Speakers
10-11 March 2026 | Century City Conference Centre
MC: Nozipho Tshabalala
Nozipho Tshabalala
Nozipho Tshabalala is the CEO of The Conversation Strategists, renowned for moderating impactful global discussions. With a rich background in Economics, Politics, and Development, she has facilitated conversations for prestigious organisations like the World Bank and the United Nations. Her experience includes roles in The Presidency of South Africa and as an award-winning journalist at CNBC Africa. Nozipho serves on various boards, including LRMG and the Africa Leadership Initiative, and has been recognised as one of the Top 100 Most Influential Young Africans.
Alison Collier
Akani Simbine
Alison Collier is the Managing Director of Endeavor South Africa. Alison joined Endeavor in April 2019, bringing close to 20yrs of experience in Strategy & Business Development roles – understanding what it takes to establish new offices for both large multi-nationals & start-ups both in the international markets and the power of technology to transform business & society.
She has a passion to drive business development & growth, specifically in the entrepreneurial space given the huge positive impact high growth emerging businesses have on long term job creation and economic growth.
Alison has strong commercial acumen and experience in establishing value creating partnerships having worked in senior global procurement roles for SABMiller (JHB, London, Zurich) & Unilever (Singapore) as well as having successfully led the international expansion of a Cape Town based beverage start-up BOS ICE TEA to Europe (Amsterdam, Paris). Through these global roles, Alison developed a broad understanding of the business landscape across the globe and understands the importance of appreciating the local context especially for market entry.
Alison holds a B.Bus.Sci degree with Honours Finance from UCT (2000) and an MBA from INSEAD (2004).
Akani Simbine
Akani Simbine
Born in Kempton Park, the 28-year-old sprinter first showed his athletic potential as a teenager when he shattered the national junior record in Lusaka in 2012, and broke the sub-10 second barrier for the first time that following season.
He broke the SA 100m record in 2016, followed by fifth place in the Olympic 100m final in Rio. The next year he continued to make history when he became the first South African to shatter the sub-10 and sub-20 barriers on the same day, clocking 9.93 over 100m and 19.95 in the 200m event. 2018 saw Simbine cementing his world-class sprinting pedigree when he won both the Commonwealth Games and African
100m titles. After his 2020 season was disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, he remained laser focused on his 2021 campaign, and after leading the SA 4x100m team to victory at the World Relays in Chorzow, Simbine broke the long-standing African 100m record by clocking 9.84 in Szekesfehervar. Simbine narrowly missed out on an Olympic medal in the men’s 100m final at the Tokyo Olympics in July when he fell short by 0.04 seconds. While reflecting on his disappointment after the race, Simbine also reiterated that this experience has given him renewed motivation and drive to podium at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.
But Simbine’s talents are not just limited to the sports field; the sprinter earned his Bachelor of Information Science degree in 2017 while making waves on the running track – a journey he admitted was challenging, but one he completed with determination and hard work.
Anusha Naidu
Anusha Naidu
Anusha Naidu is a South African Chartered Accountant and senior corporate finance executive with over two decades of experience across domestic and international capital markets. She specialises in capital raising, structured finance, mergers and acquisitions, and strategic corporate development within the financial services sector. In her most recent role as Corporate Finance Executive at a boutique non-bank lender, she led capital strategy, investor relations and ESG initiatives, successfully raising capital through listed debt and equity programmes, private placements and private credit across a diverse global investor base including institutional investors, development finance institutions, impact investors, family offices and retail participants. Earlier in her career, she held advisory roles across PwC offices in Johannesburg, Cape Town, Dubai and London, concluding in PwC London’s M&A Advisory practice where she led complex buy-side and sell-side transactions for private equity firms, hedge funds, investment banks and retail banks.
Anusha combines deep transactional expertise with a strong focus on sustainable finance and leadership development. She completed the Executive Leadership Programme with distinction at the University of Oxford Saïd Business School in 2024 and holds the CFA Certificate in Sustainable Investing (2025). She contributes to industry advancement through her role on the South African committee of 100 Women in Finance and as the only South African member of Women in Social Finance. She also serves as a guest lecturer at the University of Cape Town, bringing a practitioner perspective to postgraduate programmes in Construction Economics & Management and Development Finance.
