https://www.executiveleadership.africa/

Executive Leadership Magazine, Waterfall Office Park, Midrand (2026)

20/08/2026

Razor PR Appoints Ima Peter as Deputy Managing Director

Razor PR, Africa’s most awarded PR & Communications agency, has announced the appointment of Ima Peter as Deputy Managing Director, effective 1 February 2026.

A senior leader in reputation management and strategic communications, Peter draws on more than 20 years of experience advising public and private sector organisations across Africa. Her appointment reflects Razor’s continued focus on strengthening senior leadership as the agency evolves to meet increasingly complex reputational, stakeholder, and risk environments.

Peter previously served as Head of Corporate and Business Unit Director at Razor – part of the Up&Up Group – where she led multi-market, integrated communications strategies for major local and global brands operating in highly regulated and reputation-sensitive sectors. In her new role, Peter will support the agency’s overall strategic direction, talent development, and client leadership. In addition, she will have a strong focus on bolstering Razor’s crisis communications function.

“Ima’s appointment marks an important milestone for Razor as we look to the future of the agency,” said Sharleen James, Managing Director of Razor PR. “She is an exceptional strategist and trusted advisor, with an unparalleled depth of experience in reputation management across Africa. Her leadership will be instrumental as we continue to grow our crisis, corporate and strategic advisory offering.”

Read the full article on our website:
https://executiveleadership.africa/current-issues/

22/07/2026

One story, many touchpoints: how Marketing and Communications are driving digital payments adoption in Africa

By: Kamini Redhi, VP, Marketing & Communications, Africa, Mastercard

Imagine a continent where billions of transactions pulse like a digital heartbeat, transforming markets into hubs of instant commerce and empowering millions to bypass cash. As digital payments expand, the conversation often centers on scale: how many transactions networks process, how fast systems respond, and how far solutions reach into the most remote corners of the continent. But reaching consumers is only half the job. The real challenge is turning awareness into everyday habit. In many African markets, access to digital payment infrastructure is no longer the primary constraint. The bigger challenge lies in trust, familiarity, and perceived relevance. Consumers may understand how digital payments work, but without repeated, confidence-building experiences, cash remains the default. This is where marketing and communications earn its place.

Working together as an integrated marketing and communications team has often been described as the art of ensuring that every advertisement, event, and article tells the same compelling story. In practice, it means marketing and communications operate as one function rather than two. The goal is stronger ideas and more resonant narratives that turn momentary interest into lasting behaviour. In the context of digital payments, this integration is not about creative alignment alone; it is about accelerating trust and turning first-time trial into habitual use.

Read the full article on our website:
https://executiveleadership.africa/current-issues/

21/07/2026

CDH appoints Phetheni Nkuna as Chief Operating Officer in key leadership milestone

Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr (CDH) has announced the appointment of Phetheni Nkuna, Director of Executive Management, as the firm’s Chief Operating Officer, effective 1 April 2026. In this role, she will oversee the firm’s operations across CDH’s offices in South Africa, Kenya, and Namibia, supporting the continued integration of its African operations. As an award-winning law firm on the continent, this appointment reinforces CDH’s strategic objective to drive innovation, transformation, and operational excellence amid a rapidly evolving legal landscape.

Phetheni holds LLB and LLM degrees, a Certificate in Advanced Labour Law, and a Postgraduate Diploma in Business Administration, as well as a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS). She joined CDH in October 2020 as a Director in the Employment Law practice and was subsequently appointed Director of Executive Management in June 2023. In this role, she oversaw several operational portfolios and worked closely with CDH CEO Brent Williams in advancing the firm’s strategic agenda.

agenda.
Phetheni’s appointment to the Executive Management Office marked an important step in broadening her contribution beyond legal practice at a comparatively early stage of her leadership journey. She embodies a forward-looking leadership mindset, one that not only drives performance and innovation, but is equally focused on laying the groundwork for the future by enabling emerging legal professionals to realise their potential. In doing so, she is helping to embed a culture where talent is equipped, supported, and empowered to succeed.

Read the full article on our website:
https://executiveleadership.africa/current-issues/

20/07/2026

KPMG South Africa honoured Ignatius Sehoole’s enduring legacy of integrity, leadership, and service

Johannesburg South Africa – KPMG South Africa and KPMG One Africa formally marked the conclusion of Ignatius Sehoole’s tenure as CEO KPMG South Africa and KPMG One Africa, honouring a leader whose stewardship has become synonymous with integrity, resilience, and institutional renewal.

