Professor Mark Williams is a seasoned business executive and leader with expertise in strategic planning, corporate governance, and financial management. He has led organisational transformation across banking, developmental organisations and financial services.

He is the founder of Surenet Financial Services Group and Edupulse (Pty) Ltd and previously held senior leadership positions at Ubank Group, Barclays Africa, and Stanbic Africa, with a strong focus on retail banking, risk management and operational excellence. He currently serves as a professor under the Chair for Critical Studies in Higher Education Transformation (CriSHET) at Nelson Mandela University.

Prof Williams’ qualifications include a PhD in Construction Management, MBA, BCom Honours and executive training certifications from Harvard University and GIBS. He is a member of the Institute of Directors and is an alumnus of the World Economic Forum’s Young Global Leaders programme.

Bongi Siwisa is a businesswoman who is the founder and managing member of Bongi Siwisa Development Services (BSDS) and managing director of Mthawekhaya Development Services (MWDS). She specialises in stakeholder relations management and public participation facilitation in the built industry, renewable energy power production and other development projects. She has interests in the gaming and betting, fishing, built environment, transport and engineering industries, as well as education services.

Her qualifications include a Bachelor of Commerce from the National University of Lesotho, a Diploma in Project Management from the Training for Management Institute and a Practising Certificate as Business Mentor from North-West University.

She sits on several boards including BVI Consulting Engineers and Umsobomvu Fishing and is a non-executive director of Emfuleni Resorts (trading as The Sun Boardwalk).

Gugu Nxiweni is a qualified chartered accountant and executive chairman of Improvate Group who has extensive experience in public and private sector environments. He has over 20 years of professional experience in leadership, governance, policy, transaction advisory, business processes, financial modelling and financial management, strategy development and implementation, and business support.

He has, and continues to serve, on numerous local and national boards in various capacities. He was previously a partner at KPMG and was formerly a chief executive of Emmanuel Haven in Gqeberha. He also served as a member of the expert panel in nation building and social cohesion work-stream that was involved in developing the National Development Plan 2030.

Dr Bridgette Gasa-Toboti is a seasoned construction industry practitioner with over 30 years’ experience in the built environment. She has co-ordinated the roll-out of multi-billion-rand projects and has worked as an architectural practitioner, project controls specialist, cost engineer, construction manager and project leader on a variety of infrastructure projects across South Africa and the globe.

She holds a PhD in Construction Management and founded The Elilox Group (Pty) Ltd, a construction firm that has been trading since 2009. In 2021, she joined Transnet National Ports Authority where she is currently responsible for the mega projects portfolio.

Mike Monaghan is the executive director of finance at Nelson Mandela University. He has served in the position since 2015 and has over 25 years’ experience working at the University. He is a member of the South African Institute of Professional Accountants (SAIPA).

Mike has a Bachelor of Commerce Honours and is a professional accountant (SA).

Busisiwe Nzo, or Busi as she is affectionately known, is an experienced and practicing professional quantity surveyor registered with the South African Council for the Quantity Surveying Profession (SACQSP). She is currently a partner (managing and active) at Lakhanya Quantity Surveyors, a private practice with offices in various regions of the country. Her experience in the professional building industry spans more than 20 years.

She has and continues to serve on numerous boards and councils of various entities such as the National Home Builders Registration Council (NHBRC), Gauteng Partnership Fund (GPF), Bayworld and the Durban University of Technology (DUT) Council and the Social Housing Regulatory Authority (SHRA).

Zola Tshefu is an accomplished business executive and board leader with over two decades of experience spanning investment management, renewable energy, manufacturing, tourism and economic development. She currently serves as the chairperson of a national public entity board as well as a university retirement fund board of trustees.

Active in business since 2010, she founded black-woman-owned consulting and investment holding companies, Lilibo Investments and Lilibo Contractors. Most recently, she served as a strategic consultant with the African Pioneer Group and represented the company on several boards as a non-executive director. She continues to provide strategic advisory services in renewable energy to independent power producers developing utility-scale projects.

Ms Tshefu holds a Master of Business Administration from Herriot-Watt University and a BCom Degree from North-West University.