Carol Tshabalala
Carol Tshabalala
Elliot re-joined Jersey Finance in November 2018 from Crestbridge where he managed their Management Company Services Group.
Elliot’s role is to help define Jersey’s product offering for funds as well as to oversee the strategy and execution of marketing Jersey as both a domicile and destination for Alternative Investment Managers and their funds.
Elliot moved to Jersey in 2006 to establish a Macro strategy Hedge Fund under the Ermitage umbrella for whom he also seeded other Macro / CTA strategy Hedge Funds.
Elliot founded the Jersey Hedge Fund Managers Group and the Digital Asset Managers Group aimed at linking the growing community of local Managers and is a committee member of the Jersey Funds Association, the BVCA Channel Islands working group and the islands Funds’ Innovation Committee.
Chito Siame
Chito Siame
Chito joined Mergence in 2011 as an Equity Analyst in the Public Markets team, where he focused on the FMCG, hospitality, financial services, and telecommunications sectors. He transitioned to the Private Markets investment team in 2015 and now serves as Head of Private Equity. In this role, he leads the origination and execution of private equity investment opportunities across the SADC region. Chito has spearheaded transactions in sectors such as aquaculture and microfinance and sits on the boards of several investee companies.
Cuma Dube
Cuma Dube
Cuma is an ESG and sustainable finance professional with over a decade’s experience working at the intersection of enterprise sustainability, impact measurement and investment decision-making. His work focuses on helping investors, corporates and development finance actors integrate ESG and impact considerations into funding models, business strategies and long-term sustainability planning across emerging markets, particularly South Africa.
Cuma has led the development of impact management frameworks, developmental investment policies and ESG strategies for a wide range of clients, including pension funds, listed corporates, private equity firms and banks. His experience spans enterprise sustainability analysis, and advisory support to senior decision-makers on how funding structures and ESG considerations translate into real economic and social outcomes. He has also provided training and advisory support to boards on governance and oversight of sustainability and responsible investing strategies.
His professional background includes senior roles in ESG advisory and business sustainability, as well as hands-on experience in project finance and infrastructure development, including renewable energy projects and capital raising for sustainable investments. This combination gives him a practical understanding of how programme and funding design choices affect enterprise performance, resilience and long-term impact.
Darshan Daya
Darshan Daya
Darshan brings more than 2 decades of private equity industry experience across many economic cycles to bear, having worked in large cap buyout funds prior to co-founding Capitalworks in 2006. Through directly sourcing and executing multiple transactions as well as numerous engagements with both the local and international institutional investor community, Darshan has a deep understanding of the challenges and opportunities available to the venture and private equity industry in South Africa, which experience can be leveraged for the benefit of the greater industry through his participation on SAVCA board.
David Moore
David Moore
David Moore joined Blue Earth Capital in 2022 and has 15+ years of industry experience. Prior to joining Blue Earth Capital, he was Head of Alternative Investments at Alexander Forbes Investments where he lead the development of Private Market programmes which invested across Infrastructure, Private Debt, Direct Property and Private Equity.
Previously, he was at FMO – Dutch Entrepreneurial Development Bank (sustainable private sector investment in emerging markets), Standard Bank (corporate and investment banking) and RisCura (unlisted asset valuation and advisory). He holds a M.Bus.Sc (Finance), M.Com (Financial Management) and B.Bus.Sc (Finance) from the University of Cape Town.
Elliot Refson
Elliot Refson
Elliot re-joined Jersey Finance in November 2018 from Crestbridge where he managed their Management Company Services Group.
Elliot’s role is to help define Jersey’s product offering for funds as well as to oversee the strategy and execution of marketing Jersey as both a domicile and destination for Alternative Investment Managers and their funds.
Elliot moved to Jersey in 2006 to establish a Macro strategy Hedge Fund under the Ermitage umbrella for whom he also seeded other Macro / CTA strategy Hedge Funds.