A farewell celebration hosted in Johannesburg, bringing together senior leaders from business, government, regulatory bodies, academia, clients, competitors, media and KPMG’s Africa leadership. The high-level gathering reflected the breadth of Sehoole’s influence and the depth of the relationships he cultivated during his tenure.
The evening, themed “From Leadership to Legacy”, celebrated not only Sehoole’s leadership journey, but also the collective effort that underpinned KPMG South Africa’s renewal. It also marked a symbolic and seamless handover of leadership to incoming CEO of KPMG South Africa, Joelene Pierce, reinforcing confidence in the firm’s future.

A leadership journey defined by principle

A consistent commitment to ethical leadership and institutional strength has shaped Ignatius Sehoole’s professional journey. He built his early career across senior leadership roles in corporate South Africa, earning a reputation for disciplined governance and principled decision-making. In 2019, he was appointed CEO of KPMG South Africa at a pivotal moment in the firm’s history, with a clear mandate to restore trust, rebuild credibility and re-anchor the organisation to its core values.

Read the full article on our website:
https://executiveleadership.africa/current-issues/

17/07/2026

The geopolitics of staying out of it

(By: Sanisha Packirisamy, CFA, FRM, CAIA, Group Economist - Momentum Group Limited )

Middle power influence is not about picking sides. It is about being indispensable. South Africa’s geography, mineral wealth and reform momentum give it the tools to navigate a fractured world without taking sides.

Global trade flows are increasingly unpredictable. Conflicts, sanctions and shifting alliances anywhere in the world ripple quickly through markets, disrupt supply chains and test national resilience. For South Africa, this era of strategic uncertainty reinforces a core lesson. Influence grows not through alignment with one camp, but through credibility, reliability and a reputation for principled independence.

Historically, middle powers, such as Canada, Sweden and Australia, punched above their weight not through brute force or side-taking, but by shaping rules, convening dialogue and regional benefits that neighbours and partners relied on. South Africa aspires to such a role, yet structural constraints have kept it on the sidelines. Current global volatility, however, illuminates both the risks of standing still and the levers of potential influence through non-alignment.

Southern compass

For centuries, the Suez Canal was the world’s economic eye, relegating the Cape Route to a neglected channel. Today, as northern shipping lanes face disruptions, South Africa sits astride one of the world’s most strategically important maritime chokepoints, a global crossroads that could define trade flows for decades.

Read the full article on our website:
https://executiveleadership.africa/current-issues/

16/07/2026

Dr Kgomotso Tshaka PhD-Distinction, MBA | AngloGold Ashanti

Q1. You operate at the intersection of mining, governance, and legacy. When you say "mining must leave communities stronger than it found them," what does that look like in measurable terms?

When I say mining must leave communities stronger, I am referring to measurable, system-level outcomes rather than isolated interventions. This includes sustained increases in local GDP contribution beyond the life of the mine, diversified economic activity not dependent on extraction, and institutional capacity within municipalities to manage post-mining transitions.

It also means improved human development indicators: higher education attainment, better healthcare access, and employment resilience across generations. Metrics should extend beyond jobs created to include SME participation in supply chains, education-to-employment pipelines, and long-term income mobility.

Critically, land must be returned in a condition that enables productive reuse, whether agricultural, industrial, or ecological. Many long-term, high-impact projects can be identified to support this. The true metric is continuity, not an eerie silence.

Social licence must be reframed as an outcome, not a process evidenced by reduced conflict, increased local ownership, and intergenerational opportunity. Legacy is not a narrative. The true test is whether, 10 to 20 years post-closure, the region is economically active and socially stable without the mine's presence.

Q2. You've argued that sustainability failures are often architectural, not effort-based. What specifically is broken in current governance design?

What research and practice consistently reveal is that most sustainability failures are not rooted in a lack of intent or effort, they tend to reflect structural gaps in governance architecture. This is an industry-wide pattern that has been well documented across sectors and geographies.

Read the full article on our website:
https://smeentrepreneur.co.za/current-issue

15/07/2026

Join South Africa and Southern Africa's Leading Women Entrepreneurs at the SME Entrepreneur Women in Business Summit & Awards 2026

We are delighted to invite you to the SME Entrepreneur Women in Business Summit & Awards 2026, taking place on Thursday, 27 August 2026.

This flagship event brings together women entrepreneurs, executives, investors, business leaders and industry experts for a day dedicated to leadership, entrepreneurship, innovation and business growth. Whether you are launching a new venture, scaling an established business or seeking meaningful partnerships, this Summit is designed to connect you with the people, knowledge and opportunities that can help accelerate your success.

