Adrian Gore founded Discovery in South Africa in 1992 – with a core purpose “to make people healthier and enhance and protect their lives”. Discovery is now a global financial services organisation serving over 50 million customers across 37 countries, through its pioneering Vitality Shared-Value Insurance model. This model, which incentivises behaviour change and integrates it into financial services pricing, is transforming the insurance industry, is taught as a case study at Harvard Business School, and been recognised by Fortune as a business model ‘changing the world for good’. Adrian is Vice-President of Business Unity South Africa and a Board member of the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health and the World Economic Forum Global Health and Healthcare Industries Group. He has won numerous awards for leadership and entrepreneurship, including the CNBCA-ABN Forbes Business Leader of the Year Award (2016); the Frost and Sullivan Visionary Innovation Leadership Award for Africa (2017); the Ernst & Young Global Lifetime Achiever Award (2018); the Actuarial Society of South Africa President’s Award (2020); and the International Insurance Society’s Vanguard Market Development Award (2023).

Busisiwe Mavuso is the Chief Executive Officer of Business Leadership South Africa, a position she holds since 1 July 2019. She previously held the position of Chief Operations Officer at the BLSA from November 2017. Before joining BLSA, Ms Mavuso was the Managing Director of the Black Management Forum (BMF), an organisation she joined in May 2009 and served in positions of Chief Financial Officer and Operations Director. She is a non-executive director on the boards of Business Unity South Africa (BUSA), Resultant Finance (a PIC investee company) and BMF investment (Pty) Ltd and serves on the Human Resources Development Council (HRDC), the Advisory Committee of the Local Government Ethical Leadership Initiative (LGELI), The Alcohol Industry Advisory Council (TAIAC) and the Social Justice Council. Furthermore, she is a Visiting Adjunct Professor at the Wits Business School (WBS). She started her career in Finance in 1995 in the banking industry and has worked for various companies in industries ranging from training, consulting, telecoms and the healthcare industry (Netcare) over the past 23 years. She is a Chartered Accountant with the Association of Certified Chartered Accountants in the United Kingdom (ACCA-UK) and holds a Master’s degree in Business Leadership from Unisa SBL; a Postgraduate Qualification in Business Management from GIBS and a B Compt from Unisa. She is known as an advocate for inclusive socio-economic growth, transformation and people’s development.

Bonga Mokoena was appointed as BLSA’s non-executive Deputy Chairman on 19 July 2024, following his earlier appointment as the chair of BLSA’s audit and risk committee on 1 July 2024. He became the CEO of BDO in May 2022, succeeding Mark Stewart. Before joining BDO, Mokoena held several senior executive and leadership roles at AlexForbes for nearly 13 years, including Head of Institutional Cluster Businesses, Managing Director/Executive of Actuarial Consulting Solutions & AF Group Public Sector Divisions, CEO of Alex Forbes Emerging Markets (Pty) Ltd, and most recently, AF Group Executive of Market Development Division. A qualified CA(SA), Mokoena began his career as an internal auditor at Nedcor Bank Limited, Metrorail, and Transnet. In 2005, he joined Old Mutual as an Industry leader within the Old Mutual Corporate Division. He later served as the Chief Executive and Principal Officer of the Eskom Pension and Provident Fund (EPPF) for almost two years during 2008 and most of 2009. Mokoena has extensive experience in both the public and private sectors, with expertise in transport, financial services, and investments. He is a member of the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants (SAICA), Advancement of Black Accountants of Southern Africa (ABASA), Institute of Directors of South Africa (IODSA), and the Black Management Forum (BMF).

Dr Adrian Enthoven is Executive Chairman of Yellowwoods, an international private investment group. He is responsible for the African portfolio of insurance and hospitality investments. He serves on the boards of the group’s South African based businesses, including chairing the Hollard Insurance Group. He is involved in initiatives addressing youth employment, education, social justice and the arts. He is Deputy Chairman of the Solidarity Fund and serves on the board of BLSA, Citizens ZA and the Harambee Youth Employment Accelerator. He is co-chair of the Millennium Labour Council and a member of the advisory boards of MISTRA, CASAC and the African Centre for Cities. He was educated at Michaelhouse School and at Oxford University (BA Hons in Politics, Philosophy, and Economics, and PhD in Political Science).

Shameel Joosub joined Vodacom / Vodafone in 1994 and currently serves as Chief Executive Officer at Vodacom Group Limited, a position he has held since 2012. He has extensive telco experience having operated at a senior level in various companies across the group for the last 22 years, including Managing Director at Vodacom South Africa and Chief Executive Officer at Vodafone Spain. Shameel holds board positions at Vodacom Group Ltd, Safaricom Plc, Vodafone Egypt Telecommunications S.A.E and a number of subsidiary boards across the group. He also sits on the board of Business Leadership South Africa. He was appointed to the Vodafone Group Exco in April 2020, and is responsible for all its African operations. He has an Honours degree in Accounting Science from the University of South Africa, an MBA from the University of Southern Queensland and an Advanced Management Program Certificate from Harvard University.