Elliot founded the Jersey Hedge Fund Managers Group and the Digital Asset Managers Group aimed at linking the growing community of local Managers and is a committee member of the Jersey Funds Association, the BVCA Channel Islands working group and the islands Funds’ Innovation Committee.
Fulufhelo Makwetla
Fulufhelo Makwetla
Fulufhelo (Fulu) Makwetla is an investment professional and entrepreneur with a passion for developmental investments, diversity advancement and inclusivity. She is the Founding Partner and Managing Director of Third Way Investment Partners, a Non-executive Director of All Weather Capital, Fundi Capital, and serves on the investment committee of RH Bophelo. She was previously the Investment Manager of the Government Employees Pension Fund (GEPF) and represented GEPF on several advisory boards of Private Equity Funds on the African continent.
Prior to joining GEPF, she was an Executive and Senior Investment Consultant at RisCura, and an employer elected trustee of the RisCura Provident Fund. She also worked for RMB Asset Management, having started her career at Liberty Life and has over 17 years industry experience.She is a member the Association of Black Securities and Investment Professionals (ABSIP). In pursuing her passion of diversity advancement and inclusion, especially that of women, she is intentional in her mentorship of young women both through the ABSIP Women in Focus, a sub-committee of ABSIP, as well as in her personal capacity.
Fulu holds a Bachelor of Commerce in Econometrics (a double major in Economics and Statistics) and a Bachelor of Commerce (Hons) in Economics from the University of Pretoria, South Africa. She has completed several short programs in Private Equity at GIBS and Investment Banking Institute. She has also completed programs at the World Bank in Washington DC, in Private Equity, Strategic Asset Allocation, Manager selection, and Master Custody.
George Odo
George Odo
George is the Managing Director for East & Southern Africa and a Senior Partner at AfricInvest, based in Nairobi, Kenya. A key member of the firm’s Executive Committee, George has over 16 years of experience at AfricInvest and has played a central role in establishing and expanding the firm’s presence in the region since launching its Kenya operations in 2009.
He has led the deployment of over USD 500 million across East and Southern Africa, managing investments across various strategies, including Private Equity, Private Credit, Venture Capital, and specialist investment vehicles – contributing significantly to AfricInvest’s regional growth.
Before joining AfricInvest, George spent a decade with CARE International, starting as a Project Manager in Kenya and rising to Regional Director for East & Southern Africa. This background gives him a unique blend of development and private sector expertise.
George has extensive board experience and has served on the boards of organizations such as Abacus Pharmaceuticals, Old Mutual Holdings, UAP Group, Family Bank, Mayfair Bank, Brookhouse International School, Britam Holdings, and the Danish Refugee Council. His sector expertise spans agribusiness, microfinance, banking, insurance, education, FMCG, plastics packaging, pharmaceuticals, and automotive services.
A committed lifelong learner, George has studied across four continents. He holds an Executive MBA, a Bachelor of Commerce (BCom), and a Postgraduate Business Administration qualification (PBAS), alongside certifications in Audit, Private Equity, ESG, HR, and IT, underscoring his dedication to continuous professional development.
Grace Chauke
Grace Chauke
Grace has more than 19 years financial services experience. She has a Bsc Degree in Mathematical Statistics obtained from the University of Pretoria and she’s a CFA level 3 candidate. She started her career at Alexander Forbes as an Actuarial Assistant and then worked for companies such as NMG Actuaries and Consultants, RMBAM and the Export Credit Insurance Corporation of South Africa where she was an Investment Specialist before joining TSRF as an Investment Officer.
Graham Stokoe
Graham Stokoe
Graham is the Private Capital sector leader for EY Africa and is the EY Private leader for Strategy and Transactions in Africa. He has led > 150 buy-side and sell-side transaction diligence projects for Private Capital and Corporate clients on transactions across Sub-Saharan Africa. Joining EY’s Transaction Diligence team in London in 2004 and transitioning to the South Africa team in 2007, he has a wealth of experience in financial due diligence, M&A, IPOs, carve-outs and exit readiness.
