance at InvestecGeorge qualified and practiced as a Common Law and Commercial Barrister in London for 4 years before moving in 2000 to in-house Legal and Compliance in CSFB and BarCap Investment Banking and Global Markets, London.
In 2005, George began his career in emerging markets banking through the regulatory management of the acquisition of Absa Bank Limited by Barclays in South Africa before moving to Hong Kong and transferring to the Asian Credit Trading, Structuring and Special Situations businesses in UBS, Lehmans and Nomura, where he co-managed the largest ever, Asian Collateralized Loan Obligation.
Moving back to South Africa 5 years later, George transitioned into Absa Capital FX Sales, then Transactional Banking Product and Trade Finance Sales to eventually become Head of Barclays Africa (then Absa) Institutional Trade. In June 2021, George transferred with his team to Investec South Africa to head up Institutional Trade Finance and initiate Trade Finance for the bank.
George specializes in innovative, short-term Trade financing solutions for Emerging Markets Financial Institutions and their clients through collateral, DFI and Credit risk mitigation techniques to resolve the African SME Trade funding gap, hard currency liquidity and Trade regulatory capital returns challenges.
George Wilson
Head Institutional Trade Finance at InvestecGeorge qualified and practiced as a Common Law and Commercial Barrister in London for 4 years before moving in 2000 to in-house Legal and Compliance in CSFB and BarCap Investment Banking and Global Markets, London.
In 2005, George began his career in emerging markets banking through the regulatory management of the acquisition of Absa Bank Limited by Barclays in South Africa before moving to Hong Kong and transferring to the Asian Credit Trading, Structuring and Special Situations businesses in UBS, Lehmans and Nomura, where he co-managed the largest ever, Asian Collateralized Loan Obligation.
Moving back to South Africa 5 years later, George transitioned into Absa Capital FX Sales, then Transactional Banking Product and Trade Finance Sales to eventually become Head of Barclays Africa (then Absa) Institutional Trade. In June 2021, George transferred with his team to Investec South Africa to head up Institutional Trade Finance and initiate Trade Finance for the bank.
George specializes in innovative, short-term Trade financing solutions for Emerging Markets Financial Institutions and their clients through collateral, DFI and Credit risk mitigation techniques to resolve the African SME Trade funding gap, hard currency liquidity and Trade regulatory capital returns challenges.
Joanne Yawitch
Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of National Business Initiative (NBI)Joanne Yawitch has been the Chief Executive Officer of the National Business Initiative (NBI) since 2011. Prior to this, she was the Deputy Director General for Climate Change in the
Department of Environmental Affairs, with responsibility for
Environmental Quality and Protection, as well as for the
Department’s Climate Change work.
Joanne worked for the Gauteng Department of Environment
from 1997 to 2004 and prior to that, was Special Adviser to the then Minister of Land Affairs from 1994 to 1997.
Joanne is the former Chair of the Board of Directors of South African National Parks (SANParks). She is also a Board Member
of SAFCOL, as well as the Chair of their Social and Ethics Committee.
In 2020, Joanne was appointed as a Member of The Presidential
Climate Commission (PCC). In 2021 Joanne was appointed as a member of the Third National Planning Commission (NPC) and
in 2022 she was appointed as the Head of the Secretariat of the Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP).
Joanne has expertise in issues related to business and
sustainability, business and government collaboration, climate
change and sustainable development.
Gwendolyn Zorn
Head of Impact at PhatisaGwendolyn Zorn is the Head of Impact at Phatisa, a sector-specific African private equity fund manager.
She specialises in the design and implementation of sustainable business strategies, which drive inclusive growth.
She is primarily focussed on addressing poverty and food security in Africa through food value chain investments, recognising the link to commerciality.
She holds an MA (Cum Laude) in the Philosophy of Economics.
Chris de Jager
Legal Principal at Anglo American South AfricaChris is a South African in-house Legal Principal at a multinational mining corporation where he advises on all aspects of dispute resolution and occupational health and safety law.
He has more than 15 years’ experience of working in the mining sector and, before then, 6 years’ experience in private practice.
Alison van den Berg
Specialised Customs & littigation Attorney at Alison van den Berg AttorneysAlison van den Berg Attorney is a law firm specialising in Customs and Excise and International Trade Law, and was established in April 2014.
The firm’s offerings include representation in High Court litigation and internal Dispute Resolution forums; as well as opinions on all aspects of South African Customs and Excise legislation and compliance.