Nolitha Fakude is the Chairman of Anglo American’s Management Board in South Africa as well as the Group Director responsible for South Africa on Anglo American plc’s Group Management Committee (GMC). Nolitha sits on the Anglo American Platinum Board as a Non-Executive Director and previously served on the Board of Anglo American plc from 2017 to 2019. Nolitha brings to Anglo American significant management experience gained in various functional leadership roles across the oil and energy, chemicals, financial services and retail industries. Nolitha has worked in and held senior executive positions in various industries and sectors including Retail, Financial Services, Mining and Oil and Gas. Until 2016, Nolitha served as an Executive Director at Sasol Limited and Executive Vice President (EVP) of Strategy and Sustainability. Nolitha was the President of the Black Management Forum (BMF) from 2003 to 2006 and its Managing Director between 2000 and 2003. She now serves as a member of the Council of Elders, and is a respected authority on transformation and empowerment in South Africa. Currently Nolitha serves as the President of the Minerals Council of South Africa (MINCOSA), Non-Executive Director of the JSE Limited and Vice President of the International Woman’s Forum South Africa (IWFSA). She is a Patron of Guild Cottage home for girls. Her previous board roles include serving as Deputy Chair and Lead Independent Director of Datacentrix Holdings Limited, Chairperson of Sasol Mining and as a Non-Executive Director of Harmony Gold Mines, Woolworths Holdings and Discovery Holdings, amongst others. Her accolades include: The 2004 Most Influential Businesswoman by Financial Mail, Impala Platinum Young Entrepreneur Award and the National Honor by the Golden Key Society of the University of Johannesburg. Nolitha has led from the front and has not been shy to tackle the tough issues that the mining sector and Minerals Council have to deal with. She is playing a pathfinding leadership role in encouraging structural reform in government to unlock the real inclusive growth potential of the mining sector. Nolitha is an author of a book titled, “Boardroom Dancing – Transformation stories from a Corporate Activist”, published in 2019. She has a Bachelor of Arts (Hons) degree in Psychology from the University of Fort Hare and completed the Senior Executive Programme at Harvard Business School in the United States.

Professor Michael Katz is the Chairman of ENSafrica and is still significantly involved in practicing law and other activities, often presenting papers on legal and fiscal topics. Professor Katz has been mentioned in numerous Legal Periodicals as the leading South African Lawyer and a highly recommended South Africa Lawyer in Tax, Mergers and Acquisitions and Competition Law. In 1994 he was appointed by the New Democratic Government to chair the Commission of Inquiry into the Tax System. This was the so-called “Katz Commission” that published nine Reports recommending a significant overhaul of the South African tax system in the light of the new democracy in South Africa and South Africa’s position in the world economy. Over many years he was the Chairman of the Tax Advisory Committee to the Minister of Finance. He was a member of the Securities Regulation Panel in terms of the 1973 Companies Act and a member of a number of Subcommittees of the Law Society of South Africa. Prof. Katz was a member of the King Committee on Corporate Governance. He chaired The Committee For the Restructuring of the Johannesburg Securities Exchange and was Chairman of the Specialist Committee on Company Law (established in terms of section 191 of the Companies Act, 2008). He served on the Panel of Nugent Commission of Inquiry into Governance at SARS. A respected academic, Prof Katz is Course director Advanced Company Law – Wits University and Visiting Professor in Company Law – Wits University. He is a Member of the Board of Governors of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem; a Member of The Council of the University of the Witwatersrand and a Member of the Board of Wits Business School. He is co-author of Butterworths Company Law Precedents (4 Volumes). Prof. Katz has served and continues to serve on several boards. He was previously Chairman of the Board of the National Housing Finance Corporation Limited – which was established by Government to enable affordable finance for low cost housing. He is a director of Business Leadership South Africa; American Chamber of Commerce in SA (NPC); Solidarity Response Fund (NPC) and GBVF Response Fund. He is a trustee of a number of trusts including the Legal Resources Trust; Constitutional Court Trust; Donald Gordon Foundation; Constitution Hill Trust and is Chairman South African Holocaust and Genocide Foundation. He is a recipient of several awards, including the 2016 Lifetime Achievement Award from Dealmakers for contribution to M&A Industry. In 2022 alone he received the Lifetime Achiever Award from Chambers, the Lifetime Achiever Award at the African Legal Awards and was included in the Hall of Fame in the Legal 500 Rankings. He was a member of the board of directors of the company that hosted the 2003 World Cricket Cup in South Africa as well as the company that hosted the FIFA World Soccer Cup in South Africa in 2010. He has a B.Com LLB (Witwatersrand University) , a Master of Laws Degree (Harvard Law School) and a Doctor of Laws Degree (h.c) (Witwatersrand University).