He completed his BCom and BCom (Hons) at the University of Pretoria and is a CA(SA).
He is passionate about developing trusted transaction advisors and enabling capital flows to growing African businesses.
Heleen Goussard
Heleen Goussard
CA(SA); CFA
With almost 20 years’ experience, Heleen heads up the alternative investment team at RisCura – a market leader in investment solutions in emerging markets such as Africa and China, with $200 billion in assets under management. Under her leadership, the previous core independent valuations service offering has been successfully expanded to include a wide range of alternative investment services that cover asset classes such as private equity, infrastructure and private debt. She heads up RisCura’s unlisted investment programme and is an expert on alternative investments. Her knowledge and experience are often called on by industry bodies for comment on key industry papers. In addition, her thought leadership articles are often published by well-known media outlets. She is a regular speaker at prominent industry events where she provides insight into the industry and RisCura’s research. She previously worked as a corporate finance partner at PKF Inc. Heleen has a CA(SA), is a CFA charter holder and has a master’s degree in finance, focused on valuation from UCT.
Ian Lessem
Ian Lessem
Growing up in a family of entrepreneurs, Ian’s passion for building businesses runs in his genes. Coupled with over a decade of pan-African investing and investment banking experience, he is ideally placed to invest and advise early-stage, high-growth businesses. Ian has a unique talent for raising capital and is an expert at strategically aligning businesses for international growth, investment, and exit.
HAVAÍC is a venture capital and advisory firm that specialises in investing in and supporting early-stage, high-growth post-revenue African technology start-ups with global prospects. As a complementary offering, HAVAÍC provides corporate advisory and capital raising services to its portfolio companies, which assists when scaling locally and internationally.
The HAVAÍC team has extensive local and international experience and networks. We are passionate about supporting entrepreneurs and encouraging our portfolio companies to retain their independence and unique cultures. We are deeply invested in ensuring alignment with founders on vision, strategy, and long-term objectives and work tirelessly to prepare our portfolio companies for global growth, impact, and high-returning exits.
John Loubser
John Loubser
John grew up in the suburbs around Cape Town, South Africa. After matriculating, he went on to gain his BCom (economics and law) and LLB degrees from University of Cape Town. This was followed by 4 years at a top-five law firm in South Africa practicing as an attorney specialising in M&A, Private Equity as well as Banking and Finance. John then worked as an in-house lawyer at a FMCG company listed on the New York Stock Exchange.
John joined Benchmark International in 2020 as a Transaction Associate and was appointed as an Associate Director in 2025. During his time at Benchmark John also completed his MPhil in Corporate Strategy, with distinction, at the Gordon Institute of Business Science.
As part of Benchmark International’s process, John reviews and advises on the commercial aspects of various agreements, facilitates meetings with prospects, reviews non-binding offers, identifies potential risks to clients and negotiates the terms of the offer to unlock maximum value for the client.
Karabo Nkoana
Karabo Nkoana
Karabo Nkoana is an investment professional with a background in engineering and management consulting. Karabo began her career as an investment professional at Ke Nako Capital where where was involved in the execution of fund investments (primaries and secondaries) and direct investments. Following her time Ke Nako, Karabo joined Pegasys Capital where her investment experience was focused on infrastructure and public goods. Following this role Karabo joined the SA SME Fund, where she was instrumental in the establishment of a number of first-time fund managers. Karabo then founded Arenema Ventures, an investment advisory firm servicing clients within the Private Equity, Venture capital and early-stage start-up spaces. More recently Karabo returned to Ke Nako Capital and Thuso incubation partners focusing on direct investments and incubation funds.
Karabo’s educational background is in Mechanical engineering, Financial Analysis and Portfolio Management, and Development Finance at the University of Cape Town.
Lungile Mashele
Lungile Mashele
Lungile Mashele is a seasoned energy economist with a distinguished career spanning over 15 years. Her journey began in the corporate world, honing her financial acumen in banking before transitioning to consulting and advisory roles.