Teluka Mzuri

Book early bird tickets on the link below :

https://www.quicket.co.za/events/384504-sme-entrepreneur-women-in-business-summit-awards-2026 #/

Why Attend?

The Summit offers an exceptional platform to:

✅Learn from accomplished entrepreneurs, CEOs and industry leaders.

✅Gain practical insights on access to funding, leadership, digital transformation and business growth.

✅Network with decision-makers, investors, corporate procurement teams and potential business partners.

✅Discover new opportunities for collaboration, market access and enterprise development.

✅Celebrate the achievements of outstanding women at the SME Entrepreneur Women of Worth Awards 2026.

15/07/2026

Reimagining real estate finance in SA: Navigating the shift toward innovative funding models

By Kagiso Mahlangu, Director: Head of Real Estate & Conveyancing at CMS South Africa

As the South African Reserve Bank begins to signal a downward trajectory for interest rates, the local real estate sector stands at a critical crossroads. For years, the market has been characterised by cautious traditional lending and a high-barrier entry for developers and first-time homeowners alike. However, as digital banking redefines access to capital and heightened geopolitical volatility - particularly in the Middle East - ripples through global energy prices and supply chains, we are entering a pivotal phase of renewal that demands more agile financial responses.

To ensure this growth is both inclusive and sustainable, the legal and financial frameworks governing property must evolve. While traditional mortgage lending remains the bedrock of the industry, it is no longer the sole, or necessarily the most efficient, tool to meet the complex needs of modern SMEs, large-scale developers and the "missing middle" of homebuyers. Unlocking the sector’s full potential requires a more sophisticated, flexible financial ecosystem that balances risk with innovation amidst a fluctuating global macro-environment.

Read the full article on our website:
https://executiveleadership.africa/current-issues/

14/07/2026

Valdene Reddy, CEO of the The JSE Group : A Defining Moment for Africa’s Leading Stock Exchange

In a landmark leadership appointment for South Africa’s financial markets, Valdene Reddy was named Chief Executive Officer of the Johannesburg Stock Exchange, effective 1 April 2026 taking over from outgoing CEO Leila Fourie.

Her appointment marks a significant milestone—not only for the JSE as Africa’s largest stock exchange, but for the broader financial ecosystem navigating a rapidly evolving global and digital landscape.

A Strategic Leadership Transition

Reddy steps into the role at a time when the JSE is advancing its position as a globally competitive, technology-driven exchange, while continuing to serve as a critical enabler of capital formation and economic growth in South Africa.

Her elevation reflects a deliberate focus on continuity, innovation, and transformation, ensuring the JSE remains resilient and responsive to both local and international market dynamics.

Phuthuma Nhleko, JSE Chairman remarked: “I am confident that Valdene’s deep industry expertise, strategic acumen and stakeholder relationships will position the JSE for continued success in a rapidly evolving financial landscape. The Board is looking forward to working with Valdene to deliver transformative growth for the JSE.”

“It is an honour to be appointed as Group CEO, and I am delighted to lead this institution into its next chapter,” says Valdene Reddy. “My focus will be on accelerating innovation and enhancing our competitiveness through ongoing strategic transformation. I look forward to working with our talented team and valued partners to unlock new opportunities for growth and impact.”

Read the full article on our website:
https://executiveleadership.africa/current-issues/

13/07/2026

Boitumelo Maja CA(SA) Profiling | Southern Palladium

Boitumelo Maja is a Chartered Accountant of South Africa (CA(SA)) who recently transitioned from the audit profession into the corporate finance and strategy environment. She currently serves as Commercial Manager – Mining and Metals at Southern Palladium Limited.

Boitumelo completed her articles at Ernst & Young, after which she gained international experience in the United Kingdom as an Assistant Manager at BDO. Upon returning to South Africa, she held the role of Audit Manager at KPMG Inc. She brings over five years of external audit experience, primarily within the energy, mining, and metals sectors, with exposure to complex financial structures and highly regulated environments.

Her audit background has equipped her with deep expertise in IFRS reporting, internal controls, risk management, governance, and stakeholder engagement at senior levels. She is known for her strong technical capability, disciplined attention to detail, and commitment to high-quality, compliant financial reporting. Boitumelo has a proven ability to analyse large datasets, identify key risk areas, streamline processes, and provide clear, evidence-based insights to guide decision-making.

In her current role, Boitumelo focuses on driving financial performance through budgeting and forecasting, strengthening internal controls, enhancing financial reporting quality, and supporting strategic and operational decision-making. She is passionate about bridging the gap between technical finance and business operations to enable effective strategy ex*****on and sustainable value creation.

Read the full article on our website:
https://executiveleadership.africa/current-issues/

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