Valdene’s career spans over two decades in financial markets. She joined JSE in 2015 as Head of Equity and Equity Derivatives and was promoted to Director of Capital Markets at JSE in 2020. Before joining the JSE in 2015, Valdene worked at two international investment banks in equity and equity derivatives sales and trading, covering local and foreign institutional clients. During her 10-year tenor at the JSE, she has been responsible for all capital raise and trading activity on the exchange across all markets. This includes the sourcing of new listings across equity, debt and structured products, as well as the development and management of all secondary market trading in cash and derivative markets. A large part of Valdene’s role focusses on mobilizing capital flow and investment into South Africa by targeting aligned intent and execution between public and private sector. This is a high imperative for showcasing the country, the capital markets and driving investment into SA. In addition, Valdene has extended the development of new markets in South Africa, including the launch of JSE Private Placements and JSE Ventures Voluntary Carbon Market. She is also responsible for JSE Investor Services which is a transfer secretary and share plans business, acquired by the JSE in 2021. In addition to the above, Nonkuleleko she serves as a non-executive director of the following non-profit organisations: KwaZulu-Natal Philharmonic Orchestra, Johannesburg Philharmonic Orchestra and as a trustee of the following organisations: Quartet of Peace Trust, Partners for Possibility (PfP) and The Norval Foundation. Valdene holds a Bachelor of Business Science, Actuarial Science degree from the University of Cape Town; is a Certified Director with the Institute of Directors South Africa and completed the Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School.

Before joining Naspers, she was the co- founder and Executive Chairperson of Sigma Capital, an investment holding company formed in 2015. She held the position of CEO at Shanduka Group, an investment holding company from 2004 to 2015. Prior, she was the Head of the Project Finance South Africa business unit at the Development Bank of Southern Africa. Early in her career, Phuthi worked in New York at Fieldstone, an international firm specialising in the financing of infrastructure assets. She later transferred to the South African office, where she served as a Vice President. In 2020, Phuthi ranked number 42 in Fortune’s Most Powerful Women International list. In May 2016 Phuthi became a member of the Rutgers University Hall of Distinguished Alumni. She has been awarded several accolades such as CNBC Africa’s All Africa Business Leaders “Woman of the Year Award” in 2019 and the Forbes Woman Africa “Businesswoman of the Year” Award in 2014. In 2013, she was awarded a “Distinguished Achievement” Award by The Douglass Society, and the Africa Investors recognised her as a “Leading Africa Woman in Business of the Year” in 2012. In 2011, Rutgers University conferred on her the “Rutgers Vision of Excellence Award”. In 2009, she was awarded the “Most Influential Woman in Government and Business” by Financial Services. The Wall Street Journal counted her among the “Top 50 women in the world to watch”. Phuthi was also selected as a Global Young Leader in 2007 by the World Economic Forum. She was awarded “Top in Project Finance, 2003” by the Association of Black Securities & Investment Professionals. Phuthi completed a BA Economics from Rutgers University, USA in 1993, and an MBA from De Montfort University in the UK in 1996. She also completed the Kennedy School of Government Executive Education programme “Global Leadership and Public Policy for the 21st Century” at Harvard University in 2008.

Kenny was appointed as Group Chief Executive Officer and executive director of Absa Group and Absa Bank, effective 17 June 2025. Kenny is a recognised leader with substantial Pan-African banking experience and a proven track record. He has nearly 20 years of experience in leadership roles in the banking sector. He joined Standard Bank Group in 2006 as head of Investor Services, Corporate and Investment Banking (CIB). In 2008, he was appointed head of Transactional Products and Services, SA, for Standard Bank CIB, whereafter he was appointed deputy chief executive of CIB in November 2016 and chief executive officer of CIB in May 2017, a role he held until August 2024. He was appointed Deputy Chief Executive Officer of Standard Bank Group and Chief Executive Officer Standard Bank South Africa effective 1 September 2024. As Deputy Chief Executive, he was the accountable executive for Standard Bank's subsidiaries outside of South Africa. Qualifications: MSc in Financial Economics (University of London); MBA (University of the Witwatersrand).

Coming Soon

Vivien McMenamin is the Chief Executive Officer of Mondi South Africa since September 2017. She joined the Business Leadership South Africa (BLSA) board of directors in May 2023. Academic Qualifications: MSc in Economics from the University of London and Advanced High Performance Leadership Certificate from IMD Switzerland. Skills and experience - Viv has over 20 years’ experience in the pulp and paper industry as part of Mondi. Viv’s roles have included Mondi Group Head of Sustainable Development and Director Land and Forestry, giving her significant sustainability experience and insight. In October 2017, she was appointed CEO of Mondi South Africa. Viv was instrumental in the establishment of Mondi Zimele, Mondi’s small business development organisation and crafting Mondi’s innovative approach to land reform. Prior to Mondi, Viv worked in government and the anti-apartheid movement in South Africa, serving Nelson Mandela as a member of the President’s Task Force on Local Economic Development and as a member of President Thabo Mbeki’s Economic Advisory Panel. Viv previously served on the boards of SiyaQhubeka Forests, South African Association for Marine Biological Research (SAAMBR), Durban Girls College and Transnet.