Mashele has a deep-rooted involvement in the African energy landscape, having worked closely with state-owned energy companies and contributing to the development of critical energy infrastructure across the continent. Her expertise in project finance has been instrumental in assessing and supporting a wide range of energy projects.
Currently, Mashele serves as a technical due diligence expert for an institutional investor, providing invaluable insights into the financial viability and technical soundness of energy projects and funds. Her extensive knowledge of the African energy sector positions her as a trusted advisor to investors and stakeholders.
Mashele's academic credentials are equally impressive. She holds qualifications in economics, econometrics, insolvency law, cost engineering, and energy. Her pursuit of a PhD in Engineering Management further underscores her commitment to staying at the forefront of the energy sector.
Beyond her professional roles, Mashele is actively engaged in shaping the energy discourse. She lectures and provides expert commentary on African energy matters globally, sharing her insights and knowledge with a wider audience. Her biweekly column in Business Day and her role as a Non-Executive Director demonstrate her dedication to contributing to the industry's development.
A member of the Institute of Directors and the South African Institute of Electrical Engineers, Mashele is actively involved in professional organisations and networks. Her contributions to the energy sector have earned her recognition as a leading expert and a respected voice in the field.
Mandlakazi Gcasamba
Mandlakazi Gcasamba
Mandlakazi Gcasamba CA (SA) is the Head of Operations. Prior to joining SAVCA she was the Head of Operations at LEGACY AFRICA Fund Managers where she was in charge of providing inspired leadership for the business, which involves working with the board of directors in making important policy and strategic decisions. She was part of the team that set up the first Legacy Africa Private Equity Fund. She completed a year of academic articles in Financial Management at the University of Limpopo (UL) as one of the first clerks in the partnership between UJ and UL to assist UL in attaining their CTA Honours accreditation.
She completed the rest of her articles at SNG Grant Thornton where she become an audit manager in the Financial Services division.
Within the Academia, Mandlakazi was a Senior Lecturer in Financial Management at North West University. She was also a Financial Officer at Cloud Atlas Investing where she was actively involved in the application to get the SARB to amend legislation, and allow local investment schemes to issue a pioneering Pan African ETF which facilitates a more efficient manner of investing in African developed markets.
Mark Davids
Max Moyo
Max Moyo
With a wealth of experience spanning the financial services and petroleum industries, Max has profoundly influenced organizational culture through his work as the founder of Ignite My Potential.
Max Moyo is not just a Human Transformation Specialist; he is a dynamic force for change. He has mastered the art of fostering positive company cultures, which are pivotal in enhancing employee satisfaction and increasing engagement. In the ever-evolving and challenging landscape of financial services, where change is the only constant, Max's insights are essential. His keynote presentations delve into the critical role of leadership in navigating growth through adversity, equipping attendees with the necessary tools to make tough decisions and lead transformative change effectively.
In Max’s leadership focused keynotes, he shares:
- Practical strategies for creating and nurturing a company culture that promotes collaboration and innovation, which are vital in today’s competitive financial landscape.
- Participants will learn how to leverage challenges as opportunities for growth, fostering resilience and adaptability in themselves and their teams.
- Discusses how recognizing and utilizing the unique strengths of team members can lead to extraordinary outcomes, driving performance and success.
Max’s talks are not only informative but transformative, inspiring leaders to rethink their approaches and drive meaningful change. His ability to connect with diverse audiences and provide actionable insights makes him an exceptional choice for this event. Max Moyo’s participation will significantly enrich the conversation around effective leadership strategies in the financial services sector.
Mphokolo Makara
Mohau Leteka
Polo Leteka
Polo Leteka is a highly accomplished and experienced entrepreneur and private equity investor. She is the Chairman and Founder of IDF Capital - a South African based entrepreneurial financier and advisory firm. Through IDF Capital, Polo has contributed towards changeling investments into women owned SMEs across South Africa. In 2015, she co-founded AlitheiaIDF to continue investing in high growth businesses across Sub-Saharan Africa that are women owned and led.
Polo is an accountant by training, and has varied experience in both the Public and Private sectors of South Africa which includes accounting and auditing, corporate finance, investment banking, public policy formulation, venture capital and private equity in the SME sector. At a fairly young age, Polo was tasked with leading the process of developing South Africa's first ever Codes of Good Practice on Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment which is a Government policy seeking to transform the South African economic landscape to be more reflective of its population demographics. As a result of this ground breaking work which has changed how Corporate South Africa interacts with the rest of the economy, she is considered a thought leader in areas of economic transformation and development.
Polo is a an accomplished public speaker, contributor to thought leadership articles on transformation and entrepreneurship. She was also part of South Africa's version of the Dragons Den show and is also a co-Author of a book called ".....and for all these reasons, I'M IN.....", which seeks to assist entrepreneurs to become investor ready.
Polo is the current President of Association of Black Securities and Investment Professional (ABSIP).
Naledi Gule
Naledi Gule
Naledi Gule is an African investor and seasoned investment professional with over 15 years’ experience across mezzanine debt, private equity, corporate finance and advisory. She is a Shareholder and Associate Partner at Kholo Capital, a R1.4 billion mezzanine fund that is 100% black-owned and managed, providing R70 million to R205 million in growth and acquisition capital to medium-sized businesses across Southern Africa. The fund invests in businesses generating a minimum of R25 million in annual EBITDA and structures capital over a 4 to 7-year tenor, targeting returns above 17% through a combination of yield and equity participation.
Naledi brings extensive governance and board experience, having served as a director, committee member and board observer across companies in financial services, industrials, real estate and consumer sectors. Previously, she was a dealmaker at Sanlam Private Equity and an Executive Director at RMB Corvest, where she led the execution, origination, structuring and ongoing oversight of private equity investments.
She began her career at EY Transaction Advisory Services in Johannesburg, where she completed her articles and qualified as a Chartered Accountant (SA), before spending time in New York as a Senior Associate in wealth management. Naledi holds a BCom in Finance from Stellenbosch University, as well a Postgraduate Diploma in Management and a Postgraduate Diploma in Accounting from the University of Cape Town.
Nwabisa Daniels
Nwabisa Daniels
Nwabisa has an MPhil in Development Finance and specialize infrastructure finance with a particular focus on social and economic infrastructure. Her current role in the Presidential Infrastructure Coordination Committee Technical Task Team (Infrastructure South Africa), Infrastructure South Africa was established in May 2020 by Cabinet approval. ISA was established as an infrastructure centre of excellence and is established as a single point of entry for infrastructure planning, management, and delivery.
Nwabisa's role focuses on the development and implementation of the strategy for the mobilisation of various sources of funding for project preparation and infrastructure delivery, engage with innovative funding mechanisms including (but not limited to) blended finance. In addition, the role entails project preparation support, policy and advisory services, and establishing partnerships in an effort to address South Africa's infrastructure investment funding gap. In terms of the nature of projects that I support in my role, these are catalytic public infrastructure investment projects (i.e., minimum capital investment of ZAR1 billion or USD56 mil) in the water and sanitation, transport and logistics, renewable energy, waste management, digital communication, health and education sectors.
Paula Mokwena
Paula Mokwena
Paula is an engineer by training who has extensive experience in private equity, investment management and development finance. Paula’s career started in corporate and investment banking at Standard Bank, after which she went on to gain experience in stockbroking, development finance, consulting, private equity and, most recently, venture capital. Her initial involvement in the venture capital industry occurred during her tenure at the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC). At the IDC, she worked for a grant funding programme designed to promote technology development in South Africa called the Support Programme for Industrial Innovation (SPII). SPII provides financial assistance for the development of innovative products, processes and/or technologies, specifically focusing on the development phase, which begins at the conclusion of basic research and ends at the point when a pre-production prototype has been produced. She was also instrumental in the establishment of the Technology Venture Capital fund, which provides business support and seed capital for the commercialization of innovations and technologies funded by SPII.
She is currently the CEO of Fireball Capital, an integrated and diversified venture capital platform that makes direct investments in early-stage tech-enabled businesses and in established and emerging venture capital funds in South Africa. Paula believes that Africa is beaming with potential and that, despite the many challenges facing the continent and the as-yet unfulfilled promise of Africa rising, bold innovation and technology have the greatest potential to accelerate economic development. Her role at Fireball Capital has given her a glimpse into the incredible talent and groundbreaking innovations that exist in South Africa and other parts of the continent. As such, she hopes that Fireball Capital will become a key contributor to the venture capital ecosystem in Africa generally, and South Africa in particular, in the decades to come.
Piers Johansen
Piers Johansen
Piers leads both adviser coverage and strategy & sales enablement for Aon’s M&A business in EMEA, combining a diverse professional background in law, investment banking and insurance over 30 years.
His responsibilities include managing relationships with law firms, investment banks and other stakeholders as part of a structured approach focused on bringing Aon’s diversified capabilities to help create client value and drive deal-related efficiency. Working in close collaboration with business, geography and other leaders in Aon’s M&A business, Piers helps develop sales strategy focused on client engagement, deal origination and execution.
Before joining Aon in 2015, Piers was senior M&A Legal Counsel for J.P. Morgan in EMEA and, prior to that, acquired a range of public and private M&A experience as an M&A/Corporate Associate at Skadden and Norton Rose.
Puseletso Mbele
Rainer Steinhagen
Rainer Steinhagen
Rainer is a Senior Investment Manager in DEG’s African Private Equity Funds and Co-investments team, where he has been for the past 6 years. Based in Johannesburg he leads DEG’s origination efforts and portfolio management in southern Africa, whilst contributing to capital allocation and deal execution across the African continent.
Ronak Gopaldas
Ronak Gopaldas
Ronak Gopaldas is a political economist, “pracademic,” writer, and speaker whose work focuses on the intersection of (geo)politics, economics, and business in Africa.
A prominent voice in both local and international media, Ronak has made frequent appearances on CNN, BBC, Al Jazeera, and CNBC Africa, and regularly publishes opinion and analysis pieces. He has also spoken at leading Africa-focused policy and business conferences and several of the world’s top universities as a moderator, panelist, and keynote speaker. In 2016, he delivered a TED Talk on Africa’s evolving role in the global economy.
Ronak’s greatest strength lies in his ability to translate and connect the worlds of business, policy, and academia. This unique skill enables him to offer holistic and differentiated insights on complex issues.
He holds several prestigious affiliations and honours. He has been appointed a Visiting Senior Fellow at the London School of Economics’ Firoz Lalji Institute for Africa (FLIA) and was named a Global South African Brand Ambassador in 2024 to promote South Africa’s international presence and foster cultural and economic ties worldwide. He is also a 2019 Archbishop Desmond Tutu Leadership Fellow, a 2015 alumnus of the Asian Forum on Global Governance (Raisina Young Fellow), and an alumnus of the Young African Leadership Initiative (YALI).
Rory Ord
Rory Ord
Rory manages the 27four Black Business Growth Fund, the first and only fund of private equity funds focused on black owned and managed South African private equity funds. Rory also oversees all unlisted investments for 27four, a black, women owned multi-manager, with R60 billion under management and advice. Rory is acknowledged as an expert in the field of unlisted investments and has trained corporate and public sector investors on the nuances of unlisted investments across several countries. In 2010 he initiated industry wide performance reporting for the South African private equity industry in collaboration with SAVCA, and in 2012 he created and was lead author on the series of Bright Africa reports on African investment markets.
Saad Sheikh
Saad Sheikh
Saad Sheikh is a Partner, based in the London office and leads Enko’s private credit strategy. Prior to joining Enko, from 2014 to 2022, Saad was a Principal at an Africa focused firm, where he was responsible for deal origination, structuring, and execution for their emerging markets private debt fund. Saad focused on various industries in Africa, including healthcare, fintech and consumer goods. Prior to that, Saad was a Consultant at Accenture where he focused on M&A and transformation projects. From 2005 to 2012, Saad focused on infrastructure projects for Nokia. Saad holds a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Systems and Electronics and a Executive Masters in Business Administration (Imperial Business School, London).
Thato Ntseare
Thato Ntseare
Thato is a qualified CA(SA) and is the Head of Venture Investments and leads transaction appraisals and deal evaluations for early- and growth-stage ventures, focusing on high-impact and high-growth opportunities. He manages the full transaction lifecycle from pipeline development to post-investment monitoring, and supports portfolio growth through active engagement and strategic, impact-aligned guidance.
Prior to joining E Squared, Thato was the impact investing manager for the Mineworkers Investment Company where he was responsible for establishing and executing the impact investing mandate and building MIC's impact investment portfolio. One of the highlights being establishing MIC Khulisani Ventures which included businesses across the venture capital lifecycle from seed to late-stage Venture Capital, as well as growth equity investments across the impact portfolio.
Currently, Thato is an Investment Manager at E Squared Investments leveraging his experience to invest in high growth businesses both tech-enabled and traditional, all across the business lifecycle from early-stage to mature. E Squared is a prominent impact investor focused on job creation and enabling entrepreneurship by providing patient capital for founders. The organisation also aims to be catalytic to the fund management industry by allocating capital to a portfolio of diverse fund managers to broaden its impact.
Thiru Pather
Thiru Pather
Thiru is the Executive Head of Investments at RMA, a pioneering social insurer dedicated to safeguarding everyday heroes, offering workers’ compensation and short and long-term insurance products.
Thiru’s role at RMA spans the entire investment cycle, including Asset Liability Matching, Strategic Asset Allocation, and Manager Selection across Public and Private Markets in South Africa and globally. RMA has a notable Private Markets programme, with a focus on Black Fund Managers and Socially Responsible Investing.
Thiru is a Chartered Accountant by profession and has 20 years’ experience in Investments and Corporate Finance. Prior to joining RMA, Thiru was a Principal at the SA SME Fund, a Venture Capital (VC) Fund of Funds, and prior to that, Head of the Fund of Funds division at PIC, with responsibility for Private Equity (PE) Fund investments and co-investments. During this time, Thiru played a significant role in developing and transforming the PE and VC space in South Africa, including championing the SA SME Fund’s contribution to the PE and VC Fund Manager Development Programmes with SAVCA.
Titi Sekhukhune
Titi Sekhukhune
Titi Sekhukhune, is currently a Co-Founder and Partner at Infinite Partners. Titi Sekhukhune brings experience from previous roles at Twinsaver Group, Gammatek, Eazi Access Rental and Ethos Private Equity. Titi Sekhukhune holds a 2004 - 2007 CA (SA) in CA (SA) @ South African Institute Of Chartered Accountants. With a robust skill set that includes Private Equity, M&A experience, Valuation, Financial Modeling, Deal Structures and more.
Tomi Amosun
Tomi Amosun
Tomi has years of experience and a proven track record of Private Investments, Listed Investments, and Real Estate in South Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa. He has concluded over R75 billion of corporate and investment transactions. Tomi's expertise spans mergers and acquisitions, private equity advisory, company restructurings, listings, BBEE transactions and capital raising across numerous sectors. As a co-founder, his invaluable experience has been a cornerstone in shaping Summit investment strategies. Beyond his professional accomplishments, Tomi is also a fellow of Archbishop Desmond Tutu Leadership Institute and was recognised as an ABSIP Game Changer in the Financial Sector in 2013.
Tsepo Mandlazi
Tshiphiri Muedi
Vuyo Ntoi
Vuyo Ntoi
Vuyo was appointed Co-Managing Director of AIIM in August 2020.Prior to moving into this role, Vuyo was the Co-Portfolio Manager of the R15-billion IDEAS Managed Fund, which primarily focuses on infrastructure investment and development assets in the SADC region.
Vuyo holds several directorships, including positions on the boards of some of AIIM’s portfolio companies. He is also a Trustee of the Africa Infrastructure Developers Association (AFiDA). Vuyo holds degrees from UCT, Oxford University and IESE Business School. He has also completed Harvard Business School’s Advanced Management Program and is and part of the Aspen Global Leadership Network.